July & August HIGHLIGHTS AT ITASCA STATE PARK

taking an excursion boat on Lake Itasca, exploring along Wilderness Drive, biking or hiking along more than 30 miles of designated trails, fishing in one of the many lakes, observing the wild flowers in season as well as birding. Like the entire Park Rapids area, wildlife can be seen throughout the park.

For more information about the park events and schedules, call Itasca State Park headquarters at 218-699-7251, email itasca.statepark@state.mn.us or go to www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_ parks/itasca/index.html.

▶ Go camping. The park has hundreds of campsites available with advance reservations required. After a day of exploring the park, relax around a campfire and roast s’mores, or sit and have a chat with other campers while admiring the surrounding forest. At sundown, listen for loon calls and the chirping of crickets.

▶ Take a hike. There are 49 miles of trails at Itasca. To get a sense for what northern Minnesota was like before logging changed the landscape, hike the half-mile Bohall Trail. There are more giant pines along the Nicollet Trail.

▶ View the Perseids meteor shower. Escape the city lights and watch for meteor showers that peak Aug. 11-13. The meteors are called the Perseids because the point from which they appear to hail lies in the constellation Perseus.

▶ Visit historic Douglas Lodge. This two-story log building built in 1905 is located on the south shore of Lake Itasca, with parking in front and easy access to trails. Relax in the cozy parlor with a sitting area furnished with antiques. Meals are available in the restaurant, and a staircase leads to guest rooms on the second floor.

▶ Enjoy time on the lake. Try kayaking, canoeing or stand-up paddle boarding on one of the park’s 100 lakes. Equipment is available to rent at Itasca Sports located in the park. Lake Itasca Tours also offers excursions of the Chester Charles tour boat. The narrated tour follows the same route taken by Ozawindib in 1832 when he guided Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to the Headwaters of the Mississippi River.

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Highlights

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▶ Go fishing. Lake Itasca has a variety of fish, including northern pike, large-mouth bass, sunfish, crappies, perch and walleye, or try fishing for muskie on Elk Lake. The smaller Lake Ozawindib is a popular bass lake, and Mary Lake has crappies and sunfish. Both Lake Itasca and Lake Ozawindib have fishing piers. Check Minnesota fishing regulations for state park lakes.

▶ Cool off at the beach. Itasca State Park has a sandy swimming beach located in the picnic grounds with views of the Mississippi Headwaters. The beach and changing house were developed by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s.

▶ Take a bike ride. Sixteen miles of paved trails wind through the forest. Parking and access is available at several points along the trail, including the Douglas Lodge area, Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center, picnic grounds and the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center. Itasca Sports, located in the park, offers bike rentals.