Canoe the Headwaters: Discover a Sacred Secret
By Barry Babcock
“The mist was all gone from the river now and the rapids sparkled and sang. They were still young as the land was young. We were there to enjoy it, and the great machines seemed far away.”…Sigurd Olson
Many people living in north central Minnesota do not realize that this is “Headwaters Country.” Some wonderfully wild and remote rivers exist in our backyards, waiting for us to experience them. There are so many terrific rivers here that entire books have been dedicated to the topic. So, with this limited space, I will highlight my favorite, the “Headwaters of the Mississippi,” which is the first forty river miles– from its source at Lake Itasca to the “Iron Bridge” at Beltrami County Road 7.
There is a well-kept secret in North Central Minnesota. This first forty miles is the last remaining wilderness on the infant Mississippi. Many people feel they have to drive great distances to get that wilderness experience - not so!
It is with some trepidation that I speak of this relatively unknown stretch of river lest it become too well known but pondering this question, I think the best way to protect it, is for people to experience it. How could anyone spending time on this river, not love it? It truly is a treasure to have this section of river so accessible, where we and our children can experience what Headwaters Country was like a hundred years ago - a museum piece of wilderness on the mighty Mississippi.
Nearly all of this first forty miles of river lies within Mississippi Headwaters State Forest. The state forest is fragmented with county administered land (Beltrami, Hubbard, & Clearwater) and some private land.
This infant Mississippi is not an easy river to traverse. There are some lengthy stretches of rocky riffles that can challenge any paddler in high water and create obstacles when in low water - and three large wetlands where even the most experienced wilderness traveler can find one’s self lost. The river alternates between these straight fast segments of river within boreal forests of pine and fir and vast open marshlands of bog, fen, cane grass, cattails, and wild rice where the channel can completely disappear.
One of these segments of riffles is three and a half miles in length and commences below Vekin’s Dam, where there is a portage around this picturesque falls and another is sixteen miles downstream at Stumphges Rapids, through one of the most beautiful stretches of river anywhere. The immense and infamous Rice Lake Bog or Ma-no-min Bog is downstream, between Pine Point campsite and the Iron Bridge campsite. The straight line distance here, is slightly more than three miles but by paddle this meandering maze is closer to ten.
As the emergent vegetation develops in summer in this large wetland, any semblance of a channel disappears. It’s best to tackle this tricky wetland early in the year before the vegetation gets too high. A note of caution to first time visitors to the Rice Lake Bog, when loosing the channel, stay away from the cattails and cane grass – stick to the rice as here you’ll find water you can get a canoe through. Many an experienced paddler has had to turn back. It is unwise to try crossing this bog late in the day, as you may find yourself sleeping in your canoe in mosquito heaven.
Do not expect canoeing these forty miles to be a cakewalk. There will be difficulties along the way but this will add to the adventure. A Minnesota State DNR Canoe map or a map from the Mississippi Headwaters Board will be helpful. More info can be obtained from the Headwaters Canoe Club by emailing headwaterscanoeclub@yahoo.com
Many specific sites and camps along this stretch of river have names that resonate with the human history of the river: Coffee Pot, Bear Den, Fox Trap, and Pine Point. Here, a long history of American Indian cultures thrived and thought of this great river as sacred. These people preceded whites by 12,000 years in Headwaters Country. We are relative newcomers as evident at the Itasca Bison Kill Site whose age is 7,000 to 8,000 years old.
The infant river abounds with diverse and unique wildlife and plant communities.
DNR inventory has identified species of threatened, endangered, or special concern; Timber Wolves, Trumpeter Swans nests in Beltrami County (protected specie), Bald Eagle nests, Bog Adders Mouth (endangered specie in Iron Springs Bog in Clearwater County), Hump Bladderwort (rare), Ramshead Orchid (a threatened specie in Hubbard County), and two mussels of concern; the Creek Heel Splitter and Black Sand Shell Mussels. Clustered Burr Reed is rare specie found here. A geologic feature unique to this area and is the LaSalle Tunnel Valley. The prolific wetlands here are home to a plethora of wetland species like the Virginia rail, which is of special concern and a wide variety of ducks and other waterfowl.
When I pause in my canoe while adrift on the river, I cannot help but think of the great Ojibwe Chiefs or famed fur traders that preceded me here. Names forever connected the river like Esh-ke-bug-e-coshe, Hole-in-the-Day, OzaWindib, Zebulon Pike, Lewis Cass, George Bonga, and H. R. Schoolcraft. It is on such occasions that I realize how lucky we are to have such opportunities so easily accessible and requiring no travel permits or reservations to access.
“…the point where days are governed by daylight and dark, rather than by schedules, where one eats if hungry and sleeps when tired, and becomes immersed in the ancient rhythms, then one begins to live.” Sigurd Olson
READER COMMENTS:
"I would like to second the comments made by Barry, this is a true wonder. I live by this great river a couple hundred miles south. The only thing that makes it the same is the water that passes. The Headwaters is a special place and should be taken at least once by anyone who appreciates a unspoiled river experience." - Rob Bullis
“The mist was all gone from the river now and the rapids sparkled and sang. They were still young as the land was young. We were there to enjoy it, and the great machines seemed far away.”…Sigurd Olson
Many people living in north central Minnesota do not realize that this is “Headwaters Country.” Some wonderfully wild and remote rivers exist in our backyards, waiting for us to experience them. There are so many terrific rivers here that entire books have been dedicated to the topic. So, with this limited space, I will highlight my favorite, the “Headwaters of the Mississippi,” which is the first forty river miles– from its source at Lake Itasca to the “Iron Bridge” at Beltrami County Road 7.
There is a well-kept secret in North Central Minnesota. This first forty miles is the last remaining wilderness on the infant Mississippi. Many people feel they have to drive great distances to get that wilderness experience - not so!
It is with some trepidation that I speak of this relatively unknown stretch of river lest it become too well known but pondering this question, I think the best way to protect it, is for people to experience it. How could anyone spending time on this river, not love it? It truly is a treasure to have this section of river so accessible, where we and our children can experience what Headwaters Country was like a hundred years ago - a museum piece of wilderness on the mighty Mississippi.
Nearly all of this first forty miles of river lies within Mississippi Headwaters State Forest. The state forest is fragmented with county administered land (Beltrami, Hubbard, & Clearwater) and some private land.
This infant Mississippi is not an easy river to traverse. There are some lengthy stretches of rocky riffles that can challenge any paddler in high water and create obstacles when in low water - and three large wetlands where even the most experienced wilderness traveler can find one’s self lost. The river alternates between these straight fast segments of river within boreal forests of pine and fir and vast open marshlands of bog, fen, cane grass, cattails, and wild rice where the channel can completely disappear.
One of these segments of riffles is three and a half miles in length and commences below Vekin’s Dam, where there is a portage around this picturesque falls and another is sixteen miles downstream at Stumphges Rapids, through one of the most beautiful stretches of river anywhere. The immense and infamous Rice Lake Bog or Ma-no-min Bog is downstream, between Pine Point campsite and the Iron Bridge campsite. The straight line distance here, is slightly more than three miles but by paddle this meandering maze is closer to ten.
As the emergent vegetation develops in summer in this large wetland, any semblance of a channel disappears. It’s best to tackle this tricky wetland early in the year before the vegetation gets too high. A note of caution to first time visitors to the Rice Lake Bog, when loosing the channel, stay away from the cattails and cane grass – stick to the rice as here you’ll find water you can get a canoe through. Many an experienced paddler has had to turn back. It is unwise to try crossing this bog late in the day, as you may find yourself sleeping in your canoe in mosquito heaven.
Do not expect canoeing these forty miles to be a cakewalk. There will be difficulties along the way but this will add to the adventure. A Minnesota State DNR Canoe map or a map from the Mississippi Headwaters Board will be helpful. More info can be obtained from the Headwaters Canoe Club by emailing headwaterscanoeclub@yahoo.com
Many specific sites and camps along this stretch of river have names that resonate with the human history of the river: Coffee Pot, Bear Den, Fox Trap, and Pine Point. Here, a long history of American Indian cultures thrived and thought of this great river as sacred. These people preceded whites by 12,000 years in Headwaters Country. We are relative newcomers as evident at the Itasca Bison Kill Site whose age is 7,000 to 8,000 years old.
The infant river abounds with diverse and unique wildlife and plant communities.
DNR inventory has identified species of threatened, endangered, or special concern; Timber Wolves, Trumpeter Swans nests in Beltrami County (protected specie), Bald Eagle nests, Bog Adders Mouth (endangered specie in Iron Springs Bog in Clearwater County), Hump Bladderwort (rare), Ramshead Orchid (a threatened specie in Hubbard County), and two mussels of concern; the Creek Heel Splitter and Black Sand Shell Mussels. Clustered Burr Reed is rare specie found here. A geologic feature unique to this area and is the LaSalle Tunnel Valley. The prolific wetlands here are home to a plethora of wetland species like the Virginia rail, which is of special concern and a wide variety of ducks and other waterfowl.
When I pause in my canoe while adrift on the river, I cannot help but think of the great Ojibwe Chiefs or famed fur traders that preceded me here. Names forever connected the river like Esh-ke-bug-e-coshe, Hole-in-the-Day, OzaWindib, Zebulon Pike, Lewis Cass, George Bonga, and H. R. Schoolcraft. It is on such occasions that I realize how lucky we are to have such opportunities so easily accessible and requiring no travel permits or reservations to access.“…the point where days are governed by daylight and dark, rather than by schedules, where one eats if hungry and sleeps when tired, and becomes immersed in the ancient rhythms, then one begins to live.” Sigurd Olson
READER COMMENTS:
"I would like to second the comments made by Barry, this is a true wonder. I live by this great river a couple hundred miles south. The only thing that makes it the same is the water that passes. The Headwaters is a special place and should be taken at least once by anyone who appreciates a unspoiled river experience." - Rob Bullis
posted by Katie Carter at
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