REGIONS: NORTHWEST ITASCA STATE PARK By Cory Hepola “Daddy, look at all of the old trees!” My six-year-old son enthusiastically shouts those eight words as we weave our family van through the towering aspen, birch and pine trees along Wilderness Drive at Itasca State Park , instantly drenching me in perspective. Growing up in northern Minnesota, I long ago got used to seeing the soaring “old” trees, the thousands of blue lakes and the stunning sunsets; to me, this is “home,” and this is what “home” looks like. But since our family lives in the Twin Cities, that is “home” and what “home” looks like to my son. He’s never experienced this incredibly special “home,” which–somewhere along the line–I have taken for granted. With my newfound perspective, it’s like I’m joining him, and the rest of my family, with eyes wide open at Itasca State Park. At the park’s fire tower , we carefully climb the steps to the very top, gleefully admiring the 32,000 acres and more than 100 lakes below. From there, we make our way to the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River , where it begins its 2,552-mile journey south to the Gulf of Mexico. The river is narrow enough here that we can walk across it, stepping carefully from rock to rock and then returning by way of a narrow wooden bridge. Even though our kids are young (three under the age of seven), they’re so enthralled by their surroundings that they bypass any sort of nap, choosing instead to explore the trails around Preacher’s Grove . Faced with the truth that we aren’t a “camp outside in a tent” family, we spend the night in the park’s Four-Season Suites , after sharing a fading sunset over Lake Itasca that we’ll remember forever. To think I may have missed the wonder of it all, if not for my son’s illuminating eight-word exclamation that morning. It was like I experienced the beauty of northern Minnesota for the first time all over again. FINDING PERSPECTIVE AT Evergreen Fun Park, Park Rapids All photos courtesy of Cory Hepola 74 | EXPLORE MINNESOTA .COM
Explore Minnesota Travel Guide 2022 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide: Page 74
