A S T A T E WA T E R T R A I L G U I D E T O T H E M I S S I S S I P P I R I V E R
#1
Pokegama Lake Rec. Area
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Leech Lake Indian Reservation
Chippewa National Forest
Portage Left • 44 yards
Schoolcraft
State Park
Vehicle Permits Required
Leaning Willow
Campsite
Bass Brook
W.M.A.
Trout
Lake
Eagle
WMA
Izaak
Walton Park
Riverside Park
MN Forest History
Interpretive Center
#10
Chisholm Point
Island SNA
Blandin
Paper
Company
Dam
Sylvan Municipal
Park
Steamboat
Access
Portage Right
1200 yards
Golf
Course Rd
Nesbitt
Island WMA
Carry-in Access
Trailer Access
Outfitter
Dock
Willow Lake Deer Yard WMA
Fishing Pier
Dam
•
•
•
Blackberry
Bridge
Sucher’s
Campsite
Kings
Landing
Boltuck-Rice Forever Wild SNA
Campground
Drinking Water
Hospital
Watercraft Campsite
Interpretive Center
River Mile
Rest Area
Point of Interest
Rapids
Safe Refuge
Fish Hatchery
Safe Refuge is shelter with
access to a telephoneHills
Herb Beer’s
Designated
Public Land
Sugar
Picnic Area
Blackberry
Golden
Anniversary
State Forest
Co. Rd. 72
Interstate Highway
State Highway
U.S. Highway
County Road
W.M.A. = Wildlife Management Area
S.N.A. = Scientific and Natural Area
North
Swan River Deer
Yard WMA
Swimming
Bear
ROUTE DESCRIPTION • VERMILLION RIVER TO PALISADE
NOTE: (R) and (L) represent right and left banks ofthe
river when facing downstream.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION of ROUTE
This river section is located about 200 river miles
downstream of Lake Itasca and about 300 river miles
upstream of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Paddling is easy, but is interrupted by two dams, one
controlling the level of Lake Pokegama and the other
providing hydropower to Blandin Paper Company. Both
must be portaged.
This 1s a section of transition, from the wetlands and
Forest though
the
town of
forests of the Chippewa National Little
WMA
River
Grand Rapids, to the lowland hardwoodHill
forest
of Aitkin
County. the town of Grand Rapids is growing, from the
Minnesota Power generating facility west of town to the
confluence with the Prairie River east of town. The river
runs south downstream of Grand Rapids, and the shorelines
become agricultural and the forested, as it meanders into
Aitkin County.
1199.5-(L)Schoolcraft State Park
Tue
1198.2
The Vermillion River joins the Mississippi River at
Schoolcraft State Park, a small park with a handsome
stand of
of red pine. Camping, public access and
drinking water (no showers) are available at the park,
including one first come first served river access only
campsite that is free of
of charge. Minnesota State Park
Vehicle Permits are required at the access. Other
campsites are available by reservation from Memorial
Day to Labor Day. All of
of Schoolcraft's
Schoolcraft’s campsites are
within 400 feet of
of the river. For more information on
Schoolcraft State Park please contact Scenic State
Park at 218-743-3362, or visit the DNR's
DNR’s website.
1138.l(R) Swan River confluence
1182.4(L) Pokegama Lake Recreation Area/Dam
It is a 44 yard portage around Pokegama Dam.
The dam 1s operated by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers to enhance a variety of water uses,
such as wild rice crops above the dam, fish
spawning in the spring and fall, and to protect
private property on Lake Pokegama.
1137.6(R)Jacobson Wayside Rest
Located before State Highway 200 bridge. Stof
for supplies in town which is on the left side o
the river. The steamer ''Fawn Lake" sank at this
location in 1894.
1181.3(R)Izaak Walton Park
It was developed by the local chapter of the Izaak
Walton League. Its a great way to get on the
M ississippi River above the Blandm Paper Mill,
a river stretch known locally as the "Mill Pond."
1137.6
m
Jacobson
Wayside Rest
Powerline crossing
1122.2 (L)Ms. Keto Campsite
River access only. Watch for riffles and rocks at
low flow conditions in this river section.
1180.l(R) Sylvan Municipal Park Access and fishing pier
1179.3(R) Blandin Paper Company
Dam
Hill Lake WMA
The Mill Pond reservoir ends at the Blandin
Paper Company Dam. The dam must be portaged
right, 1200 yards. Blandin Paper Company has
provided a streamside phone for assistance. River
Park, on the right bank below the Highway 169
bridge, was created when the Blandin
Foundation, left bank, bought houses across the
river. Here, the riffles that are remnants of the
rapids create an excellent habitat site for aquatic
life.
1179.1
Jacobson
Campground
State Highway 200 bridge.
1128.2(R) Willow Wood C ampsite
River access only.
1122.8
1180.8(R) Minnesota F orest History Center
It's Wanagan Landing recreates lumbering days
of 100 years ago.
County Line
1121.3 (R)Verdon
erdon Acces s
Carry-in access and rest area.
1118.1 (L)Two River Springs
This state-designated trout stream drains to the
Mississippi from the east.
1117.7
Savanna State Forest
Powerline crossing
1113.2(L) Libby Brook
Libby Brook is also a state-designated trout
stream. Watch for riffles below Libby Brook
confluence.
Willow Wood
US Highway 169
1111.0(L) Lee Ferry Access
This public access was a ferry crossing during
the settlement era.
1179.0(L) Fishing pier
1178.9(L) Steamboat Acces s
1197.0
The Mississippi Leaves the Chippewa National
Forest, the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and
the "Wild" section of the Mississippi Headwaters
Board's management area.
1109.5(L) Libby Township Campsite
River access only. Located deep in a lowland
1178.4(R) Riverside Park
Moose Willowhardwood forest, this is home to a variety of
birds, especially
songbirds and cavity dwellers
W. M. A. Moose
Willow WMA
1194.7(R) # 10 Access
1176.5(L)Prairie River
The Prairie River meets the Mississippi and
doubles the water flow. The Prairie flows
southwesterly for 50 miles, draining pine lands,
which tend to flood. About two miles above the
river flows through a magnificent gorge.
1191.8(R)Little Rice Lake Creek
1173.0(R) Sucher 's Campsite
1191.0(L) Little Drum Lake Creek
1170.9(L) Blackberry Bridge Access
A river level gauge is located on the County
Road 441 bridge. Water level greater than 4.5
feet of above is considered high; water levels are
average ifthe reading is between 1.8 feet to 4.5
levelsWMA
are low if the reading is
feet; and water
Hay Point
less than 1.8 feet. This is a Mississippi
Headwater River Watch Project water quality
sampling site.
1196.0(L) Leaning Willow C ampsite
River access only.
1187.0
Blackwater Lake
The Mississippi enters the reservoir of the
Pokegama Dam.
1185.2(L) Mississippi #1 Access and fishing pier
River shorelands are owned by Minnesota Power.
Minnesota Power's steam generation facility is
located on the left bank. Minnesota Power
provides river access. This is the western edge of
Mesabi Iron Range, and tailings piles are evident.
The intersection of two geological landscapes
results in diverse plants and animals. Rare
orchids and fems, as well as bald eagles, can be
found here. Just prior to entering Jay Gould Lake
the Mississippi River exits on the left.
1185.0(L) City of Cohasset
Stop for supplies, food and lodging. An
outcropping of bedrock on the right bank is the
western boundary of the Mesabi Iron Ran~e. It is
the only bedrock visible in the Mississippi's
corridor above Little Falls. Local citizens
persuaded the State of Minnesota to designate
this area the Bass Brook State Wildlife
Management Area, protecting cultural sites
dating to Dakota occupations more than 3,000
years ago, a heron rookery and large wetland. It
1s a popular spot for observing bird migration.
1163.9(R) H erb Beer 's Access
1162.4(L) Blackberry Campsite
River access only.
such as owls and wood ducks.
1105.5(L) Sandy River
The Sandy River flows into the Mississippi from
the east. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
maintains a large campground, with many
facilities, about a mile up the Sandy River, which
provides access to Sandy Lake. If you are
heading there from the Mississippi, you have to
paddle against the Sandy River 's current, and
cross under Minnesota State Highway 65 to
reach it.
1101.4(L) Scott's Rapids Campsite
River access only.
Ms Keto
Power
Line
1096.0(R) Wold's Ferry C rossing Access
This was once a common Mississippi River
crossing. A steamboat wreck in the river is
another reminder of historic transportation.
1086.5
1161.4(L) County Road 72 Access
Power
Line
Verdon
Hwy 232 bridge
1086.4(R) Berglund Park
Palisade is a small town, located high on the
Mississippi's right bank. Bergland Park offers a
public access, fishing, picnicking and camping.
Willowsippi WMA
This location marks the down river boundary of this map.
Refer to map 4, Palisade to Brainerd, for further down n ver
information.
1152.5(R) Split Hand Creek confluence
1150.2(L) Swimming Bear Campsite
River access only.
1145.5(R) County Line Access
Savanna
Portage
State
Park
Lee
Ferry
Libby
Township
1140.6(R)Jacobson Campground
Just above the Swan River confluence, Aitkin
County maintains a popular campground and
access point. The county also maintains a
wayside rest on the right bank, below the
campsite but just above the bridge. The town of
Jacobson is building a recreation center on the
left bank, above the bridge.
Sandy Lake Rec. Area
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Hill River State Forest
Scott’s Rapids
Wold
W. M. A.
Waukenabo
State Forest
Wold’s Ferry
Crossing
Roberts-Wickstrom
W. M. A.
Sandy Lake
Resevoir WMA
m
Little Willow
River WMA
Berglund County Park
Grayling Marsh
Resevoir WMA
Grayling Marsh WMA
STATE WATER TRAIL MAP
A
Mississippi River
STATE
WATER
TRAIL
GUIDE
TO
THE
MISSISSIPPI
RIVER
Vermillion River to Palisade - Map 3 of 9
“These falls...have...the sensation one feels only in mountains,
this in a region where there are none. One’s imagination, dulled
by a monotonous and tiring navigation over so many slow
winding rivers is enlivened by the sight of impetuous torrent.”
Joseph Nicollet, 1836
HEADWATERS RIVER TRAIL
BELTRAMI
Turtle River
l
Turt
e
ITASCA
River
Lake
Winnibigoshish
Cass Lake
River
Ball Club
Lee
ch
Lake
Lake George
HUBBARD
er
Riv
Deer River
Cohasset
Grand Rapids
Vermillion
River
Walker
Pokegama
Lake
Remer
W
Riv illow
er
CASS
CROW WING
Splithan
d
River
Jacobson
Big Sandy
Lake
Palisade
Cro
w
Cross Lake
Pin
e
W
g in
Swan River
Scho
olcr
t
af
Lake Itasca
A successful river trip is safe. To enjoy a safe
journey, you should be prepared. You should be
acquainted with your route. Choose a distance that is
comfortable for you. Water levels can speed you or slow
you: get information about water levels from the
regional DNR office, or check the river level gauges
listed in the route description section of this map. Protect
the water and shorelands and leave nothing behind you
except footprints. Remember that much of the
shorelands are privately owned. Here’s a checklist you
should consider in planning your trip:
ie
Bemidji
Riv
er
Lake
Andrusi
a Cass Lake
Pr
air
CLEARWATER
Lake
Bemidji
PLANNING A SAFE RIVER TRIP
Riv
er
McGregor
River
Crosby
• Register your watercraft. All watercraft more than 9
feet in length, including nonmotorized canoes and
kayaks, must be registered in Minnesota or your state
of residence.
Aitkin
Deerwood
Riverton
Trip Planning
AITKIN
Gull Lake
Pillager
Riv
er
Brainerd
p
asip
Nok i
Fort Ripley
Randall
Lit
Elktle
MORRISON
Riv
er
Little Falls
an Riv
Sw
er
Royalton
Sartell
St. Cloud
“The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
is an Equal Opportunity Employer”
This information is available in alternative
format upon request.
Online water trail information and
maps can be found at
mndnr.gov/watertrails
SSISSIP PI RIV
MI
1601 Minnesota Drive
Brainerd, MN 56401
218-828-2619
ER
PROTEC
TI
HE FIRST 400 M
NGT
ILES
Minnesota State Parks and
Trails Regional Unit
OF TH
E
Mississippi Headwaters
Board
P.O. Box 3000, Walker, MN 56484
218-547-7263
mhbriverwatch.dst.mn.us
This Publication was produced by the Mississippi Headwaters board in
cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Financial
support was provided by the folowing organizations.
Minnesota Power
REI/National Rivers Coalition
Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board
Itasca Trails Task Force
McKnight Foundation
National Forest Foundation
DNR Information Center
The DNR’s Information Center is available to provide free
publications of facilities and services as well as answers questions
pertaining to DNR recreational opportunities in Minnesota.
500 Lafayette Road
St. Paul, MN 55155-4040
651-296-6157 Metro Area
1-888-646-6367 MN Toll-Free
The Mississippi River makes a question mark shape
on the land as it travels from Lake Itasca to St. Cloud.
You are invited to follow the Headwaters River Trail
down the first 420 miles of the Mississippi River. At
Lake Itasca, the Headwaters trickle over a stone ledge,
where you can wade across the mighty river. Tributaries
add momentum for the 2,348 mile trek to the Gulf of
Mexico; groundwater contributes two-thirds of the
Mississippi River’s initial flow. From the Headwaters,
the river flows through nine lakes. Glacial hills, called
moraines, and glacial depressions, now lakes and
wetlands, create scenic views. Wetlands, marshes, and
oxbows act as natural filtration systems, preserving
water quality. Rapids and riffles dot the entire river.
Fishing is great!
•
•
•
•
•
River elevation drops 500 feet from Itasca to St.
Cloud. Hydropower and water control dams require
portages. A braided river pattern joins the Mesabi and
Cuyuna Iron Ranges — 100 miles apart by road and 200
miles by river. The Cuyuna Range is the most rugged
area of the Headwaters. Near Brainerd, development and
agriculture increase with a more defined channel; natural
characteristics are preserved.
•
The Mississippi Headwaters Board is an
eight-county joint powers board organized to protect the
natural, cultural, scenic, scientific and recreational
values identified in the Mississippi Headwaters Guide
Book. The Headwaters is an extraordinary place for
wildlife and rare plants. Citizens protect the Mississippi
River at its Headwaters to help provide safe drinking
water to millions of people downstream in St. Cloud and
the Twin Cities, and in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois,
Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi and
Louisiana. Choose a wilderness experience or visit parks
with a variety of facilities. Either way you will see a
unique place and meet the people who live here. The
Mississippi River is a fun place to visit.
•
•
Travel with a companion or group. Plan your trip
with a map before you depart and advise someone of
your plans including planned departure and arrival
times.
Most people paddle two to three river miles per
hour.
Lake Bemidji, Cass Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish
can be dangerous; stay within swimming distance of
shore. If you are uncomfortable with large open
water, plan to use a vehicle to portage around the
lakes.
Bring a first aid kit that includes waterproof
matches.
Be cautious of river obstructions, such as
overhanging and dead trees in the river.
You must pack out all
trash.
Leave only footprints;
take only photographs!
Rest Areas and
Camping Sites
•
•
•
•
Public rest areas are
available along the route
to rest, picnic and
explore.
Camp only in designated
campsites, which are
available on a first
come-first served basis.
Bring drinking water. It
is only available at a
limited number of rest
areas. Drinking river
water is not
recommended, but if you
do it must be treated.
Respect private property. Stop only at designated
sites; much of the shoreland is private property.
Be sanitary! Use designated toilet facilities or bury
human waste away from the river.
Boating Information
mndnr.gov
•
•
•
Photos: Peter Card II
© 2016 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Wear a U. S. Coast Guard approved personal
flotation device.
Bring an extra paddle.
Not all portions of this water trail are suitable for
motor use.
ABOUT THIS RIVER SECTION
Vermillion River to Palisade
From the plains and large lakes of the Chippewa
National Forest and Leech Lake Indian Reservation, the
Mississippi River flows into a landscape dominated by
hills created when ancient glaciers ground to a halt,
dumping piles of debris. Today, the city of Grand Rapids
lies at the center of hills created 10,000 years ago. South
of Grand Rapids, the river enters an ancient glacial lake
bed where it twists back and forth through the soft soil.
The Mississippi is flat and slow moving in this river
section, dominated by pine forests and the town of
Grand Rapids. The town was named for the rapids that
were once a dominant feature of the landscape. Two
dams, located about three river miles apart, capture the
river’s fall and demonstrate the former size of the rapids.
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers first flooded the falls
when it built a water control structure in 1884. The
Grand Rapids dam was built 18 years later.
From Blackberry to it’s confluence with Splithand
Creek, hills border the Mississippi River on both shores.
The system of hills west of the Mississippi were called
Piquadinaw, or “it is hilly,” by the Ojibwe. The high
point near Hill Lake (about 20 miles south of Grand
Rapids) was named “Poquodenaw Mountain” by
lumberman and was so designated on the first map of the
county. The name has been shortened to Quadna.
Below the confluence with Splithand Creek, glacial
melt water flattened the landscape. The Mississippi lies
on the remnant of two large glacial lakes, Glacial Lake
Upham and Glacial Lake Aitkin, which were created as
an arm of the glacier melted back in the direction it
originally moved from - the northeast. The river
meanders back and forth through the silt the glacier left
behind. Today, it is 60 miles by road from Grand Rapids
to Aitkin, but the water route is 120 miles between the
two towns.
The Mississippi connects the mixed
hardwood-conifer forests of red, white and jack pines,
quaking aspen, big-toothed aspen, paper birches, and
oaks, found on high ground, with pine and hardwood
forests found on low lying areas.
The hardwood floodplain forest, composed of silver
maple, black and green ash, slippery elm and basswood,
are the dominant trees of this forest. These trees tolerate
springtime flooding, and are adapted to the forest’s
mucky soils which are naturally low in nutrients and
oxygen. Dead and snag trees standing in this forest
provide shelter for wood ducks, mergansers, owls,
raccoons and even black bears.
The large continuous forested area, adjacent river
and wetlands, and cutover areas offering new growth,
attract ruffed grouse, white-tailed deer and timber
wolves.
These forests also attract a variety of birds,
including water birds and song birds. Some birds, such
as the wood thrush require a wetland located entirely
within a forest for food, shelter and water. Other forest
birds require separation and isolation from the edge of a
forest, where predator species, such as crows, can be
found. A location within a forest interior, away from the
forest edge, reduces the chance that a cowbird will lay
it’s egg in a songbird’s nest.
Lumbering and steamboat traffic on the Mississippi
built Grand Rapids more than 100 years ago. The
lumbering theme is evident in town today, from the
Minnesota Historical Society’s Forest History Center site
on the Mississippi, to the buildings of Blandin Paper
Company, also located on the river.
The river was the major transportation route for
Europeans and Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries.
It was also important to the Ojibwe people, who had an
important town site on Big Sandy Lake. Big Sandy
Lake, which drains to the Mississippi, is an endpoint of
the Savanna Portage, an overland route used to connect
the Mississippi to the St. Louis River System. It was a
route used by Native Americans and Europeans to travel
from Lake Superior to the Mississippi, although diarists
remember it as a mucky, bug-ridden and altogether
miserable trip. Those who slogged this way included
Henry Schoolcraft, on his expeditions of 1820 and 1832,
and Scottish trader William Aitken, who built his first
trading post at the confluence of the Mississippi and
Sandy Lake Rivers.
About 18 steamboats covered the route from 1870 to
1920. You may see piers from the steamboat days at
Jacobson, once a busy lumbering town. Steamboat
wrecks lie below the river’s surface near the confluence
with the Sandy River and near the town of Palisade.
Private land ownership dominates along the
Mississippi throughout this river section, so the traveler
is advised to stop only at designated campsites.
Water quality is clean enough for bodily contact and
to support and excellent sport fishery. Thirty to forty
species of fish live in the river, including northern pike,
walleye and smallmouth bass. The river’s oxbows are
used by fish for spawning. Paddling up an oxbow is a
good way to hear the songbirds of the deep forests of
this section.
Campsites are most numerous just below Grand
Rapids, and are several miles apart in Aitkin County.
Excellent park facilities are available at Schoolcraft
State Park, in Grand Rapid’s parks, Aitkin County’s
parks and Big Sandy Lake Campground.
HEADWATERS
RESOURCES
U.S.D.A FOREST
SERVICE - CHIPPEWA
NATIONAL FOREST
SUPERVISOR’S OFFICE
Route 3 Box 244, Cass
Lake, MN 56633 • (218)
335-8600
LEECH LAKE TRIBAL
COUNCIL
DIVISION OF RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Route 3 Box 100, Cass Lake, MN 56633
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
REGION 2 HEADQUARTERS
1201 East Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN 55744 • (218) 327-4455
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS - POKEGAMA DAM
3810 Highway 2 West, Grand Rapids, MN 55744 • (218) 326-6128
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS - BIG SANDY LAKE DAM
HCR 4 Box 362, McGregor, MN 55760 • (218) 426-3482
GRAND RAPIDS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
1 Third Street NW, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
(218) 326-6619 • 1-800-GRAND MN
GRAND RAPIDS AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
1 Third Street NW, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
(218) 326-9607 • 1-800-355-9740
MN HISTORICAL SOCIETY - FOREST HISTORY CENTER
2609 County Road 76, Grand Rapids, MN 55744 • (218) 326-4482
AITKIN AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
316 1st Avenue NW, Aiktin, MN 56431
(218) 927-3003 • 1-800-526-8342
SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS
Outdoor recreation is dependent on a healthy and
attractive natural environment. Sustainable outdoor
recreation enables people to enjoy the outdoors without
negative impacts on the environment.
Communities working together can improve water
resources by promoting environmentally sensitive
land-use practices along rivers and throughout
watersheds. Natural shoreline buffers improve water
quality by filtering out pollutants and sediments.
Healthy and diverse
native shoreline plant
communities are
attractive and provide
important habitat for
birds and wildlife.