Itasca State Park--Birthplace of the Mississippi River

After we left Alexandria, Minnesota, we drove two more hours straight north to our next destination--Itasca State Park. We have gotten advice from many Minnesotans that we must stop here, so we are following their advice. It was a good choice!

Everyone that mentioned the park, told us to go see the birthplace of the Mississippi River inside the park.  So that was our first stop. Explorers determined that the mighty Mississippi starts at the north end of Lake Itasca. Where this water spills over these rocks, it officially becomes the Mississippi River.

A sign was erected here at the lake edge explaining that the "Mighty Mississippi begins its flow on its winding way 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico." You might notice the long line of tourists waiting to take their turn to slip and slide their way over those round slippery rocks just so they can say they walked all the way across the Mississippi River. The crowds were big, largely because we were visiting at the same time the University of Minnesota's Biology Orientation class was here. This is a required camp for all the freshmen starting at UM's biology department in the fall.

The other (less slippery) option is to walk across the Mississippi River on a log bridge. With her bad ankle, you won't be surprised to find that was Denisa's preferred crossing.

Just a mile down the road we drove  over the first car bridge over the Mississippi River. It looks more like a creek than the Mighty Mississippi.

A 16-mile driving loop surrounds this big state park that feels more like a national park. There are plenty of opportunities to get out of the car for short hikes along the route. We visited the "Preacher's Grove," which includes some of the oldest (and tallest) Red Pines in the park.

These were prize timber trees in the 1800's, and an effort to preserve them was the main reason that this became Minnesota's first state park. Denisa's ankle is finally letting her do some short hikes, and even some stairs.

We have learned to identify red pines by their relatively smooth reddish trunks.

Another stop is a short hike to see the former largest red pine in Minnesota. Over 300 years old, a wind storm in 2007 broke off the top of this record-setter

Not to be outdone, this forest also houses Minnesota's largest white pine.

When we walked to see this specimen, we could also take a picture of the deep-grooved trunk that characterizes the white pine. So now we can tell the difference between the red and white pine!

We also hiked to the Vista Point. With so many trees, it was tricky to get a vista of Itasca Lake.

While the east side of the park is quite crowded at this busy park, fewer people venture to the west side of the loop. We enjoyed the drive on the Wilderness Road. The views from this one-way narrow road reminded us of a hike, but with air-conditioning and your feet don't get tired.

One other stop was the fire tower. It is a half-mile walk to get to the tower, then 100 feet straight up.

Denisa made the walk, but decided to stay on the ground to take pictures of Mark at the top.

Besides big Lake Itasca, there are over 100 other smaller lakes scattered throughout this big state park. Mark is standing beside Mary Lake on another stop on Wilderness Road.

We might notice that the word "hike" is showing up in a blog for the first time since Denisa messed up her ankle 9 days ago. It's not pretty, but she is now able to limp her way down a relatively smooth path.

She thinks she got extra credit on her Garmin because of her jerky gait, but she had to take a picture of it at the end of the day. She hasn't seen a mileage that high since she sprained her ankle, so she must be on the mend!

Besides the limited hiking, Denisa has found out that her ankle will also now allow her to ride a bike. This was the first ride since her fall off that curb, but she made the six miles on a paved trail from the Mississippi headwaters to the visitor center.

Some of it was more uphill than Denisa prefers, but it took us through a nice red pine area. The setting sun was shining on the trunks, lighting up the smooth red wood that we have learned to recognize.

While Denisa made the six-mile trip to the visitor center, Mark made the twelve-mile trip back to the car. He's a true gentleman, bringing the car to pick up Denisa and her bike!

So we spent the day getting to know Itasca State Park. We are actually camped less than a mile away at a private campground--Camp Itasca. We drove through the crowded state park campground, and we still feel like the state's reservation fees, and extra vehicle fees don't feel friendly to us. But we are happy with our electric-only site just outside the park. With our close proximity, we're coming back for another day--where we will learn about the best and worst of this very big state park.