Imagine towering pines where white-tailed deer and chipmunks hide, water gliding over rocks where generations of human feet have tickled the outflow of the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca and a crackling campfire. Only 20 miles north of Park Rapids, Itasca State Park offers adventures only limited by your imagination.
The new Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center welcomes visitors. The center and plaza broaden the park experience with outdoor interpretive displays as well as a restaurant, gift shop and enhanced walkway to the headwaters and Lake Itasca nearby.
Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, outdoor displays at the center shed light on the park's history, including the story of Mary Gibbs. Appointed park commissioner following the death of her father in 1903, Gibbs stands as tall as the park's towering pines for the role she played in saving the landscape and lakeshore of Lake Itasca.
The new structure complements the Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center. The visitor center opened in May 2002, adding a new dimension to Minnesota's oldest park - a place of beginnings. The Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center offers a place to gather and discover all there is to see and do in the park before visitors begin their adventure outdoors. The new center houses modern bathrooms, classrooms, interpretive exhibits and displays, a trail center and nature store. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
During the winter, the visitor center also serves as a trail center and warming area for cross-country skiers, snowshoers, hikers and snowmobilers.
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After such a grand introduction, first time and returning visitors to Itasca will find the park's legendary landmarks and natural resources waiting to be explored.
Park naturalists can help. Programs are scheduled throughout the summer.
Or enjoy the park on your own, whether by hiking, biking or boating. Try your hand at fishing, photography or simply seeing the Headwaters of the Mississippi River.
For more information, call Itasca State Park at 218-266-2100, e-mail the park at Itasca.park@dnr.state.mn.us or visit the DNR Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us .
