Itasca State Park Day Trip: Walk Across the Mississippi
The Mississippi leaves Lake Itasca about 12 feet wide and ankle deep, and a line of stones lets you walk across the whole river in ten steps. That is the reason people come, and it takes 20 minutes. The rest of the day is the ten mile Wilderness Drive through old growth red and white pine, the Aiton Heights fire tower for a view over 100 lakes, and a walk on the Dr. Roberts Trail. Four hours from Minneapolis, 30 miles from Park Rapids, and a Minnesota state park vehicle permit gets you in.
Getting there
- Minneapolis: 200 miles, about four hours north. Long for a day trip, which is why most people stay a night.
- Park Rapids: 30 miles, 30 minutes. The natural base, with motels and a grocery store.
- Bemidji: 30 miles, 40 minutes, and the closest airport.
- Fargo: 130 miles, two hours 15 minutes.
- Duluth: 165 miles, three hours.
A Minnesota state park vehicle permit is required, sold daily or annually at the entrance, and the annual one pays for itself in five visits. The north entrance is closest to the headwaters.
The headwaters
Park at the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center and walk five minutes to the outlet. There is a log across the channel and a line of stepping stones, and children spend an hour going back and forth across the largest river in North America. From this point the water takes about 90 days to reach the Gulf of Mexico, 2,500 miles away.
Go early or late. Between 11am and 3pm in July the stones have a queue.
Wilderness Drive and the old growth
Itasca protects one of the largest remaining stands of old growth red and white pine in Minnesota, and the ten mile Wilderness Drive is a one way loop through it. Stops worth making:
- The Aiton Heights fire tower, a short walk from the road and a climb up a steel tower for a view across the lake country. The best 20 minutes in the park after the headwaters.
- Bohall Trail, a mile through big pines to a quiet lake.
- The Landmark Trail, which passes the largest red pine in the state.
- Nicollet Cabin and the Itasca Wilderness Sanctuary, at the far end of the loop.
The rest of a full day
- Dr. Roberts Trail, two miles from Douglas Lodge past a bog boardwalk and Nicollet Creek.
- Old Timers Cabin, built from logs four courses high, each one a whole tree trunk.
- Douglas Lodge, from 1905, with a dining room that serves walleye and a porch worth sitting on.
- The Mi-Gi-Zi paved trail, six miles of car free cycling, with bike rental in the park.
- A boat or paddle on Lake Itasca, with canoes and kayaks for hire, plus a scenic boat tour in summer.
- Swimming at the north arm beach, which in a Minnesota July is genuinely warm.
When to go
- Late September and early October: the best window. Maples and aspens turn against the pines, the mosquitoes are gone and the crowds have thinned.
- July and August: warm water, full facilities, and the busiest weeks. Book campsites months ahead.
- June: long days and serious mosquitoes. Bring repellent, and expect them at dawn and dusk near the bogs.
- Winter: the park stays open for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and a groomed trail network, and the headwaters partly freeze. Douglas Lodge closes for the season.
Staying over
Four hours from Minneapolis is a long day trip, and Itasca has enough in it to justify a night. Douglas Lodge has rooms and cabins, some of them from the 1900s, and the park has several campgrounds, all booked through the Minnesota state parks reservation system, which opens 120 days ahead. Park Rapids 30 minutes away is the fallback. Staying over also gets you the dark sky, which this far north is very good.
What to add nearby
Itasca pairs well with two bigger northern Minnesota trips. The Boundary Waters is three hours northeast for canoe country, covered in our Boundary Waters canoe weekend. The Superior Hiking Trail along Lake Superior's north shore is four hours east, and our Superior Hiking Trail itinerary covers the best sections.
Have us plan the trip
Tell us your dates and where you are driving from and we will build the day or the weekend, permit and beds included. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Itasca State Park Day Trip: Walk Across the Mississippi FAQs
Yes. The river leaves Lake Itasca about 12 feet wide and ankle deep, and a line of stepping stones plus a log let you cross it in ten steps. It is a five minute walk from the headwaters car park.
About 200 miles and four hours north. Park Rapids is 30 minutes away and Bemidji 40 minutes, and either makes a better base than driving back the same day.
Walk across the Mississippi headwaters, drive the ten mile Wilderness Drive through old growth pine, climb the Aiton Heights fire tower, walk the Dr. Roberts Trail, cycle the paved Mi-Gi-Zi trail and paddle or swim in Lake Itasca.
A Minnesota state park vehicle permit, sold daily or annually at the entrance station. The annual permit pays for itself after about five visits to any state park in Minnesota.
Late September and early October, when the hardwoods turn against the pines, the mosquitoes have gone and the summer crowds have left. July and August are warmest and busiest, and June brings serious mosquitoes.
Yes, for a full day rather than a stop. The headwaters themselves take 20 minutes, but the old growth pine, the fire tower view over the lake country and the paddling fill a day comfortably.
