View current GPS location of walkers here.

Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ (Bassett Creek) Nibi Walk – April 22, 2026

The Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ Nibi Walk will begin at Medicine Lake in Plymouth, MN and travel 13 miles to the Mississippi on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

Community Closing Celebration

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, beginning 12:30 PM
Bassett Creek Outfall,
Located within James I. Rice Park south of Plymouth Ave N on W River Parkway, Minneapolis

Please join us for a special community celebration of Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ at the conclusion of the walk.

Beginning at 12:30 we will gather in order to welcome the walkers when they arrive. Everyone is invited to witness the final steps of the walk as the water is offered to the confluence of Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ and Ȟaȟá Wakpá (the Mississippi).

There will be snacks, resource tables, and a special program of speakers and artists celebrating all the communities that intersect around Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ:

  • Artist Seitu Jones will talk about his artwork marking the path of the underground tunnel for Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ and growing up by the creek.
  • Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble will present poetry and songs
  • Make a seed bomb with water stewards from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.
  • Connect with resources from the Bassett Creek Watershed District and Resilient Cities and Communities.
  • Learn Dakota history of the creek
  • More to come

All our neighbors and friends are warmly invited to this closing celebration!

How to Participate in the Walk

If you choose to participate, you must attend the orientation as the walk is in a dense urban area, criss-crosses three major highways and has approximately 40 turns. Some of the walk will be on sidewalks, some will be on the road, some will be on trails and the trails will intersect on the road. Each participant must understand the route, our protocols for walking in relay, rotating leadership, carpooling, and staying safe.

Orientation Meeting

Wednesday, April 8, 6 – 7:30 PM
Valley of Peace Lutheran at 4735 Bassett Creek Drive, Golden Valley, MN.
Participants in orientation meeting will receive further information for signing up to walk. Route map and walk specifics provided upon sign up.

This walk is organized with support from the Minneapolis Parks Foundation.

Get to know Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ watershed with this beautiful map.

Gulf to Itasca Nibi Walk – 2026

September – October (approx. 50 days)

We will try an experiment. There are things we know to be true but westerners need data. We will bring the water that is depleted of oxygen back from the gulf to the headwaters. We will test it when we pick it up and when we get to the headwaters to measure any change. Maryanna Harstad, my dear friend, said “That is your colonized mind thinking.” I said, “I know it will, but westerners need data.”