Itasca State Park in Park Rapids, Minn. Itasca State Park is the second oldest state park in the U. S. after Niagara Falls State Park in New York. Just 20 minutes north of Park Rapids, Itasca State Park has more than 100 lakes and over 45 miles of hiking trails on its 32,690 acres of forests.
Heather Funk, visitor’ s services coordinator at Itasca State Park, said,“ Itasca State Park is known for being the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River as well as the pine forest that surrounds it.”
The park was established in 1891 during the peak of Minnesota’ s logging era to preserve what remained of the old growth forest surrounding the headwaters of the Mississippi River. If you come to visit today, you will see some of those 200-year-old trees that tower above the rest.
Funk said,“ A popular attraction to visit is the historic Douglas Lodge that was built in 1905. It currently has lodging and a restaurant. It was fashioned after the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park. For a scenic two-mile loop, go down the stone steps near the Douglas Lodge and then turn left near the boat launch onto Dr. Roberts Trail.”
The first quarter-mile of the trail travels along a wooden boardwalk over a bog where you might see Minnesota’ s state flower, the showy pink lady’ s slipper orchid. You will pass the Old Timer’ s Cabin built in 1934, Lake Itasca, climb a ridge overlooking Lyendecker Lake, and towards the end you will walk through a deciduous forest. This is an excellent trail for wildflower photography and birding.
For a longer hike, from Douglas Lodge, take the 3.9-mile Hiking Club Trail to reach and climb the 100-foot Aiton Heights Fire Tower for a great view of the park’ s dense pine tree forests.
“ There is a Wilderness Sanctuary Scientific and Natural Area with a scenic 10-mile-long Wilderness Drive with a large tract of old growth red and white pine as well as tracts of deciduous old growth. You’ ll see the old trees in their natural state with numerous hiking trail options along the way. As far as creatures you might see, there will be chipmunks and squirrels as well as white-tailed deer and you might get lucky and see a black bear as well,” Funk said.
The two campgrounds include 245 campsites and 11 backpack sites.
Glacial Lakes State Park in Starbuck, Minn. Just a five-mile drive from Starbuck, Glacial Lakes State Park protects some of the state’ s last rolling prairie remnants dotted with wildflowers. Glaciers came through thousands of years ago and created ridges in the prairie and little lakes called kettles where the water settled. The park covers 2,423 acres with 16 miles of walking trails and is home to over 100 bird species.
Glacial Lakes State Park has a stunningly beautiful landscape where its 20 percent forested land meets the prairie. Because of the mostly grassland landscape, you can see as far as the eye can see. If you are a fan of prairies, you’ ll like it here.
The prairies are old farm fields from the 1960s which have been transformed into large areas of rolling hills with native plants returning and a haven for grassland birds. In 2023, the park reintroduced the rare Dakota skipper butterfly which used to be common on Minnesota’ s prairies.
DeAnna Massmann, park specialist at Glacial Lakes State Park, said,“ Our five-mile Hiking Club Trail has a spring-fed lake that is always cold on hot days. The trail continues up through prairie to oak savannahs and then up to the highest peak with gorgeous views. There are a lot of ticks especially in May and June so bring bug spray.”
“ There are 37 camping sites, six camper cabins, four backpack sites and one group site that can accommodate up to 50 people,” said Massmann.“ Once a month, we offer programs such as a Snake Discovery Program or Raptor Program. If people forget their binoculars and bird guides back home, the park will rent-for-free a birding kit. We also have Kids Discovery Kits with activities and stories designed for children ages five through twelve.”
Lake Bemidji State Park in Bemidji, Minn. Lake Bemidji State Park is a 1,653-acre park located seven miles north of Bemidji. It offers a variety of trails from the bog walk to tall pine groves to deciduous forests and nice lake views.
Christa Drake, park naturalist at Lake Bemidji State Park, said the park was established in 1923 to protect the virgin pine forest. These forests of red, white, and jack pine were not affected by logging, which means visitors today can see the same forest that existed hundreds of years ago. Drake said,“ I collaborate with the local Indigenous groups so I can include Ojibwe
culture and language in interpretive programs and signs. It’ s important to acknowledge and learn from those who came before us.”
A quarter-mile Bog Walk boardwalk will take you right into the unique conifer bog to see some of Minnesota’ s most unusual plants, such as insecteating pitcher plants, bog moss and orchids. The interpretive displays along the boardwalk help you identify the different plants. Allow an hour or two to explore, and note that there’ s a one-mile hike to the boardwalk and back for a 2 ¼ mile hike round trip.
Six additional trails connect to other natural areas in the park, including old-growth maplebasswood forest, boreal forest, lowland forest and pinelands.
Lake Bemidji State Park is the northern trailhead for the Paul Bunyan State Trail that has 115 paved miles( from Bemidji to Brainerd). Drake said,“ I found a pine tree along the Paul Bunyan State Trail that I estimated to be at least 170 years old. There are likely older ones in the park that I haven’ t found yet!”
Park facilities include a 95-site campground, a group site that accommodates up to 35 campers, and four camper cabins that are tucked into the woods.
All the state parks listed above have wheelchair accessible campsites except for Glacial Lakes State Park. For more information or to reserve a campsite at any of the Minnesota State Parks, go online to https:// reservemn. usedirect. com / MinnesotaWeb / or call 866-857-2757
2025 | destinationupnorth. com 27