Minnesota state flower thrives along trail

The showy lady's slipper is Minnesota's state flower.

Dr. Roberts Nature Trail topo map.
Click map for larger version.

Day hikers can see Minnesota’s state flower – the showy lady’s slipper – on a short trail at Itasca State Park.

A 2.3-mile loop, the Dr. Roberts Nature Trail includes a number of interpretive signs. A guide to flora along the trail also is available at the trailhead or for purchase at the visitor center gift shop.

To reach the trail, from Bemidji take U.S. Hwy 71 south. Turn tight/northwest onto Minn. Hwy. 200 then left/west onto County Road 48. Next, go right/north onto County Road 1/Park Drive. Take the next left/south onto Park Road then right/west onto Douglas Lodge Drive. Park at the Douglas Lodge/Forest Inn lot.

Head along the sidewalk past the lodge. Veer left/west at the next two road junctions. After crossing a bridge, take a connector trail heading west.

At about 0.3 miles, go right/northwest. You’re now on the Dr. Roberts Nature Trail proper.

Lakes and cabin
The trail arrives at the shores of Lyendecker Lake at about 0.8 mile. Formed by melting glaciers during the last ice age, the lake is home to common loons.

A couple of benches can be found along the trail, which heads up the lake’s eastern shore. At the second bench is a short spur trail on the left/west leading to an overlook of the lake.

At 1 mile, the trail veer east away from the lake and in short order reaches Lake Itasca. The headwaters of the Mississippi River are north of here on the lake. As the trail parallels the lake’s southwestern shoreline, watch for terns dive bombing into the water and for trumpeter swans. Along the way is a boardwalk that traverses a marsh.

The boardwalk ends at about 1.7 miles, as the trail comes to Old Timer’s Cabin. The Civilian Conservation Crops constructed the cabin out of four huge downed white pine trees during the winter of 1933-34. The massive logs give a good idea of why loggers swept through northern Minnesota during the late 1800s to early 1900s; indeed, the logs are so large that only four are needed per side to build a single story. Some fun trivia: the CCC nicknamed its creation the “Honeymooners Cabin.”

South of the cabin, the trail becomes a boardwalk again, this time heading through a conifer bog. A lot of tamarack trees, whose needles turn orange in autumn, line this wetlands. The northern parula warbler also can be found here, as the bog is a breeding ground for the migratory bird.

Show lady's slipper
Among the most impressive sights in the conifer bog is the showy lady’s slipper, Minnesota’s state flower. Also known as the pink and white lady’s slipper or queen’s lady slipper, the orchid thrives in open fens, bogs and wet woods where it can receive plenty of light.

The showy lady’s slipper grows slowly. Up to 16 years can pass before its first flowers bloom.

At 2-3 inches tall, the flower consists of a trio of white, pointed sepals above a large, pink and white streaked petal that forms a pouch looking vaguely like a slipper. As the plants can grow up to four feet tall, the beautiful flower often stands above the others in the bog.

Minnesota adopted the showy lady’s slipper as the state flower in 1902. At that time, the flower was a favorite adornment on rural church altars.

Since 1925, however, state law has protected the wildflower. Picking the flowers as well as uprooting the plants is illegal. Regardless of the law, you can get a rash if you touch its stem.

The protection status is merited, as the flower actually is uncommon in Minnesota, though its range is the entire state except for the western and southern prairie regions.

Mary Creek
At 2 miles, trail veers east and runs along lake’s south shore. Watch for the Chester Charles II tour boat in the lake.

Next the trail crosses Mary Creek, which feeds Lake Itasca. The trail leaves the lake behind at 2.2 miles and passes two trail junctions; the first one is the Brower Trail with the second going to a campground. Veer right/south at each junction then climb 51 stone steps to where Douglas Lodge sits.

Take the sidewalk east and at roughly 2.3 miles, you’ll arrive back at the parking lot.

Insect repellent is highly recommended in summer. Parts of the trail also can be muddy at spots after a rainfall. Given this, it makes a great snowshoe trail in winter, though there will be no flowers to see, of course.

Trail heads through quaking bog, old forest

White pine in an old growth forest at Itasca State Park. 

North Country Trail - East Segment trail map

Day hikers can cross a quaking bog and old growth forest on a segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail at Minnesota’s Itasca State Park.

The 2.38-miles round trip delivers a representative sample of the park’s southeastern section. As most park visitors head to the Mississippi River’s headwaters, the NCNCT offers some peaceful solitude.

Often simply referred to as the North Country Trail, the footpath runs 4600 miles through seven states, from New York to North Dakota. About 9.4 miles of the North Country Trail runs along the southern edge of the state park, which has been nicknamed “Minnesota’s National Park.” The trail passes 11 park lakes along the way.

To reach the trailhead for the eastern segment, from Park Rapids take U.S. Hwy. 71. Turn left/west onto County Road 22. Look for the South Entrance trailhead; parking is available there.

A spur trail goes south across the park entry roads into the woods. In 0.1 miles south, the spur reaches the main trail; once there, go right/west.

The trail heads downhill through a red pine, white pine, birch and oak forest. It passes an eutrophic pond – one that is so rich with minerals and nutrients that plants grow densely there. Bacteria eating up the decomposing plants suck all of the oxygen out of the waterbody, preventing fish or other higher animal life from being able to live there.

Next the trail passes Sibilant Lake’s north shore. An overlook in a grove of red pines offers a beautiful view, especially on a sunny day when the water catches the sky’s brilliant blue with the thick greenery of the lakeside trees perfectly complementing it.

Next the trail passes a quaking bog, which is soft land that shakes underfoot. Though the ground looks like solid grass, it’s actually sphagnum moss floating over water, often anchored by trees, usually tamarack in this part of Minnesota. Step on the moss, and it will quiver.

A bog forms atop soil that is permanently saturated with water. Above this wet soil, dead plant matter – also known as peat – is accumulating, and over that is the floating mass of moss, which is about 19 inches thick.

The trail then moves through an old growth forest. The majority of the trees here are at least 120 years old, having avoided the ravages of logging, fire and windstorms. You’ll notice their trunks are large in diameter with a number of massive dead trees on the ground. Dirt mounds and holes where dead trees have fallen and uprooted themselves are common in such forests.

Only about 4 percent of Minnesota’s pre-settler forests remain. Itasca State Park has the largest stand of old growth red pines in Minnesota.

At 1.19 miles from the south entrances, the footpath reaches the Ozawindib Trail junction, 1.19 miles from south entrance. Originally named the Lind Saddle Trail after a former governor, the Ozawindib was built in 1899. There is a certain sublimity in standing where one of the state’s newest trails meeting one of its oldest here.

The trail junction marks a good spot to turn back.

Be sure to bring plenty of bug repellent for the trail. As a primitive footpath, it is mostly shaded, though, so you probably can dispense with the sunscreen.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Hike runs through Itasca SP’s backwoods

DeSoto Trail, courtesy Minnesota DNR.

Day hikers can head into the heart of the backcountry on the DeSoto Trail at Minnesota’s Itasca State Park.

While most visitors to the state park stop at the famous headwaters of the Mississippi River, the DeSoto takes hikers into wilderness. The trail runs 5.8-miles round trip. It also is part of the North Country National Scenic Trail.

To reach the trailhead, from Park Rapids, Minn., take U.S. Hwy. 71 north. Turn left/north onto Minn. Hwy. 200 then south onto County Road 122, using the park’s North Entrance. Go right/west on County Road 117. The road becomes Wilderness Drive. Follow Wilderness Drive south and then east through the park; the road eventually becomes a narrow albeit scenic one-way. After passing Elk Lake, watch for a small parking area on the road’s left/north side. The trail heads south from the road’s right side.

Heavily wooded, the trail begins by passing a small, unnamed pond. The next couple of miles or so, it skirts wetlands at the edge of Clarke and McKay lakes to the east. Between the two lakes, heading east from the DeSoto, is the Crossover Trail, which connects to the Deer Park Trail.

A variety of trees grow along the trail, including oak, maple and red and white pine. Because of this mix, autumn marks a good time to hike it. The wetland areas also will be drier and the bug population down.

The route turns hilly as passing between Radisson Lake to the west and McKay Lake to the east. The intermittent Ga-Gwa-Dash Creek runs to the trail’s west but really isn’t visible along the walk.

With few people using this area of the park, the DeSoto is a good spot to look for common Northwoods animals. Expect to see squirrels, chipmunks, a variety of songbirds, and at least some signs of white-tailed deer.

As coming upon the wetlands near the Picard Lakes, the trail nears its end, which is the junction with Eagle Scout Trail at the head of a pond bordering Hernando DeSoto Lake.

Upon reaching the trail junction, retrace your steps back to the parking lot.

Maps (from north to south):

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Hike across Mississippi River’s headwaters

Mississippi River headwaters at Lake Itasca, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Map of Headwaters Loop trail, courtesy of Minnesota DNR.

Short loop heads
to river's source
in Minnesota

Day hikers can explore the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River at Minnesota’s Itasca State Park.

In fact, you can literally walk across the river on the 0.25-miles Headwaters Loop Trail. In fact, at the headwaters where the Mississippi begins, if you’re in shorts and willing to take off your shoes, you also can wade across the river. It’s only a couple of feet deep there.

The trail sits in Minnesota’s oldest state park. Established in 1891, it covers about 32,500 acres and contains a hundred lakes. Last year, more than half a million people visited the state park – outperforming 25 national parks in attendance.

Stepping stones
To reach the trailhead, from Park Rapids, Minn., take U.S. Hwy. 71 north. Upon reaching the state park, go left/north on Minn. Hwy. 200. Turn left/south onto County Road 122. Go right/west onto County Road 117, where you'll cross a bridge over the Mississippi River, which looks more like a creek at this point in its course. After the county road veers south, turn left/east into the Mississippi Headwaters Visitor Park and park your vehicle. Enter the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Interpretive Center; the trail leaves from its southern side.

Initially, the trail heads through a wooded area thick with pines. After passing a junction for the Schoolcraft Trail, which heads along Lake Itasca’s western shores, you’ll walk a footbridge that crosses the Mississippi.

The trail continues to the headwaters, where there’s a small beach, with a monument announcing the headwaters, and the shores of vast Lake Itasca.

You actually can walk across the headwaters over rocks that separate the lake from the river. From those rocks, the Mississippi River flows for 2552 miles – the longest in North America and fourth longest in the world – before spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Water from 31 states and two Canadian provinces makes its way into the Mississippi.

Surprises
The river flows out of Lake Itasca, a strangely-shaped lake with three arms. The lake covers a surface area of 1.8 square miles with an average depth of 20-35 feet. In late summer, it can turn green thanks to algae blooms.

For many years, the source of the Mississippi River remained a great mystery to Europeans and early Americans. Then in 1832, the Anishinabe guide Ozawindib led explorer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to the river’s source.

Visitors to the headwaters will be in for a couple of surprises. First, the Mississippi is a pristine blue here. It hasn’t yet picked up the sediment that makes it brown and muddy once it becomes a boundary between states. Secondly, the river travels north. Rather than come out of the lake’s south side and flow in that direction, as it does for most of its course, the river meanders north until eventually veering west then southeast.

The trail continues from the beach by heading west. Another footbridge crosses the Mississippi again; from there, it returns to the interpretive center. Be sure to check out the displays under a portico there.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.