A STATE WATER TRAIL GUIDE TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER HenryHennrry O.O BjoringBjorBjoring WMAWWMMA Lake BuenaBuena VistaVistata State ForestForo est 3939 g g g g g LEGEND g ake L on on TurtleTurtle RiverRiver L L CampsiteCampsite Lake Bemidji State Park she Vehicle Permit Required imu 8989 P Carry-in Access Campground Drinking Water Hospital 2020 2020 TurtleTurtle RiRiverver Tu CSAHCSAH # 200 Landing r y tle Water Access Watercraft Campsite r Dam River Mile 71 da n ou Big RiceRice Outfitter Safe Refuge Interpretive Center Rapids er LakeLake Northwoods n B RiverRiv y Safe Refuge is shelter with atio r Dock Point of Interest v access to a telephone r Little Bass e es Rest Area Picnic Area Fish Hatchery Lavinia Lake unda n R Lake Bemidji t Bo a Northernmost point of i d es Caution Areas r the Mississippi River o Fishing Pier In 2 F Designated e Stump Lake k Cameron Park al a Big LakeLake Public Land KitchiKitchi LLakeake tion Grass Stump Lake 1280 Indian Reservation BoundaryLeech Lake Grant Mississippi River L 197 a Diamond Lake ke 1275 Daniel Lake WMA Point Park Boundary National Forest Chippewa 12 Interstate HighwayU.S. Highway State Highway County Road Bemidji 12 R Andrusia (N) 19 39 01234miles Co. Rd. 12 W.M.A. = Wildlife Management Area paddling across the lake is not recommended; if submerged pilings at access, you must do so, stay closer to the shore. North stay in marked channel Swenson Knutson Dam Rec. Area 0 1234kilometers S.N.A. = Scientific and Natural Area reek Portage Right • 297 yards Island Point Lake Grant C numerous log jams Nymore Beach 33 paddlers are advised to respect exist in this section Little Missis Township Bridge 11 the power of the wind on a large Lake lake and stay away from the river level L R Mississippi Headwaters gauge Irving ake Andrusia center. If you must paddle, stick 1255 sippi River 1290 Power State Forest Line 8 to the shoreline. The lake can be High dangerous and winds rise Bootleg Banks Lake unexpectedly. 5 Rice Excessive vegetation 1285 Co. Rd. 25 Lake in this area. May be 1270 impassible at times river level Silver Maple Carr Lake 1265 gauge Iron Bridge 197 1260 1300 50 O’Neils Point Allen’s Nushka Group Site Bay Reservation, Group Camping Only Pine Point Landing Wolf Potato Lake Windigo 1310 Fox Trap Islands Portage Mud LakeLake WMAM 25 Lake SchramLake Mud 1295 Fern Andrusia (S) 10 1305 Lake BemBemidjimidji SloughSlolloughh Lake Marquette WMAA Lake 8 Windigo 7 2 Cass Lake BELTRAMI COUNTY BELTRAMI COUNTY Drewery Star Island Bear Den Lake UpperUpper RiceRice WMAWMA HUBBARD COUNTY Landing GraceGr Whitee 2 1315 95 Hennepin LakeLake 75 South EarthEaarth Creek 71 Star Island Cedar I. StateS COUNTY CLEARWATER Hwy 2 Norway Beach Rec. Area 3 LLakeake Wolf Lake Little W ForestForest PlantaganePlantaganett WMA L olf Wanaki Upper Rice LakeLake ake Stumphages Rapids Midge LakeLake Stumphages RapidsMississippi River UpperUpperr RiceRice WMAWMA Cass Lake Diamond Lake Brownie 2 1320 Plantagenet Lake (SE) State Water Access Site Creek 9 " 9 Coffee Pot Landing ver 371 NTYNTY NTY OjibweOjibwe BeachBeach ttR Ri f Cr LaSalle a NTY PikePike BayBay eek COU Power Creek Bear olcr CrCreek Line COU Cold SchoSchoolcraft River SS Becidaecida BARD A B SSt.t. MarMarksks C ake CASS COUNTY U LLake PPikeike Bay 9 RockwoodRocckwood WMA COUNTY HUBBARD HU 1325 river level BBluffluff gauge 40 LaSalle Hennepin Lake ROUTE DESCRIPTION • LAKE ITASCA to CASS LAKE ke a L Shallow reek GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ROUTE 1329.8 Clearwater County Road 37 bridge 1306.0 (R) Hennepin Creek 1284.7 (R) Lake Irving Access 1270.6 (R) Beltrami County Road 25 and Water Access Robinson Lake SouthSouth PikePike BayBaB y CampgroundCampgmp roound Robinson Sandbars C n WMA Vekin’s Dam A sand bank opposite the creek’s mouth provides The paddler now enters the City of Bemidji’s Lake win to RM 1335 At Lake Itasca, 2,348 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, 560 1327.6 Clearwater County Road 2 bridge an excellent view up and down the Mississippi, and business district. Caution: Submerged pilings by 1268.8 High BanksT Whitet 37 1330 miles from Minneapolis-St. Paul, the Mississippi River begins The landscape changes back to wetland. Beaver dams up Hennepin Creek. public access. Stay in marked channel. This location provides a spectacular view of the Mallard its course. In its first 90 miles, the river winds through EarthEarth Lake obstruct the river in this section. river and Wolf Lake. Evidence of historic and Vekin’s Dam ancient lake beds, and occasionally rushes throuh narrow 1304.5 (R) Pine Point 1283.0 City of Bemidji prehistoric human use exists for this site. Down StateStStaate L Portage Left valleys of spruce. At Bemidji, the river flows through the first 50 yards 1325.9 Clearwater County Road 40 bridge Road access is on the Stecher Forest Road from If you paddle to the northwest, you will see the river exit is located to the left on the northeast ForestForesestt Lake of several large lakes. This is the most scenic and the most Hubbard County Road 3. Paddlers should check city’s waterfront and Tourist Information Center corner of Wolf Lake. Mallard Lake WMA alle remote of the Mississippi’s Minnesota miles. 1323.7 Powerline crossing the DNR website for forest road closures when building. Stop at the center for information on LakeLake 2 ThirteenThirteen LaS The paddler needs some skills and patience in this section. planning a trip. Caution: The river meanders supplies, food, and lodging. Lake Bemidji derives There are rocky riffles, snags, and beaver dams to be Big 1322.8 (L) Coffee Pot Landing through a large wetland from this point to Iron its name from an Ojibwe word, “Pemidjigumang,” 1268.0(R) Wolf Lake Water Access man-euvered around. Campsites that are accessed from the A river level gauge is located adjacent to the trail Bridge Landing downstream. Bog chunks can maning the river that crosses the lake. Caution: Gill L Wanagan Landing river only, require wilderness skills. An old logging dam and PPortageortage bridge. When the gauge reads 3.5 ft. or above, water become dislodged and float downstream. This paddling across the lake is not recommended; if LLakeake12666.2 Beltrami County Road 8 ake a working dam must be portaged. However, two state parks, level is high; level is average when the gauge reads makes it difficult to find the channel and can be a you must do so, stay closer to the shore. 200 Itasca and Lake Bemidji, offer the visitor many amenities. between 3.5 and 1.9 ft., and low when it is below 1.9 navigational hazard. This condition is not 1265.4 (R) Lake Andrusia Potable water is not always available at campsites. ft. Expect conditions to be shallow downstream of dangerous, but it is advisable to call the regional Lake Bemidji State Park A carry-in access is located on the southeast shore. LaSalle Paddlers are encouraged to carry water treatment systems or Gill Lake Coffee Pot at 1.9 and below. Drinking water is DNR office to determine conditions before Located on the lake’s northeast shore, north of the A water access is on the north shore. Mission Point 1335 their own water. River reading and compass skills are WMA Iron Springs available on the right bank. planning a trip. down river exit of the lake. is the land barrier between Andrusia and Allen’s Sucker Lake Bog S.N.A. necessary to navigate through the wetland areas. In most WMA Gulsvig Landing Bay of Cass Lake. The site was long used by cases, follow the downstream flow. Beware of 1321.6 (R) LaSalle Creek 1303.0 Rice Lake Channel 1280.6 Beltrami County Road 19 bridge Ojibwe people and an Episcopal mission was built Brook sweepers/strainers in heavily treed areas outside of the Watch for the tall bank on the right; it is a short paddle Do not enter. The Mississippi River exits Lake Bemidji at the here in the early 19th. century. wetlands. ucker upstream to the first of the LaSalle Lakes. midpoint of its eastern shore. Extensive bulrush S River miles are counted upstream from the Mississippi’s Caution: The Mississippi enters a large wetland and 1297.6 (L) Iron Bridge Watercraft Campsite beds mark the river’s exit from Lake Bemidji. An 1262.3 Allen’s Bay confluence with the Ohio River, according to a system CCrookedrooked finding the channel can be a challenge in low water This site, accessible by river only, rises above the old railroad trestle spans the river at the outlet. NamedLLakeake by Schoolcraft for Lieutenant James Allen, Culvert developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. conditions. This stretch is nearly four river miles long. Mississippi River and provides an overlook to the SteStSteamboatambbboboatoatoa WMAWMA who accompanied both the 1820 and 1832 journeys Portage right 30 Yards Note: (R) and (L) refer to right bank and left bank, upstream wetland. 1277.3 Northernmost point of the Mississippi River. on the Mississippi. Allen was an artist and respectively, when facing downstream.BirchBirch CreekCreCreeekk WMWWMAA 1321.0 (L) Brownie Campsite cartographer, his accounts of the trips are published Low Dam Pine Ridge 1297.2 (R) Iron Bridge Water Access 1275.7 (L) Stump Lake Campsite with Schoolcraft’s. The Potato Islands are owned 1338.2 Lake Itasca 1318.2 Mile Marker Water access is from Beltrami County Road 7. The The river access campsite is the river’s by the U.S. Forest Service. Caution: paddlers are The river’s outlet at Lake Itasca is man-made.