Voyageur Adventures – Lake Itasca State Park
This sample itinerary is best May thru October to coordinate with Lake Itasca Tours.
Arrive in beautiful Itasca State Park, Minnesota’s oldest state park and the home of the Mississippi River’s Headwaters. The park totals more than 32,000 acres and includes more than 100 lakes. If this park “sounds” impressive so far, just wait until you get off the coach and experience it firsthand! This is only a sampling of what you can see and do here.
9 – 10:00 am
Begin your adventure with the infamous “walk across the rocks” where the Headwaters of the Mississippi River flow from its source at Lake Itasca. (Legend has it that those who step across the Mississippi River at its source will live a long and prosperous life). From Itasca, the river flows north to Lake Bemidji, then heads east through Cass Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish. The direction in which the stream flowed had everyone fooled. It’s hard to imagine the river flows north.
10 – 12:30 pm
Make your way through towering stands of red and white pine to the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center and gift shop, named for the woman who risked her life to protect and save Itasca State Park’s magnificent pine forest from loggers. The Center provides space for exhibits, a gift shop, and a restaurant. Then move over to the Jacob V. Brower Visitors Center. This 13,000- square-foot building offers a place to gather and discover all there is to see and do in the park.
12:30 – 1:30 pm
Dine for lunch at the historically impressive Douglas Lodge (Mary Gibbs last act as commissioner was ordering the logs for Douglas Lodge). The view of the tranquil setting is second to none. The restaurant serves many wonderful entrees with a “Minnesota” flavor including walleye, wild rice and blueberry pancakes.
1:30 – 4:00 pm
Come relax after lunch aboard the Chester Charles II on beautiful Lake Itasca. Their mission is to entertain and educate their guests about the unique history of the area’s early inhabitants and its natural history. The tour follows the same route taken by Ozawindib in 1832 when he guided Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. The Chester Charles II is ready to take you on a tour from the Douglas Lodge Pier.
4 – 4:30 pm
Leave Itasca State Park and travel approximately 30 minutes to Forestedge Winery for a tour & tasting.
4:30 pm
This homegrown winery provides its visitors with a stroll along their nature trails, a pleasant wander through the gardens and a taste of the 11 varieties of wine. Their specialty wines are made from the fruits and berries that survive the northern winters. Remember to take some Forestedge wine home to share with friends and family, for a perfect end to a perfect day in Minnesota’s Northwest.
Note about Lake Itasca Tours: They are perhaps the only tour boat in the state of Minnesota to be able to show their guests both the State Bird (the common Loon) and our National Bird (the Bald Eagle) on most tours. Many wildlife photographers have been aboard to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
For more information or to customize this sample itinerary for your group please contact your tour operator or Coborn’s Lake Itasca Tours 218.266.3660, www.lakeitascatours.com.
