Milwaukee River Greenway
Sometimes called Milwaukee’s Central Park, the Milwaukee River Greenway is 800 acres of river valley protected within a mile of downtown and includes 70% Milwaukee County Parkland. This grassroots advocacy effort started in 2006 to write legislation to preserve the “viewshed” – the view one has when on the water or along the trails that has no visual intrusions, such as buildings or smoke stacks or power lines. You’d never know you were in the city!
The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition, working together in partnership since 2006, assists Milwaukee County Parks (through an MOU) and municipalities take care of and enhance this natural urban gem for all to enjoy!
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Size: 878 Acres
Download the Greenway Trail Map
What is the Greenway?
The Milwaukee River Greenway is 878 acres of trails and greenspace along the Milwaukee river within the City of Milwaukee and nearby suburbs. There are currently over 28 miles of hiking, biking, and water trails along 6 miles of the Milwaukee River. Twelve public parks are linked together through proposed and existing public easements on private land; 70% of the land is owned by Milwaukee County Parks. The Greenway is the result of a community-driven effort to protect and responsibly manage the river valley. Hundreds of citizens, the City and County of Milwaukee, the Village of Shorewood, Rotary Club of Milwaukee and the following organizations have collaborated on the Greenway:
Restoring Lands (formerly River Revitalization Foundation/RRF) is the lead organization in the Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition, a group of stakeholders engaged in protecting the ecological and recreational value of over 800 acres of greenspace. The Coalition worked with the Village of Shorewood and the City of Milwaukee to adopt protective ordinances, which passed in 2006 and 2010 respectively, that permanently protect the Milwaukee River Valley from insensitive development. The Milwaukee River Greenway Master Plan was completed in 2010 with much public input and provides a comprehensive vision for the river as a unique urban wilderness containing restored natural communities and shared recreational opportunities.
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Milwaukee Riverkeeper
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Milwaukee River Advocates Co-Op
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Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)
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Restoring Lands
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Sierra Club/Nearby Nature
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Urban Ecology Center
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Cambridge Woods Neighborhood Association
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Friends of Estabrook Park
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Friends of Lincoln Park
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Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC)
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Milwaukee County Parks
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Milwaukee Environmental Consortium
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Milwaukee Friends Meeting/Quakers
Milwaukee River Greenway
Master Plan
Milwaukee River Greenway
Habitat Plan
Milwaukee's Central Park Vision Paper
Greenway Coalition Partners
Area of Concern (AOC) Milwaukee River Floodplain Cleanup Project
The Milwaukee River Greenway will be undergoing some big cleanup projects in the next coming years to remove contaminated sediment from the floodplains.
The Milwaukee River Floodplains Cleanup site includes 34 acres of wetlands and a 3.5-mile section of the river located between the former Estabrook Dam and former North Avenue Dam. This project is part of a larger effort to clean up contaminated soil within the floodplains and bring back a healthier environment where plants, animals, and people can thrive. Officials from federal, state, and local units of government are working together with the community to ensure public health and safety is protected, and to determine next steps for the ongoing river cleanup efforts.