October 20-21, 2024.
Itasca State Park is located in northern Minnesota and protects the headwaters of the Mississippi River. To be honest, I had no idea where the Mississippi River started and had never heard of this park until Aaron’s Minnesotan cousin had suggested we stop by there. We pulled in during the afternoon of October 20 and booked a campsite, then scrambled to make a plan to explore the park.
Mississippi Headwaters
After parking the van in our campsite, we took a walk from camp to the Headwaters Visitor Center. It was a pleasant walk, although longer than I’d estimated from looking at the map. In all, it was about 3.7 miles, so if you’re planning a quick walk from camp maybe make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes.
The trail follows the edge of Lake Itasca, a small glacial lake from which the mighty Mississippi flows. It leads to the Mary Gibbs Headwaters Visitor Center, where there is a small shop and a cafe that serves ice cream and other treats (check seasonal opening hours). We picked up some snacks and then stared at the 3-D map of the Mississippi displayed outside. This was my favorite part. I realized I knew almost nothing about this great river. Recognizing this gap in knowledge, I eagerly learned about its path down the United States and how it impacts the land, flora and fauna around it. I was most interested in learning how important the river and the river delta is for migrating birds and it got me excited to visit southern Louisiana! Such a strange feeling to have surrounded by fall colors in Minnesota.
Once our brains were full, we followed the signs to the head of the Mississippi. The path led down to a set of stairs that ended at the water’s edge. Across the tiny creek, another set of stairs led up the bank. Here, we could walk across the Mississippi! We rolled up our pants legs and plunged into the water (most other people opted for the bridge just above us). It felt like an important moment to file away from our trip across the country. I’ll surely remember this when we cross the giant river on a bridge in one of the southern states!
Our legs dried in the warm autumn air on the walk back to camp. It was a wonderful introduction to this part of the country.
Bike loop
With a good weather forecast for the next day, we decided to hop on our bikes and ride the 16-mile paved bike loop around the lake. About 8.5 miles of the route follows paved trail and the remainder is on a bike path along the one-way scenic Wilderness Drive. Several short spur trails along the route offer opportunities to take a hike and get out of the saddle. We packed supplies for the day and started riding around 10 am.
Riding underneath a canopy of gold, crimson and pumpkin felt like bliss. At our feet, a few late bloomers added color to the rainbow. No one else was out on the trail today, so we felt like nature was putting on a show just for us.
Our first hike stop was the Bohall Trail. It’s located within the Itasca Wilderness Sanctuary SNA and boasts a rare collection of “old growth trees.” Curious as to what an old growth forest in Minnesota looks like, we had to check it out. The trees were considerably smaller than the old growth we know and love in Oregon, so it was a bit underwhelming. But the trail took us to a pretty overlook of a lake where we got to observe some birds. Plus, it was nice to get off the bike for a few minutes.
We continued our ride to the Firetower Trail. At the time, we didn’t know that we could ride our bikes up the path, so we dismounted and hiked to the base of the tower. Again, I was happy to give my butt a rest from sitting, so I am a little glad we didn’t know any better. Several interpretive signs below the tower explained what life was like for the fire spotters back in the day. There were even some activities where you could practice spotting fires. After reading the signs, we walked up several flights of stairs to the top. Along the way, more signs explained the changes we might observe as we ascended through the forest canopy. I loved being in the trees, with all those colorful fall leaves at eye level.
Once we reached the top, we took our time absorbing the panoramic views. It was such a clear and beautiful day to enjoy miles of scenery in all directions. Again, I couldn’t believe we had the place to ourselves. Refueled with majesty and snack bars, we returned to the bikes for one last leg. By this point, we were dragging a bit more than we anticipated. While a 16 mile ride didn’t seem too bad, I didn’t realize we’d have to gain and lose 1000′ over the course of a ton of ups and downs along the way. Since we don’t ride that much, it felt like a lot. However, we soon learned that the fire tower was located at the highpoint of the park, so we enjoyed some nice long downhill stretches as we completed the loop.
One more thing
When the campground came into view, we breathed a sigh of relief and rolled into camp. We stuffed our faces with food, loaded up the bikes and headed for the exit. But before we passed through the gates, we saw something in the middle of the road. Could it be… a giant snapping turtle?! It was planted smack in the center of the pavement and I was afraid someone would come ripping around the corner and hit the poor thing. I debated what to do, then stepped outside.
I found a stick near the side of the road and walked over to the creature. From my experience working with snapping turtles in zoos ages ago, I knew these buggers were aggressive. I’d forgotten just how aggressive they can be, but as soon as I poked the turtle I was reminded. Instead of gently nudging the turtle off the road like I’d planned, I learned that he was more interested in attacking me than retreating. As soon as the stick got near him, he lunged forward and grabbed it in his mouth, clinging to it very strongly. The stick snapped from the sheer weight of the animal and I continued to harass it with the remaining stub. I led the turtle to the brushy roadside and quickly retreated to safety. Aaron got to watch the whole scene play out from the van; his first snapping turtle sighting, no less!
With more time to explore, we could have enjoyed some of the canoeing, backpacking and hiking opportunities available in the park. But I feel like we got the most out of our short time there! I hope to visit some of the other park sites along the Mississippi as we continue to travel across the country.