Itasca State Park · caps RVs at 60 ft

Headwaters of the Mississippi River — the iconic walk-across-the-rocks spot at Lake Itasca where the country's longest river begins as a creek narrow enough to step across in three strides. Minnesota's second-oldest state park (1891) holds Pine Ridge Campground (157 sites, electric, 60-ft cap, mid-May through mid-October) and Bear Paw Campground (44 sites, year-round, similar specs). Dump station at both. Reservations open 4 months ahead via the Minnesota DNR portal. The Wilderness Drive's 10-mile loop is paved and accommodates any rig length. The Aiton Heights Fire Tower offers the only elevated view in this otherwise flat north-woods landscape. Black bear activity is documented and the campground enforces standard food-storage protocols. The Old Timer's Cabin and the Forest Inn are Civilian Conservation Corps structures from the 1930s, both on the National Register of Historic Places.

More from the 50-park state-park catalog