Minnesota Hiking Club #15 - Itasca State Park

 

Minnesota Hiking Club

#15 - Itasca State Park

Date Hiked: March 2nd, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Glendalough State Park, Lake Bemidji State Park, La Salle Lake State Recreation Area

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 4.00

Is that graphic representative of the majesty that is Itasca State Park? Probably not, but a lot of people younger than me haven't seen one of those outside of a Clark Kent super spinny locker room solo flash mob, so it's pretty unique nonetheless.

This is one of those places I'm gonna have to revisit. Not just because it's the second state park in the history of this country, not just because Mary Gibbs is a freaking badass, not just because of the Mississippi River headwaters or the Lost 40 or the Hiking Club trail itself or the sheer immense size of this park necessitating four different entry points, but because after three hikes and considerable commute times, it was already twilight and I was on autopilot at best. I couldn't even find the Passport stamp, though I imagine it's inside the visitor's center. Which, of course, was locked because I got there after 4 and it started getting dark, and because it's me visiting a place in this speedrun so it had to be closed. 

The fact that this place has a Hiking Club trail at all is not only a mere afterthought, but almost seems beneath it. There are seven state parks/recreation areas that don't have Hiking Club trails for whatever reason, but if this was one of them simply because it's Itasca and Itasca don't need to join no trendy clubs, I'd also believe it. If the Minnesota State Parks were each a theatre queer backstage at a performance, Itasca is the one with her own light setup and a cigarette in her hand, saying "watch and learn or you'll never work this show again, dahling." Don't let her age fool you, she's a shark and she'll eat you alive if you don't keep your wits about you. 

Twilight was falling fast, everything was icy, I couldn't find the stamp for this park (or La Salle Lake SRA for that matter), so I could either dwell on making the boosty parts of the brain happy with ink on a page, or I could go get a password, even if I wasn't sure I was supposed to just yet. W-codes and all, but there was no one to ask and I was already there and Itasca is no short commute. 

This New Hampshire-shaped loop is a pale blue dot in the universe that is Itasca's massive state park. I was amazed by how much infrastructure there was in this place. Multiple places to visit, entire inns and restaurants, and the echoing voices of how many people likely flood this place when the leaves are green and people can feel their faces. So I'd have to come back and give myself an entire day to experience it, but also choose that time carefully and make sure I had an out anytime I needed it. Autism is fun sometimes. 

It's on the longer side, it's got elevation gain, it's a mystical, ethereal setting far beyond what our species deserves. 

Minnesota Hiking Club #67 - La Salle Lake State Recreation Area

Minnesota Hiking Club

#67 - La Salle Lake State Recreation Area

Date Hiked: March 2nd, 2025

Other Hikes That Day: Glendalough State Park, Lake Bemidji State Park, Itasca State Park

Wanderloon Ranking System Score: 1.42

There is a common refrain I found myself journaling throughout this, for lack of a better term, "speedrunning" of the Minnesota Hiking Club. 

"I imagine this place is lovely in the summer."

This is the first time I've invoked this notion (of course it is, it's the first park I'm writing about), and it will not be the last. If you're looking for the passport stamp, save yourself the time of checking the information kiosk, because it's located at Itasca State Park, a short drive down the road. I'd also recommend checking this one off your map before heading to Itasca, merely because I'm the kind of person who saves their favorite food on the plate to eat last. 

As stated in the Introduction, the very premise of a ranking system necessitates that one of the options is going to be at the bottom of the list. La Salle Lake State Recreation Area looks to be a lovely remote getaway spot in Northern Minnesota, not far from the headwaters of the Mississippi River. 

The general landscape of the area reminded me a lot of the first time someone brought me to Northern Minnesota, long before I lived here. The feeling of being far away from civilization permeates throughout the area, and for a reclusive wanderer like myself, that pairs well with doing these hikes in the winter. 

On this unseasonably warm day (for Minnesota in March), there wasn't another soul in sight at La Salle Lake, and another advantage to hiking these trails in the winter is that a horror movie-level swarm of mosquitos did not immediately descend upon me the second it heard my car door unlock. 

The Hiking Club trail is not next to the information kiosk. It's down the road and on the other side. Hopefully you have it loaded on your trails app of choice, or you risk missing it if you... I don't know... Sneeze.

Do not let the presence of seemingly locked doors deter you... unless they actually are locked at the time, in which case you should probably respect boundaries. This short walk will require pushing through two of them and simultaneously not scaring the shit out of yourself when they slam shut behind you. 

One who becomes accustomed to the Hiking Club trails will easily spot signs at the beginning, as well as throughout the hike, pointing one along the way. Other than the password sign itself, there was only one sign, indicating that the river view and password would be found in 1520 feet. This down-and-back jaunt won't take especially long, even if it's covered in ice and slush like it was the day I completed the trail, but other than the final scenic view, it's not exceptionally noteworthy. 

As this is the newest state recreation area (it wasn't even on my highlighter map), it's possible the presentation will be improved, but on this particular day, it felt like even the park itself didn't know it had a Hiking Club trail.