Mississippi Headwaters Itasca

About this spectacle

At the northern tip of Minnesota, deep inside Itasca State Park, visitors can literally step across the mighty Mississippi River at its humble headwaters — a shallow, rocky stream barely knee-deep where the river begins its 2,340-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Mossy stepping stones allow you to cross from bank to bank, the cold, clear water rushing over your feet as a dense boreal forest of pine and birch surrounds Lake Itasca. The moment carries a quiet wonder: what looks like a modest stream will eventually become one of the continent's greatest rivers. Loons call across the lake, herons stalk the shallows, and in autumn the surrounding forest blazes with color. The experience is remarkably intimate and unhurried, drawing visitors who want to touch something epic at its smallest, most personal scale.

When to go

May — Oct, peak Jun — Oct

Getting there

Nearest airport: BRD. Nearest city: Bemidji.

Booking options

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