Missouri National Recreational River
- The average lifespan of a Missouri River steamboat was 5.7 years. Twenty percent of these boats sank before their third season.
- The Missouri River is the longest river on the continent of North America.
- Wildlife is abundant in and along the three waterways that are part of the park, including the American Bald Eagle, as well as the Piping Plover (Northern Great Plains population) and the Least Tern (Interior population), both of which are listed as threatened and endangered species.
The Missouri National Recreational River – a unit of the National Park Service – is located on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota. It includes the only two remaining free-flowing (i.e., undammed and un-channelized) stretches of the Missouri River between Montana and the mouth of the Missouri. These two sections of the nation's longest river comprise a 100-mile vestige of the untamed West.
There are countless ways for visitors to explore the untamed, mighty Missouri in the park, including boating, fishing, hiking, camping, bird-watching, stargazing, or investigating the area's ecology, history and culture. National Park Rangers are onsite at Nebraska's Ponca State Park and at the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center in Crofton throughout the spring and summer to lead tours and answer questions about the Missouri River.
What JNPA Does Here
JNPA manages designated funds for use in the park's educational and interpretive programs.
