Itasca State Park will offer numerous activities throughout June. All the events throughout the rest of the month are listed below.
Itasca’s Music Under the Pines Series for June
Itasca’s Music Under the Pines: Don Holmen
Sunday, June 14, 2026, from 6:00-7:30 a.m.
Meet at the Lake Itasca Amphitheater
LIVE MUSIC at the Lake Itasca Amphitheater!
This is an outdoor event. The amphitheater is in the picnic area near the swimming beach and playground. Seating is provided. Dogs on leashes welcome. In case of rain, this event will move to the Forest Inn.
The Music Under the Pines summer concert series is sponsored in partnership with the Friends of Itasca State Park.
Itasca’s Music Under the Pines: Park Rapids Area Community Band
Sunday, June 28, 2026, from 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Meet on the grassy lawn in front of Douglas Lodge
The Park Rapids Area Community Band formed in 1991 and has played concerts in Itasca State Park for more than 15 years! Around 50 band members from Park Rapids, Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, Hawley, Fargo, Perham, New York Mills, and Menahga (to name a few), generously share their time, talents, and love of music with local communities throughout the year. Their classic concert band repertoire includes marches, overtures, and patriotic tunes.
This is an outdoor event. The concert will be held on the lawn in front of Douglas Lodge. No seating is provided so bring your own lawn chair or blanket. Pets on leashes welcome. If it rains, this event will move to the Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center.
The Music Under the Pines summer concert series is sponsored in partnership with the Friends of Itasca State Park. The Friends will host an ice cream social at this event.
June Nature of Science Series and Water Wise Talks
Waterwise Science Talk: Investing with Your Heart: Understanding and Caring for Minnesota’s Lakes
Monday, June 15, 2026, from 7-8 p.m.
Meet at the Biome Center, University of Minnesota- Itasca Biological Station (along Main Park Drive).
Join the Itasca Biological Station for this public seminar to hear from Dr. Jake Walsh, Assistant Professor in Fisheries Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Walsh will share about his research partnerships with State, local, and Tribal governments and local citizen groups to better understand and manage our valuable lakes.
Nature of Science: Unraveling the Mysteries of Monarchs
Tuesday, June 30, 2026, from 1-2 p.m.
Meet at the Biome Center, University of Minnesota- Itasca Biological Station (along Main Park Drive, watch for signs)
Ever wonder how science helps us understand nature? Tag along with a scientist! Monarchs are one of the most loved insects in the United States — and rightly so given their amazing migration and fascinating biology. But they have been in a steep decline over the last two decades. Why are they declining and what can we do about it? Join UMN researcher Dr. Emilie Snell-Rood to discuss recent research, open questions, and things you can observe in your own backyard to contribute to monarch science.
This program is coordinated by the University of Minnesota’s Itasca Biological Station and Itasca State Park.
We Are Water Minnesota Exhibit and Opening Event
We Are Water Minnesota Exhibit
June 18-August 10, 2026
Daily Exhibit hours, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Lakeside Museum
The We Are Water MN traveling exhibit examines water through personal stories, histories, and scientific information. Explore the interconnected role of water in recreation, culture, community, natural resource management, agriculture, and our everyday lives. Discover the significance of water at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park and learn what you can do as a water caretaker.
This self-guided exhibit includes interactive activities and content suitable for all ages. Watch for water-themed programs and events happening all summer long at Itasca State Park and the University of Minnesota, Itasca Biological Station!
We Are Water MN is a project of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Humanities Center in partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society; the Board of Water and Soil Resources; the Minnesota Departments of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources; and University of Minnesota Extension. The We Are Water MN Itasca exhibit is hosted by Minnesota DNR Parks and Trails, Itasca State Park and the University of Minnesota, Itasca Biological Station.
We Are Water Minnesota Opening Event Thursday, June 18
Incredible Journey: Water’s Wild Ride Through the Water Cycle
Thursday, June 18, 2026, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meet at the campfire circle outside the Lakeside Museum in the picnic grounds (in between Lake Itasca and the picnic shelter)
Imagine being a water droplet as it moves through Earth’s systems! Come and discover the complex pathways that water follows on its journey through the water cycle. Through movement, role-play, and reflection, participants will explore how water changes form and travels through the atmosphere, land, and living things.
This come and go program is family-friendly and is part of the “We are Water” traveling exhibit located inside the Lakeside Museum. Check out the exhibit from June 18-August 10, 2026.
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Picnic in the Park
Bring your own picnic lunch to enjoy during the opening activities.
Noon-1 p.m.: Ice Cream Social
Thursday, June 18
Meet by the Lakeside Museum
Enjoy a sweet treat to help celebrate water! Friends of Itasca are sponsoring the ice cream social. Ice cream is available while supply lasts.
Water Encounters: Water Blessing
Thursday, June 18, 1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Meet at the campfire circle outside the Lakeside Museum in the picnic grounds (in between Lake Itasca and the picnic shelter)
Animikii Graves will perform songs in English and Ojibwe on drum and flute, leading us in an exploration of connections between water, nature, gratitude, and tradition. Water songs will honor the important relationship between women and water in Ojibwe teachings. The program will conclude with a Miigwech (“thank you” in Ojibwemowin) Season ceremony to express gratitude for the gifts of the seasons, as we shift from spring into summer. There will be time for audience questions and conversation about these Anishinaabe teachings.
Notes: seating is limited, consider bringing your camp chair. In the event of rain, presentation will be held inside the Lakeside Museum or under the picnic shelter by the museum.
This event is part of the We Are Water Minnesota, travelling exhibit at Itasca, coordinated by the University of Minnesota’s Itasca Biological Station and Itasca State Park.
Naturalist Programs June 14—30
Wildflower Walk
Sunday, June 14, 2026, from 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Meet outside Forest Inn (across from Douglas Lodge)
Join a park naturalist in search of wildflowers on this short walk through the Itasca forest. Depending on June weather, we hope to find the showy lady’s slipper. What to bring: insect repellant and your camera.
A Site for the Ages: The Douglas Lodge Area
Monday, June 15, 2026, from 1-2 p.m
Monday, June 22, 2026, from 1-2 p.m.
Monday, June 29, 2026, from 1-2 p.m.
Meet in the Douglas Lodge Lobby.
Once proclaimed a “jewel set in mud,” Douglas Lodge is a point of pride in Itasca State Park and is Itasca’s oldest surviving structure. Join us on a walking tour around Douglas Lodge and its surroundings to learn more about this “jewel” and how the park developed the “mud” surrounding it into a hotspot of activity. Walk will be about one-third mile in length.
Old Timer’s Cabin and the Civilian Conservation Corps
Monday, June 15, 2026, from 1:30-3:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 1:30-3 p.m.
Monday, June 22, 2026, from 1:30-3 p.m.
Monday, June 29, 2026, from 1:30-3 p.m.
Held at the Old Timer’s Cabin, located along the boardwalk of Dr. Roberts Trail, below Douglas Lodge, (come and go at your leisure)
Only 4 (massive) logs tall, learn more about this Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed building as well as what life was like in the CCC. Feel free to stop by at your leisure.
Archery in the Parks
Wednesday, June 17, 2026, from 6:30-8 p.m.
Meet in the back lot of the North Picnic Grounds/Burial Mounds Parking Area
Archery in the Parks is hands-on instruction shooting a bow and arrow from certified instructors in a safe and supportive environment. Aim for a family adventure with kid-friendly equipment designed for beginners aged 8 and older. Children aged 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Personal archery equipment is not allowed. All archery programs are free with a Minnesota State Parks vehicle entrance permit.
This is a come and go program. Participants will be outside for the program. Be prepared to stand in the sun. Bring along sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, insect repellant and water. Program cancelled if it rains.
All About Loons, Campfire
Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 7-7:30 p.m.
Meet by the council ring outside the Lakeside Museum in the picnic grounds (In between Lake Itasca and the picnic shelter).
WooOOoo! Wail, tremolo, yodel, and hoot – come learn all about loons! We will learn fun facts, cool calls, and amazing adaptations of loons! Make sure to bring smores fixings for our campfire!
Outdoor Kids Series
Sunday, June 21, 2026, from 1-2:30 p.m.—Fish Painting
Meet by the Swim Beach/ Playground (at the south end of the picnic grounds on Lake Itasca; come-and-go at your leisure)
Kids of all ages come out and explore nature at your leisure. This program series allows kids to connect with nature through hands-on activities that focus on life around the lake. Have fun discovering Itasca while hanging out at the swimming beach or playground.
Itasca History Walk
Sunday, June 21, 2026, from 5-6 p.m.
Meet at the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center.
Calling all history buffs! Join our walk as we talk about the history of Itasca State Park from the glaciers that shaped the landscape to the people that lived within Itasca and the early years of our beloved park. Highlights on this walk include the replica of Wegmann’s Store, the old logging sled, and the Mississippi Headwaters!
A Site for the Ages: The Picnic Grounds
Tuesday, June 23, 2026, from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, June 30, 2026, from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Meet at the Lakeside Museum in the Picnic Grounds
Have you ever had a picnic in Itasca State Park’s picnic grounds and wondered who had eaten a meal in the same place? What would their view have been? Who would they have seen? What kinds of activities could they have done nearby after lunch? Come along on a hike through this area to visualize and learn more about the buildings both past and present, the previous residents, and how the area came to be the picnic grounds.
Feel free to bring a lunch to enjoy after the program’s conclusion in this historically rich area.
Woods and Wildflower Walk
Wednesday, June 24, 2026, from 10:30-11 a.m.
Meet outside Douglas Lodge.
Interested in the plants of Itasca State Park? Join us on a short walk to see what wildflowers are blooming along with the trees around them. We will be walking along the Dr. Roberts Trail, a trail noted for its variety of plants and bog boardwalk!
Five Facts in Five Minutes Series
Near the Mississippi Headwaters (under the porch of the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center if rain.)
Only have a minute to learn about Itasca State Park? Check out a unique feature at the naturalist station as you visit the Headwaters of the Mississippi River.
Wednesday, June 24, 2026, from 2-3:30 p.m.—Eagles
Sunday, June 28, 2026, from 1:30-3:00 p.m.—Minnesota State Symbols
Storytime in Nature- Butterflies, Dragonflies, and Ladybugs!
Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 11-11:30 a.m.
Meet by the campfire circle outside the Lakeside Museum in the picnic grounds (In between Lake Itasca and the picnic shelter)
Kids, do you like to read stories about nature and the outdoors? Join a naturalist volunteer as we enjoy reading stories outside. After the story, have fun making a craft together that you can take home. NOTES: Adults must accompany children.
Mississippi Headwaters Mysteries Walk
Friday, June 26, 2026, from 10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Meet at the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center.
Did you ever wonder: How did Lake Itasca get its name? Have those rocks always been there? Does the river ever freeze? Discover the answer to these mysteries about the Mississippi River and Lake Itasca as we walk to the headwaters.
Jr. Naturalist: Birds!
Friday, June 26, 2026, from 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Meet at the Lake Itasca Amphitheater in the picnic grounds.
Kids, come learn all about birds! From cool feathers to colors and sounds, so many fun things to explore about birds. We’ll take a short walk to see what birds we can find!
Trees of Itasca, Walk
Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Meet at the campfire circle by the Lakeside Museum in the picnic grounds.
Interested in learning about the trees of Itasca? Join the naturalist for a talk and short walk as we discover some trees and how to identify them.
Wellness by Water: Watercolor Painting in Nature
Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Meet at the picnic shelter in the picnic grounds.
Let’s get creative! Come paint next to Lake Itasca and become inspired by the beauty of Itasca State Park. Enjoy the benefits of being outside with our Wellness by Water program.
All About Beavers, Campfire
Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 7-7:30 p.m.
Meet at the campfire circle next to the Lakeside Museum in the picnic grounds.
Did you know beaver’s teeth never stop growing? That’s why they need to gnaw on wood! Come learn even more fun facts about busy beavers at our campfire! Bring some s’mores fixings to make over the fire!
