Lake Itasca State Park: Headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi (#300)
Written: Mar 15 '06
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Pros: Beautiful lake. Mississippi River. Water Recreation. Camping. Historical sites. Hiking/Biking trails.
Cons: Short visitation season, unless you like cold weather.
The Bottom Line: Lake Itasca is a terrific place for outdoors recreation. It's a bit remote, but worth the effort to get there.
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| trailhound's Full Review: Itasca State Park |
Lake Itasca is a beautiful, shimmering, tree-lined lake tucked away in far northern Minnesota. The surrounding area is heavily wooded and only lightly populated. Here, the lake waters trickle across a rocky shoreline, and mark the beginning of the Mississippi River's 2,500+ mile journey to the sea.
Besides seeing the lake and river, Itasca also offers towering pine forests, more than 30 miles of hiking and biking trails, water recreation, and several interesting historical sites. It's one of the best state parks I have ever visited.
The Headwaters
Lake Itasca is roughly "Y" shaped, with the base of the "Y" pointing north. Here, the Mississippi River is born where waters cross a series of rocks emptying the lake. You can walk across the rocks (it is only slightly treacherous) and get your picture taken with a mob of other tourists nearby.
We walked in the river for about 100 yards down to a pedestrian bridge, which leads to a visitors building. It's a really cool experience, although I suggest wearing some kind of shoes since there are some rocks, sticks, and an occasional squishy fish in the river.
Camping/Lodging
Lake Itasca State Park has two drive-in campgrounds with 226 sites, eleven hike-in sites, a Hostel, a historic wood-beam lodge, and two-bedroom cabins. There is literally something for everyone!
For camping, there are two campgrounds: Pine Ridge and Bear Paw. Both are on the east side of the lake, are heavily shaded, and have modern showers and toilets, some outhouses and four handicapped accessible sites. The lake, bike, paths, and hiking trails are all easily accessible from both campgrounds. Camping fees are currently $18/night.
We stayed in Bear Paw Campground, which has about ten "cart-in" campsites, where you put your gear in a cart and pull it to the site about 50 yards away. We were under a huge tree, which provided nice shade but made us nervous when a storm hit on Saturday and the tree creaked a lot! We walked through both campgrounds and I liked Bear Paw more because it was smaller, quieter, and had fewer RVs.
The hike-in sites ($11/night) are scattered throughout the park in the dense woodlands. We saw a couple of them while hiking and they looked nice, but very rustic. Some are quite remote (up to 5 miles in) and probably best suited for experienced backpackers.
The historic 100-year old Douglas Lodge is a wood-beam and stone structure that is so popular you need to reserve rooms well in advance. We visited the lobby, which features a beautiful stone fireplace and a "North Woods Lodge" look. Rooms cost $65 - $100/night. There is a restaurant on the premises, but we didn't get a chance to eat there.
There are several types of cabins within the park, some of which are rustic and others have modern facilities. We did not see inside any (all were occupied). Fees run from about $90-$185/night.
Besides all the other lodging, Itasca has a hostel, located apart from the other accommodations. It is operated by Hostelling International (http://www.hihostels.com/). We checked it out and thought it was ''cozy'', but not bad for inexpensive lodging.
Hiking/Biking
This park has a mind-boggling number of hiking trails (33 miles worth) and one paved biking trail (16 miles). The hiking is mostly in heavily shaded forest and easy to moderate to walk on. I suggest taking a map on long hikes because some trails go deep into the woods. We also rented bikes within the park and biked for about 2 hours, mostly along the lake's eastern boundary. The bike trail is hilly in spots but overall easy.
Water Recreation
There's a swimming beach, picnic grove, and various watercraft rentals (kayaks, canoes, row boats), and fishing on the lake's east side. We rented kayaks and ventured out onto the lake. Lake Itasca is very clear, and there was a refreshing breeze blowing the whole time while kayaking. There's a small island in the lake and we paddled out to it, but we headed back to shore quickly when a storm started gathering strength in the distance.
Historic Sites/Other
There are several historical sites, including a Pioneer's Graveyard, the Douglas Lodge, and the ruins of an original building from over 100 years ago. Another interesting spot is called Preacher's Grove, where religious services were once held amongst a cathedral of pine trees.
On the park's west side, accessible by the "Wilderness Drive" roadway, you can find both the largest Red Pine and largest White Pine trees in the state. I can't remember their sizes, but each one is several hundred years old!
Your visit
Lake Itasca is a "must see" place if you like outdoors recreation in Minnesota. It is located about 200 miles north of the Twin Cites of Minneapolis/St Paul, and 20 miles from the town of Park Rapids. Groceries, supplies, and a few restaurants can be found in town.
Entrance to the park requires a $7 park fee per vehicle, or for $25 you can buy a pass good at all Minnesota State Parks for 12 months. I suggested reserving camp sites and lodging several months in advance at 1-866-85PARKS. Accommodation fees are listed within the body of the review.
The best time to visit is June-August. The weather here is fickle, hard to predict, and cold most of the year. Our trip was in August and it was mild and sunny in the day, but we had two sudden storms on two occasions when in poured down rain for a few hours. Prepare for anything and have a great trip.
Itasca State Park
36750 Main Park Drive,
Park Rapids, Minnesota 56470
(218) 266-2100
Reservations 1-866-85PARKS
© trailhound. 2006.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Campgrounds & Lodging
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