How to Visit Itasca State Park
How to Visit Itasca State Park
By Lisa Meyers McClintick
Over 500,000 people visit Itasca State Park every year to dip their feet into the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River. Also known as the Great River, it flows north and east through Minnesota’s Northwoods before heading south across the continent on a 2,552-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Combined with the Missouri River, the Mississippi ranks as the longest river system in North America and the fourth-longest river in the world.
Itasca State Park, Headwaters of the Mississippi River / Kvidt Creative
Many visitors can’t resist claiming “I walked across the Mississippi!” as they carefully cross a line of boulders between the lake and stream. On hot summer days, toddlers and kids wade into the shallow warm water with parents or cross a plank bridge.
Above them, breezes whoosh through old-growth white and red pines. The fierce effort to protect those trees led to Itasca becoming Minnesota’s first state park in 1891. The park comprises more than 100 lakes, a scientific and natural area, and more than 32,000 acres.
While the Mississippi River’s birthplace draws first-time visitors, it’s the pines, trails and vast areas to explore that keep bringing them back, making Itasca one of the top five most-visited state parks.
HOW TO GET HERE
The Douglas Lodge at Itasca State Park is one of the many places to stay near Bemidji
The park is about four hours north of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, three hours west of Duluth International Airport, just under two hours east of Fargo’s Hector International Airport, or 35 miles south of Bemidji Regional Airport.
Choose the park’s east entrance off U.S. Hwy. 71 to quickly reach the Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center, Douglas Lodge, and most of the park’s accommodations. The north entrance off Minnesota Hwy. 200 offers the quickest access to the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center, the Wilderness Drive, and campgrounds.
WHAT'S ON THE WAY
Doughnuts at Clearwater Travel Plaza
For travelers heading north from the Twin Cities, swing into Clearwater Travel Plaza for fried bread French toast, massive doughnuts and a hot coffee. Travelers heading north on U.S. Hwy. 10 and Minnesota Hwy. 371 can stretch their legs and grab lunch at Brainerd-Baxter or Nisswa, a popular lake resort town.
If traveling on Interstate 94 and U.S. Hwy. 71, good stops include Wadena with cafes such as Oma’s Bread for authentic German cuisine and pastries. Park Rapids, considered the gateway to Itasca, has a nostalgic A&W drive-in and a soda fountain, plus plenty of candy shops and restaurants in its bustling downtown.
WHERE TO STAY
A sitting room and fireplace at Douglas Lodge / Credit: Leslie Hough
Guests can choose from a variety of lodging styles within the park. Four-Seasons Suites include two six-plex buildings with suites featuring queen beds and kitchenettes. It’s the only in-park lodging open year-round.
Douglas Lodge's seasonal accomodations include four double rooms with bathrooms and four single rooms with shared bathrooms on the second floor of the 1905 log building. The restaurant on the main floor serves regional favorites, including walleye, wild rice soup, tater tot hotdish and wild rice casserole.
The Douglas Lodge fourplex has additional historic rooms in a separate building from 1938 while the Headwaters Inn offers six guest rooms with shared bathrooms and a full kitchen.
The popular Douglas Lodge Cabins feature 12 one- to three-bedroom log cabins overlooking Lake Itasca. They have no cooking facilities or refrigerators, but they are within walking distance of the restaurant. Additional historic cabins include Bear Paw Cabins near Bear Paw Campground with kitchenettes and half-bathrooms; knotty-pine Bert’s Cabins with full kitchens and one- to three-bedrooms, and a couple of stand-alone guest houses.
WHERE TO CAMP
A couple camping with their dog at Itasca State Park
Itasca State Park has 223 drive-in campsites at Pine Ridge and Bear Paw Campgrounds. About 160 of those sites have electricity and can accommodate RVs up to 60 feet. The park offers 11 backpack sites, 11 cart-in sites, a group camp and a group center. Reservations can be made 120 days in advance.
First-come, first-served primitive small campgrounds can be found nearby at Huntersville, Two Inlets, and Paul Bunyan State Forests.
HOW TO GET ORIENTED
Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center / Credit: Minnesota DNR
Minnesota claims more miles of the Mississippi than any other state, including the river’s most wild and scenic stretches as it flows north to Bemidji and east through several large lakes and the Chippewa National Forest. The Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center includes a seasonal café, gift shop, and exhibits on the river's history, cultural importance and three-dimensional maps. Its namesake, Mary Gibbs, was a fierce protector of Itasca’s forests and the nation’s first female park commissioner.
At the Jacob B. Brower Visitor Center, kids can crawl through woodlands, visitors can differentiate the varying calls of loons and imagine life as a forest firefighter while exploring its exhibits. The center also features a gift shop, vending machines and restrooms, along with maps and park rangers ready with advice on where to go.
THINGS TO DO
Wilderness Drive in Itasca State Park
TAKE THE SCENIC ROUTE
The 10-mile Wilderness Drive circles through the park, passing lakes and winding through tunnels of pine and hardwoods.
Visitors can also climb the 100-foot-tall 1920s Aiton Heights fire tower for an eagle’s view of the park’s forest, which lights up with fall colors late September through early October.
Itasca Sports
PEDAL OR PADDLE
You can rent a kayak, canoe, standup paddleboard (SUP) or pontoon to explore Lake Itasca. Local concessionaire Itasca Sports also rents bikes and e-bikes for rides along the lakeshore to a beach, the headwaters or wilderness drive.
A family hikes along a boardwalk at Itasca State Park / Credit: Kvidt Creative
TAKE A HIKE
More than 28 miles of trails around quiet lakes, bogs and into forests that chatter with birds and squirrels. Wildlife sightings may include otter, mink, deer and black bears. Brower Trail stretches 2.2 miles between Douglas Lodge and Bear Paw Campground and parallels Lake Itasca with stops at Preacher’s Grove and Peace Pipe Vista. The Hiking Club Trail loops for 3.9 miles past several lakes.
Wheelchair users and cautious walkers can find smooth trails at Headwaters Loop Trail; Dr. Roberts Trail, a 1.7-mile loop for birding and spring wildflowers; and the self-guided trail at the Brower visitor center. Ask about reserving an all-terrain electric-powered chair for some of the more rugged trails.
The 49-mile Heartland State Trail is one of the first rail-to-trail projects in the country
OR A DETOUR
Itasca State Park sits near a convergence of four long-distance trails, including:
- Mississippi River Trail, also known as U.S. Bicycle Route 45, roughly follows the Mississippi River through Minnesota along 620 miles of roadways beginning at Itasca State Park and ending at the southeastern border with Iowa.
- Paul Bunyan State Trail, the nation’s longest continuously paved rail-trail project, stretches 115 miles from Crow Wing State Park south of Brainerd to Lake Bemidji State Park north of Bemidji. It’s about 22 miles east of the Itasca’s Jacob Brower visitor center.
- Heartland Trail, a level multi-use trail links Park Rapids and Cass Lake and connects to the Paul Bunyan Trail in Walker.
- North Country National Scenic Trail takes long-distance hikers and backpackers 4,800 miles across the northern United States. That includes more than 850 miles through Minnesota, with the trail crossing Itasca State Park on its way to its western terminus in central North Dakota.
Itasca's "Under the Pines" concert series, featuring Caleigh
CATCH A CONCERT
Look for seasonal “Under the Pines” weekend concerts along with an array of naturalist programs covering topics such as animal tracks, nests, spring birding and guided hikes. Kids can complete a free Junior Ranger booklet and earn a state park patch.
Cross-country skiing at Itasca State Park / Credit: MN DNR
SKI OR SNOWSHOE
On winter weekends, stop by Forest Inn (by Douglas Lodge) to rent cross-country skis and snowshoes from Itasca Sports. Snowshoes can also be rented at the Jacob Brower visitor center on weekdays.
Popular snowshoe trails include Dr. Roberts, Brower and Schoolcraft with the latter having a view of Lake Itasca and Schoolcraft Island. Beginning skiers can take an easy route from the Brower visitor center to Preachers Grove.
Verify rental details and hours by calling the park, and check snow and groomed trail conditions at dnr.state.mn.us. The Twinkle Light Trail also is illuminated after dark near the Bear Paw Campground and open to walking, skiing, and snowshoeing.
Find out more about the Mississippi Headwaters.
Lisa Meyers McClintick is an award-winning writer, photographer, author (Day Trips from the Twin Cities), and contributor to USA Today, Minnesota Star Tribune and Midwest Living. She loves exploring the outdoors, small towns, local eateries, and finding farm stands and markets with her family. She’s @minnelisa on Instagram.