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Other stories in "Winter fun"

• North Shore by snowshoe
  In winter, hikers find serenity and stark beauty on trails above Lake Superior.
• Waterfalls by snowshoe
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• Ice capers
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• Great places to snowshoe
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• Great winter festivals
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• Seeking an outdoor hot tub
  It's just the thing on a cold winter day, but only a few resorts and inns have one.
• Ice caves of the Apostles
  Near Cornucopia, people wait for the window into a crystalline world to open.
• The coolest days of winter
  Ditch the indoors to watch ski-jumpers, dog-mushers and snow-sculptors.
• Dog days of winter
  Deep in a forest, novice mushers tag along with some huskies.
• Chasing the Beargrease
  On the North Shore, the grueling sled-dog race enthralls onlookers.
• Snow asylum
  In northeast Wisconsin, a family resort stays on top of the heap.
• Staying snug in winter
  With the right clothes, winter is a breeze.
• Playground in the woods
  At Deep Portage, adults take a tip from the kids.

Itasca in winter

From cozy hostel, guests ski out the door onto park trails.

In winter, only the most dedicated pilgrims make the trip to Itasca, Minnesota's most revered state park.

Yet the park is beautiful without its forest canopy. It's easy to see its bones, the lumpy quilt of knobs and kettles laid down by retreating glaciers. It's easy to see the 300-year-old pines that escaped loggers. And it's easier to listen — to the sassy chatter of a squirrel, the prehistoric croak of a crow, the rat-a-tat of a woodpecker.

In winter, the park grooms 32 kilometers of trails for classic and skate skiing. On the trails, skiers see the legacy of Jacob Brower, the far-sighted surveyor who, in 1891, used his own salary to start piecing together the state's first state park.

After New Year's, I drove up to the park with my daughter, my niece and my snow-starved sister from Florida. Before darkness fell, we skied along the lake to the headwaters, where the Mississippi begins its run to the Gulf of Mexico. The little clearing, packed with tourists in summer, was so quiet our clicking skis seemed to echo.

Our lodgings were just up from the trail. The log Mississippi Headwaters Hostel occupies the 1923 former park headquarters, and just last month, it got a face lift — new leather chairs, Mission-style benches, window treatments, carpeting, refinished floors, a second oven. Temporary manager Nancy Ludwig said it's been in demand by ice fishermen as well as skiers and snowshoers.

"They want to be more comfortable than they used to be,'' she said.

After dinner, we made a beeline for the cozy fireplace room, where we drank wine and played Cranium; before going to bed, we went outside to see the stars in an inky sky. We settled in front of the fire after breakfast, too, but finally pulled ourselves away to ski the trails south of the the visitors center.

Ozawindib Trail, named for the Ojibwe guide who led Henry Schoolcraft to the  headwaters, forms the spine of the network. It was too hilly for Lynn, my flatlander sister, so she headed back to the lake trail and the visitor center's hot cocoa and gas fireplaces.

I skied to Deer Park Trail, where the tiny islands of Deer Park Lake were top-heavy with pines that reach eight stories into blue sky. A bark rang out in the distance, a dog or one of Itasca's own pack of wolves. The terrain rose and fell under my skis as I crossed back to Ozawindib Trail; at Itasca, the hardwood and pine forest makes a last stand before flattening into prairie.

The third day, we skied along the lake and through the campground, and Lynn found her snow legs.

"I was a totally clumsy klutz, and then I was flying,'' she marveled. "This is a unique experience for anyone, even if they're not from Florida.''

She was the first person to write in the brand-new guest book: "What a cold and refreshing change from Florida!''

In Itasca, winter is everything it's cracked up to be.

Trip Tips: Winter in Itasca

Getting there: The fastest route from the Twin Cities is I-94 to the Clearwater exit, U.S. 10 to Motley, Minnesota 64 to 200 and Minnesota 200/U.S. 71 west to the park. It takes a little more than four hours in good conditions.

Mississippi Headwaters Hostel, Itasca State Park: This comfortable hostel occupies the former park headquarters just off Lake Itasca, across from the canoe landing and sports rental. In winter, skiers can ski from the hostel right onto a groomed trail, and ice fishermen can walk to the lake.

It has six bedrooms with 31 beds, five common rooms, three bedrooms and a large, well-designed kitchen. The 18-bed "quiet wing'' has its own skylit sitting area with games and books. Cost is $23-$27 per person, $10-$12 for children younger than 14, and $20-$24 for members of Hostelling International and nonprofit groups of 10 or more. It's open weekends only until June.

There are no private rooms. Bring bedding, towels, hand soap and food. Pick up milk and other perishables at the Blue Ox grocery in Akeley. Guests are expected to clean up before they leave. Reserve as early as possible at 218-266-3415, www.himinnesota.org.

Other accommodations: Near Douglas Lodge, the new Itasca Suites occupy two buildings that sit on either side of a large asphalt parking lot. There's no view, but the suites are attractively furnished, and they have kitchenettes, satellite televisions, phones and computer hookups, $132. Reserve at 866-857-2757, www.stayatmnparks.com.

A mile from the headwaters, on Wilderness Drive, Bert's Cabins is a private resort in a lovely grove of red pines. Its 12 housekeeping log cabins are very well-kept, and five deluxe cabins have wood stoves and are open in winter. Rates are $103-$140 in January and February. Call 1-218-266-3312, www.bertscabins.com.

Skiing: A Minnesota ski pass is required, $5 daily, $15 annual. The visitors center sells daily passes.

Snowshoeing: The park rents snowshoes, $5 for a half-day. The 3.2-kilometer Dr. Roberts Trail and 3.1-kilometer Mary Lake Trail near Douglas Lodge and 1.8-kilometer Schoolcraft Trail near the Headwaters are groomed for snowshoeing.

Last updated on October 26, 2008