Itasca State Park >

Come see where the Mighty Mississippi gets its start! Read more.

Get to know the Mississippi River in the Front Porch section of our May/June Lake Country Journal Magazine. And here are some more interesting facts, published in the July/August 2005 LCJM:
• The Mississippi River's elevation at Lake Itasca is 1,475 feet above sea level. At the Gulf of Mexico, it drops to 0 (sea level). More than half of that drop occurs within the state of Minnesota.
• Human habitation along the upper Mississippi River predates the birth of Christ.
• The river was formed by the melting of the last glacier around ten thousand years ago.

To find out what's going on at the headwaters today, visit Minnesota's oldest state park, Itasca State Park, established in 1891. Before you go, visit the Department of Natural Resources' website on Itasca State Park, where you can read about the park's events, wildlife, history, geology, and landscape.

Experience one of Minnesota's gems—right here in Lake Country! And let us know how it feels to walk across the headwaters and dip your toes in nature and history at the same time. Just login and add a comment. We'd like to know.