There are few chances to go back to the very beginning. Maybe that’s the appeal of the Mississippi headwaters. For centuries, European explorers tried to locate the source of the big river. They knew it was somewhere in north-central Minnesota, but it runs a wily course, with tributaries meandering in and out of various lakes and waterways. In 1832, the early American geographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft got an Ojibwe guide named Ozawindib to lead him to its source. Schoolcraft named the place “Itasca,” from the Latin words for “true head”: veritas caput.
Now, summer after summer, people go to Itasca State Park, slip out of their shoes and socks, roll up their denims and walk across the slippery stones from one side to the other. They spend a day or a week at Itasca State Park, often meandering, Mississippi-like, into nearby rivers and lakes, towns and villages.
CROSSING THE RIVER
At the river’s source—a simple, 44-foot-long rock dam—it’s hard to believe this is the same body of water that stretches southward for more than 2,500 miles. On the way, it divides Minneapolis from St. Paul, winds past the St. Louis Arch and flows down to New Orleans before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.
Crossing the headwaters is a simple pleasure. Afterwards, as you sit on the bank to let your feet dry in the sun, think about this: Almost 45,000 gallons of water flow out of Lake Itasca into the Mississippi every second. By the time the river reaches New Orleans, it’s flowing at 4,500,000 gallons per second.
ITASCA STATE PARK
Less than 60 years after Schoolcraft visited the headwaters, Itasca was created as Minnesota’s first state park. Its 32,000 acres of old-growth pine forest, speckled with more than 100 lakes, can be many things to many people—whether nature lover, overnighter, day-tripper or history buff. It is, simply, a beautiful place to be.
Trillium and showy lady’s slipper (the state flower) bloom, sometimes with reckless abandon, during their chosen weeks of summer. A 5½-mile bike path runs from Douglas Lodge to the headwaters. Some cyclists follow Wilderness Drive for 11 more miles to Lake Ozawindib, sharing the road with cars. By boat, the Chester Charles II offers a two-hour naturalist tour of Lake Itasca, following Ozawindib’s route. On a few lakes you can rent a boat—canoe, kayak, paddle boat, motorboat or pontoon—for a day of fishing or just hanging out in lake country.
Towering 300-year-old Norway pines seem to be holding an ancient, whispering convention in Preachers Grove, named for a long-ago gathering of preachers. Until a couple of summers ago, when winds took the top off a 120-foot tree, Itasca could claim Minnesota’s tallest Norway pine. A number of nature programs are offered for adult and child visitors. Some of those kids grow up to be college students who study at the University of Minnesota Biological Station at Itasca.
There is at least a graduate degree’s worth of wisdom to be gained in these woods, even if you’re long past college. Human history is woven along Itasca’s pathways. Bison hunters camped here 8,000 years ago. The park has two cemeteries: a Native American burial site that’s more than 500 years old, and the Pioneer Cemetery, a couple of hundred years younger. Buildings like the Wegmann Store (now replicated next to its ruins) began cropping up in the 1890s. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built cabins and planted trees—each man was paid a dollar a day for his efforts. Those cabins are still used for lodging.
FOOD AND SHELTER
Itasca’s Douglas Lodge was built in 1905 from trees logged in the park. Open from Memorial Day until early October, the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, featuring local favorites like buffalo burger and wild-rice hotdish (that’s Minnesotan for “casserole”). They also pack picnic baskets.
Upstairs, Douglas Lodge has 10 guest rooms. Other accommodations include those rustic log cabins built by the CCC, two-room “suites” and the Clubhouse, which can accommodate 21 people. The cabins and suites have small kitchens, but the Clubhouse and the guest rooms at Douglas Lodge don’t allow cooking. For sleeping under the stars, there are more than 200 campsites, ranging from a primitive clearing on Elk Lake to modern sites on the Pine Ridge and Bear Paw campgrounds. Did someone say “bear”? Well, yes. Black bears do live in the park, along with deer, beavers, porcupines and an array of birds including loons, cormorants, herons, nuthatches and warblers.
PARK RAPIDS
And then there’s civilization—although it’s kind of a quirky one. Park Rapids, or P.R., as locals call it, lies 20 miles south of Itasca on Highway 71. At the center of Main Avenue, the Park Theatre beams like a confused time machine, with current movie titles splashed across an old-fashioned marquee. And then you notice the two rows of cars parked down the middle of Main Avenue, which is extra wide to accommodate this configuration. Odd? Yes. Think Northern Exposure meets Fellini. Living in a resort town, year-round residents have learned to make their own fun. Winters are harsh, but most people are here because they love the place—and it shows.
BOOKS AND BISTROS
Just off Main on Third Street is the cultural trifecta of P.R.: Bella Caffé, Beagle Books and the Third Street Market. On the third Sunday of the month, the Jackpine Writers’ Bloc meets in the back room of the Bella Caffé (118 Third St. West; 218-732-7625). Grab a sandwich and a cappuccino, or dessert and a glass of wine while you soak up the literary flavor. If you like what you hear, Beagle Books next door carries the group’s journal, The Talking Stick. Summer residents stock up on granola and exchange gossip at Third Street Market, which also serves sandwiches and desserts.
DOWN BY THE RIVER
You’ve heard the term “Minnesota Nice”? Meet Red Bridge Inn owners Kevin and Jennie, who greet each guest with a hug. Their pale-pink B&B sits on the shores of the Fish Hook River. In summer, guests dock their boats and load up plates of whatever’s cooking on the backyard grill. The inn has five rooms. The top-floor bridal suite, called Lady Slipper, has a Jacuzzi and a view of the picturesque Red Bridge. Breakfast is served family style in the dining room, with guests swapping travel tales and politely asking Jennie for second helpings.
Kevin collects classic cars, which he uses to chauffeur guests to area restaurants. He’ll go as far as the Velvet Antler, nine miles east on Highway 34. This is a local hot spot, with a log-and-antler decor (what else?) and an ambitious menu. In lieu of the standard batter-fried walleye, for instance, they make a tempura version. It’s the kind of meal that stays in your food memory for days. You’ll catch yourself lusting for leftovers, so it’s a good thing the portions are generous.
RESTAURANT CAPITAL
For those who like to work off calories before the meal, there’s the Heartland Trail, starting in Park Rapids and running almost 50 miles northeast. A 10-mile bike ride from P.R. takes you to Dorset, “the Restaurant Capital of the World.” (It’s only a six-mile drive.)
How can Dorset, population 22, claim to be the Restaurant Capital of the World? Someone had a flash of civic marketing genius—“Let’s calculate per capita!” There are, in fact, four restaurants: Compañeros, La Pasta Italian Eatery, Dorset Café and Dorset House Soda Fountain. Every August, the town hosts “Taste of Dorset” and also elects its mayor. Okay, it’s not an election; it’s a drawing. The current mayor has never even been to Dorset; she was “nominated” by visiting family members. We can only hope that she, like so many others, will find her way to the source of the Mississippi, and then southeast, to the people she sort of leads.
VISITING ITASCA
An annual $25 vehicle permit allows use of Minnesota State Parks for a year. Day visitors to Itasca pay a $5 vehicle fee. At the Itasca Boat Landing, Itasca Sports Rental offers bikes, boats, motorboats and canoes. A camp store sells bait and fishing licensing. Open May through mid-October; 218-266-2150; itascasports.com
EAT
DOUGLAS LODGE
Start the day by building your own
omelet or take a midday break for a
buffalo sandwich. Open Memorial Day
to mid-October. Located in Itasca
State Park; 218-266-2100;
lunch for two, $20*
BELLA CAFFÉ
Sit in the solarium and sip a latte. Go
ahead, order the cheesecake.
118 Third St. W., Park Rapids;
218-732-7625; lunch for two, $15
THE VELVET ANTLER
Try the Norwegian salmon or the tempura
walleye. 24025 Hwy. 34, Nevis;
218-652-3623; dinner for two, $50
COMPAÑEROS
You might have to order a margarita while
you sit on the deck and wait for a table,
but the burritos are worth it. 20459 State
Hwy. 226, Dorset; 218-732-7624;
dinner for two, $30
LA PASTA ITALIAN EATERY
A charming summer-season restaurant,
La Pasta serves breakfast, lunch and
dinner. The Italian menu is mostly saved
for the evening meal. 20470 State Hwy.
226, Dorset; 218-732-0275; dinner for
two, $40
*Prices cover a meal for two, not including drinks, tax or tip.
STAY
RCI-AFFILIATED RESORTS NEAR ITASCA INCLUDE:
BREEZY POINT TIMESHARE, Breezy Point
WHITE BIRCH, Breezy Point
BREEZY SHORES RESORT & BEACH CLUB, Detroit Lakes
CAUSEWAY ON GULL, Nisswa
For more information, visit RCI.com or call:
Weeks: 800-338-7777
Points: 877-968-7476
NON-RCI-AFFILIATED HOTELS:
ITASCA STATE PARK
You can reserve the park’s guest rooms
and cabins up to a year ahead. 36750
Main Park Dr., Park Rapids; 866-857-2757;
stayatmnparks.com; suites from $132
RED BRIDGE INN
A B&B whose owners make you feel at
home. 118 N. Washington, Park Rapids;
888-733-7241; redbridgeinn.com;
bridal suite $175
TIMBERLANE RESORT
This lakefront resort has cabanas and
cabins for groups as large as 14.
18454 Dayspring Dr., Park Rapids;
218-732-8489; timberlaneresort.com;
two-bedroom cabana, $1,242 for a week
in summer.
CHASE ON THE LAKE RESORT
Dating back to the 1920s, this luxuriously
renovated resort has 70 rooms and 46
condos, with access to an Aveda spa
and great fishing on Leech Lake. 502
Cleveland Blvd., Walker; 888-242-7306;
chaseonthelake.com; doubles from $139
RUTTGER'S BIRCHMONT RESORT
A family-friendly spot 40 miles north of
Itasca, with 38 rooms and 28 lakefront
cottages. 7598 Bemidji Rd. N.E., Bemidji;
888-788-8437; ruttger.com; lodge rooms
$99, one-bedroom cottages $217
THE LODGE ON LAKE DETROIT
About 60 miles southwest of Itasca, the
lodge has 55 rooms and suites; guests
can use a private beach on Lake Detroit
and indulge at The Spa Within. 1200 E.
Shore Dr., Detroit Lakes; 800-761-8439;
thelodgeonlakedetroit.com; Renewal Spa
Suite, from $250
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.