The Most Dog-Friendly Things to Do, See and Eat Near Itasca, MN

Itasca, MN and the Headwaters of the Mississippi River have been on my bucket list since childhood. Growing up, each summer we traveled to eastern Missouri to visit family living along the banks of the Mississippi. As we gazed over the muddy waters, my mom told us how the Mighty Mississippi begins as a small stream in Minnesota. When she told us it was small enough to walk across, I didn’t quite believe her! I knew that someday I would have to see this for myself!

It turns out, my mom’s stories are true! The Mississippi River flows out of Lake Itasca as a knee-deep baby river. As it continues the 2,000 or so mile journey to the Gulf, countless other rivers, streams, creeks and other waterways join the river to form the mighty giant that I watched flow through Missouri.

The headwaters of the Mississippi are found in Itasca State Park, right outside of Itasca, MN. Founded in 1891, the park boasts over 32,00 acres and over 100 lakes! Visitors are welcome to check out the multiple hiking trails, campgrounds, visitors centers and lodges dotted throughout Minnesota’s oldest park. One of these hiking trails is the trail that leads to the Itasca River and the headwaters of the Mississippi.

The Headwaters Themselves

At the end of the trail, visitors reach Lake Itasca and read signs about the area and the Mississippi River. The family friendly lake had plenty of children playing in the water while their parents watched from the beach. In addition to playing a bit in the river and walking across it, I enjoyed seeing the wild rice growing near the banks of the lake. I even purchased some of this rice from the gift store at the park entrance to take home and share with family!

The “Mighty” Mississippi?

The river starts its journey to the sea by flowing from Lake Itasca, at around 1475 feet above sea level. As it enters the canal that will eventually take it across the country, the river is only about 18 feet wide, and knee deep. If we had been wearing swimsuits we could have waded right through the river to the other side! Instead, we used the bridge provided for us and enjoyed walking from one side of the river to the other.

One thing I noticed is that the water of the river is much clearer at the headwaters than it is in Missouri. Growing up, I quickly realized that the Muddy Mississippi definitely earned its nickname! Turns out, the Mississippi doesn’t actually get too muddy until the Minnesota River joins it. This river is well known for having lots of sediment due to runoff from the farm land it passes through. So, as it empties into the Mississippi, it also empties all that sediment. Then, as the Mississippi travels further south, several other rivers and their sediment join it, thus giving it the muddy brown or yellowish color that we see in places like Missouri and Tennessee.

Dog- Friendly Itasca, MN

Itasca State Park and most of the places in the area seemed to be very dog friendly. We had no problems taking Tommy, Winston, and Louie into the park. They enjoyed the hike to the headwaters and also walking across the Mississippi as much as we did. At least, Tommy and Louie did. Winston never enjoys water, but he did like all the smells he got to sniff!

Things to Eat in the Itasca, MN Area

After all that hiking and exploring the Mississippi, Danny and I stopped to eat at the Lobos Bar and Grill a few miles down the road. They had excellent food. We each had one of their homemade burgers, which were both way too big for us to eat, but they were delicious! After this, we returned to the campground to rest up for our next adventure.

To see more of our visit to the Itasca area, check out our video below.

For more Traveling With Terriers content, check out our other Travel-a-Long, Drive-a-Long, Hike-a-Long, and Top 5 Tips and Tricks videos, as well as our other Behind-the Scenes Blogs. For all your TWT swag and to get a copy of our newly released book, check out our Merch store!

Until next time, happy traveling!