Itasca State Park Backcountry: Hernando DeSoto Lake

Itasca State Park (near Park Rapids)

Itasca State Park is best known for the Mississippi River headwaters, but it also has a backcountry. Explore Minnesota counts 11 rustic hike-in sites in the park, between 1 and 5 miles from a trailhead.

The two sites on Hernando DeSoto Lake, near the park’s southern boundary, are the classic overnight. They sit on a bluff above the northeast shore, with no road access, and the North Country National Scenic Trail passes nearby.

The hike

There are two common ways in, according to a sponsored article on dglobe.com (undated; photos suggest 2024). The shorter one starts at the North Country Trail parking area on County Highway 113, on the park’s south boundary: about 0.75 mile of connecting trail, then about 2 miles on the NCT, for roughly 2.75 miles to the lake. The longer one starts on Wilderness Drive and follows the DeSoto Trail about 4 miles. Paddlers can also portage about half a mile from the Highway 113 lot and paddle across the lake. A Dyrt reviewer also mentions starting from the NCT’s Gartner Farm trailhead.

Hiking Project lists the DeSoto Trail at 3.1 miles, running south from Wilderness Drive about 1.7 miles west of Douglas Lodge, and calls it “mostly a green tunnel” in summer that doesn’t pass close to any lakes. It meets the NCT at its south end, with the short McKay Lake Crossover along the way.

A 2010 North Country Trail Association report places the park’s DeSoto Lake campsite on a high bank on the far shore, about a quarter mile east of where the DeSoto-Morrison Lake portage trail meets the NCT. That summer, volunteers and park staff cleared hundreds of trees a tornado had dropped across the trail west of the lake. The writer noted that it “wasn’t a complete blowdown” and that old-growth white and red pines still line the NCT there.

The NCT crosses the whole park. A Minnesota Conservation Volunteer writer hiked about 10 miles across Itasca on it in 2013 and camped at DeSoto Lake, noting that except for one site in the far west, Itasca’s trailside sites require a paid permit.

Expect bugs. The NCTA crew reported mosquitoes, deer flies, and horse flies on the walk in, Hiking Project warns of ticks in late spring and early summer, and a 2024 Dyrt reviewer found the trail swampy and buggy. The sponsored article suggests late spring to early summer, before the worst of the insects.

Other backcountry sites sit on Deer Park Lake, reached by the Deer Park Trail from Douglas Lodge. A Dyrt ranger review describes site 11 on an isthmus between Coffee Break and Deer Park Lakes, near the Ozawindib Adirondack shelter, and Explore Minnesota points solitude-seekers to the solo site on McKay Lake.

Tips

Take the NCT from Highway 113 for the shortest hike, about 2.75 miles.
Bring a filter. There’s no potable water at the DeSoto Lake sites, and reviewers say reeds make the shoreline awkward.
Pack bug protection, especially from June through August.
Book early. Reviewers say summer weekends fill.
Display a state park vehicle permit at the trailhead.

Camping

Itasca’s backpack sites are reserved through the Minnesota state parks reservation system, online or at 866-857-2757, up to 120 days ahead. DNR rules say all state park campsites require a reservation, and each site is limited to one group of six or fewer. Check-in and checkout are at 4 p.m.

The Dyrt lists two sites on DeSoto Lake, 3 and 4. Reviewers describe fire rings with log seating, a picnic table at one site, and a shared three-walled pit toilet with no door. Reviewers and the sponsored article mention bear-proof food lockers; black bears and raccoons live in the park. Pets are allowed on a leash of six feet or less.

Inside Intel: Janet R. on The Dyrt (August 2020) calls the DeSoto Lake sites a “calm, serene, and beautiful retreat” with a Boundary Waters feel close to Bemidji and Park Rapids; she says the west site has room for several tents and the east site has the picnic table. Heather N. (July 2024) called it “a very nice spot, secluded and beautiful.”

Trail facts

Distance: About 5.5 miles round trip via the NCT; about 8 miles round trip via the DeSoto Trail
Route type: Out-and-back
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Campsites: Two on Hernando DeSoto Lake (3 and 4); 11 backcountry sites parkwide
Water: Filter lake water; no potable water at the sites
Permits: State park reservation; vehicle permit
Food storage: Food lockers reported at the sites
Dogs: Allowed on a 6-foot leash
Trailheads: NCT parking on County Highway 113 (south boundary); DeSoto Trail on Wilderness Drive
Last verified: October 8, 2026

The Lowdown

High-bank sites on DeSoto Lake:

The DeSoto Lake campsite sits on a high bank, and one reviewer says the west site has room for several tents. Our side-sleeper tips cover picking a flat spot and a wider pad.

Get the side-sleeper tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.