Minnesota's oldest state park is celebrating its 125th birthday today.
Itasca State Park, home of the Mississippi Headwaters, totals more than 32,000 acres and includes more than 100 lakes. Visitors can walk across the Mississippi as it starts its winding journey 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico or stand beneath towering pines at Preacher's Grove.
Other notable sites listed by the DNR include the Itasca Indian Cemetery or Wegmann's Cabin, landmarks of centuries gone by." People may camp at the park or stay in the historic Douglas Lodge or cabins. Another attraction, listed by the DNR includes the 2,000-acre Wilderness Sanctuary, one of Minnesota's seven National Natural Landmarks.
Go to files.dnr.state.mn.us/destinations/state_parks/virtual_tours/itasca/vt_itasca.html to take a virtual tour, stand at the headwaters, go inside Douglas Lodge and get a bird's eye view from an observation tower.
A snapshot tour is also part of the online offerings about the park with 33 photos. Visitors can rent boats, motors, canoes, pontoons, paddleboats, kayaks and bicycles-including tandem and electric bikes. Bait and tackle is also available for anglers. Sixteen miles of paved trails wind through the park. An excursion boat capable of carrying 141 passengers is also available on Lake Itasca with a park naturalist narrating the tour. A park guide and map are also available online.
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Birthday celebrations included more than 200 fourth-graders from Bagley and Park Rapids elementary schools singing "Happy Birthday."
Itasca State Park was established on April 20, 1891.
