Itasca County and Chippewa National Forest Birding

Locations

Also check out my Species Specific Locations.

At the bottom of the page you will find my preferred times of year to visit each location.

1. Bass Brook WMA - Itasca

Bass Brook WMA is located between Grand Rapids and Cohasset on Hwy 2, 1.25 miles west of the intersection of CR 63 and Hwy 2. Park at Pokegama Dam Recreation Area on Hwy 2 at N 47* 15.056 W 93* 35.205 and walk across dam (easiest access) OR park on CR 63 at N 47* 14.579 W 93* 35.775 or N 47* 14.658 W 93* 35.909 and hike in on the trails.

This 300 acre wildlife management area is an excellent place to find migrating warblers in May. It is located along the Mississippi River and has a few miles of unmarked trails that are very easy to hike. The Bass Brook WMA includes several habitats—open marsh, riparian forest, young aspen, old oak-pine forest, black ash swamp, fir-spruce, and other components. The trails going either way from the dam that run along the river seem to be the most productive. During the winter, the gate at the dam may be locked. If this is the case you can only enter the WMA from CR 63.

2. Grand Rapids - Itasca

Most of the residential areas in Grand Rapids are quite forested with pines and hardwoods. There are a lot of planted crabapple and mountain ash trees as well. You could drive these residential areas in and around Grand Rapids for hours without seeing all the feeders. Two places worth trying if you bird Grand Rapids are Township Road B and Veteran’s Park. Township Road B runs north from Hwy 169 on the east side of town near Itasca Community College. This road runs along the Prairie River and there is an access where you can scan the river. Even though the road is less than a mile, there are birdhouses, fields, and unusual habitat due to the North Central Research Station plantings. You should find open country birds such as Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, Savannah and LeConte’s Sparrows here. If you drive west on 169 and turn down the main entrance to the college and follow the road all the way through the gate (which is closed in the winter), you will pass some apple trees and large pines and eventually end up at a small, dense spruce bog with a boardwalk. Even if the birding doesn’t turn out to be productive, at least you’ll learn the bog vegetation from the interpretive signs.

Veteran’s Park is located along the Mississippi River and Hwy 2. Take Hwy 2 southeast from Hwy 169 and turn west at the first stoplight. This entrance is closed during the winter. If it is closed, you can still continue on and turn left at the next stoplight on River Road and take the next left to the small parking lot where you can walk across the bridge. This park has some huge pines and is a great spot to scan the river and look for migrating warblers. The DNR headquarters across the Hwy 2 from Veteran’s Park often has Pine Warblers and winter finches in the huge pines and spruce out front.

There is a trail system near the high school west of Hwy 38 at the north end of town (last stoplights.) The airport in town has hosted a Northern Hawk Owl previously. Of course, there are also 6 lakes (McKinney, Ice, Hale, Forest, Lily, Blandin Reservoir) easily viewed from in town. There are also sewage ponds in Grand Rapids. The ponds are along River Road (CR 3), 1.1 miles SE of Airport Rd. Essentially they are directly across from 23rd Avenue SE.

3. Forest History Center - Itasca

The Forest History Center is a very accessible birding location, west of Grand Rapids on 76, .3 miles west of CR 23. There are several gentle trails that run through great habitats along the river. There are 3 overlooks along the river where waterfowl and eagles can be easily seen. There is a boardwalk going through a beaver pond with standing dead tamarack (there are even butternut trees here). I always enjoy the views and birds from the hillside overlooking the pond where they are considering placing an observation blind. There is an open meadow with several bluebird boxes. Also, every May the Forest History Center has a morning warbler walk; you can call them for the date. The Forest History Center website is http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/fhc/

4. County Road 446 area - Itasca

County Road 446 area actually refers to a cluster of gravel roads off of CR 10 between Trout Lake and Warba. There are a lot of roads here, but the best ones are 446, 434 (south of CR 10), 453, & 445. They cut primarily through pastures, spruce/tamarack bog, and river bottoms. CR 446 has locations for LeConte’s Sparrows and Sharp-tailed Grouse described in the “Species specific locations” page on this site. This is also a good road for winter finches, gray jays, Great Gray & Northern Hawk Owl, raptors, and open field birds.

During the spring it is also worth checking the fields on CR 10 about 1 mile north of CR 21. These fields routinely flood to provide a shorebird habitat that is almost nonexistent in this area. Coordinates to the best viewing area are N 47* 14.369 W 93* 22.213.

5. County Road 128 - Itasca

This county road actually starts out as CR 88 when it leaves Hwy 2 opposite of Hwy 6 west of Cohasset. The road ends 8 miles later (or begins if you prefer) in Deer River. CR 128 runs through pastures, bogs, and wooded areas. LeConte’s Sparrows can be found in the open meadows along the road. Northern Shrikes and raptors are common here, including some active Bald Eagle nests visible from the road.

The spruce bog on the corner 1.5 miles west of the 88 - 128 intersection is home to Gray Jays and there is a short trail you can walk back to the powerline that I often check. Keep an eye on the bird feeders on this road as well. There is another tamarack/spruce bog where 128 and 144 intersect as well.

There are sewage ponds 1 mile east of Deer River on CR 128, 1/2 mile north on an access road. I have not been back to the ponds due to the gate at the south end of the road.

6. White Oak Lake – Itasca, Chippewa National Forest

White Oak Lake is located in Zemple, just south of Deer River. The best way to access the lake is to take Cr 139 south (CR 139 is just east of Deer River) and follow it around the 90 degree bend to the east until you reach the White Oak access road. From the access, scan for waterfowl, shorebirds, eagles, and pelicans. White Oak offers the best birding during migration.

7. Island Lake Hatchery Pond – Itasca, Chippewa National Forest

The Island Lake Hatchery Pond can be accessed from the north end on a road that runs along the pond that runs east off of CR 46, 3/4 mile south of CR 28. About ¼ mile south of that road, there is another road to the east that ends at another place to scan the pond. The pond is good for waterfowl, some shorebirds, and passerines in the shrubby areas around the pond.

8. Alder Road (CR 253) – Itasca, Chippewa National Forest

Alder Road is located southwest of Marcell. It can be accessed via CR 262 or CR 48. This road cuts through lots of woods, bogs, sedge meadow, and crosses a couple of rivers. The habitat is good for winter finches, owls, and woodpeckers. During the warm months, birds like Sedge Wrens are common. The best-known spot on this road is consistent for Boreal Chickadees and is described on the “Species specific locations” page of this site. There are probably Connecticut Warblers and Olive-sided Flycatchers here in the summer as well. I have found Black-billed Cuckoos near the Bowstring River bridge on Alder Rd and less than a ½ mile downstream from the bridge I have found Olive-sided Flycatchers while canoeing. If you are birding Alder Road from south to north, you may as well continue in the good habitat by continuing past 243 and 262, at which point you’ll be on Mac Road until you reach Hwy 6.

9. Little White Oak Lake – Itasca

The access to Little White Oak is located on the west side of Itasca CR 11, 3.6 miles south of Hwy 2 between Cohasset and Deer River. To really get a look at the birds on this lake, you need to walk down the short ditchbank from the access. It’s fairly manageable, but you’ll want good footwear and dry conditions. From here, you should be able to find shorebirds and waterfowl in migration hanging out near the mudflats as well as wrens and sparrows in the sedge.

10. Winnibigoshish Lake – Itasca, Chippewa National Forest

Winnibigoshish Lake is huge and well worth birding, especially during migration when a number of rarities have been discovered. Vantage points on Winnibigoshish are well described in “A Birder’s Guide to Minnesota”:

Itasca County

• Plug Hat Point campground and public access is reached by turning north off County Road 9, just east of the dam on the Mississippi River

• To reach another public access, go east on 9 to Highway 46, north on 46 for 4 miles, then west on County Road 148; in a half mile, follow the left fork to the lake.

• And on the west side of the lake is the Winnie campground / public access, but you’ll need a county or national forest map to follow the directions: go west off Highway 46 on County Road 33, after several miles go south on Forest Road 2171, then east on Forest Road 2168 to the lake.

Cass County

• On County Road 9, by the dam on the Mississippi River outlet at the Itasca county line; also note the fish hatchery ponds below the dam.

• At the Birches public access: watch for the sign on Forest Road 2163, which turns north off County Road 9, 3.5 miles southwest of the dam.

• From the nearby Tamarack Point campground and public access at the end of Forest Road 2163.

• In Bena: turn north off Highway 2 to the campground on the east edge of town.

• At Richard’s Townsite campground and public access west of Bena: turn north off Highway 2 on County Road 91 / West Winnie Road, 2.7 miles west of Bena, go 0.2 mile, and turn right at the sign on Forest Road 2074.

• And at the public access about 5 miles farther up West Winnie Road.

11. Mud Goose WMA – Chippewa National Forest

Mud Goose WMA can be accessed from a number of locations. You can head west about 1.5 miles out of Ball Club on Hwy 2 until you reach 2171 going south—2171 loops back to Hwy 2 near Six Mile Lake. This road is nearly 20 miles long and much of it runs along the north end of Mud Goose WMA. You should be able to find plenty of warblers in the woods as well as ducks and marsh birds in the numerous wetlands. There is also a public access to Goose Lake just down an access road from Cass CR 65. This access road gives you great views of fields, ditchbanks, and deciduous woods and you can scan Goose Lake from the access itself. There are also some wet trails you can walk here.

The best place to view the birds at this WMA would be to take CR 3 to CR 139 and bird it in a loop that would include the Mud Lake access, several overlooks, a managed sedge meadow, the Leech River, the Leech River Dam, and some woods. If you have time, you can walk the trail going south from the Mud Lake access. These habitats along the CR 139 section of Mud Lake could be good for nearly any species of water bird. Lots of forest birds can be found in the area as well. If you’re looking for just one spot to bird easily where you can achieve a high diversity of species including waterfowl, shorebirds, pelicans, raptors, gulls, and terns, this is the place to check.

12. Scenic State Park – Itasca

I have actually birded this park very little, mostly because I do not have a vehicle sticker. However, Kim Eckert has been gracious enough to allow me to use accounts from his book, “A Birder’s Guide to Minnesota”.

“…Spruce Grouse have been seen several times over the years along the old road which leads to the fire observation tower in the northern part of the park. This road is currently open to vehicle access before Memorial Day Weekend and after Labor Day, and the best grouse area is reportedly east of the tower, more than 2 miles up the road. There have even been nesting records for Three-toed Woodpecker, though a Black-backed would be more likely.”

13. Morph Meadows WMA – Itasca, Chippewa National Forest

From intersection of CSAH 39 and Birchmont Beach Road, go 2.7 miles east on Birchmont Beach Road, then 6.2 miles south and east on USFS Road 2204, then 2.8 miles north on USFS Road 2671 (Third River Road) to entrance of WMA. Go 1.7 miles W to parking lot.

A 5,000-acre complex of sedge meadows, lowland brush, shallow water ponds, and scattered upland forest, Morph Meadows is worth birding for hooded mergansers, ring-necked ducks, trumpeter swans, olive-sided flycatchers, sandhill cranes, and marsh birds.

Management includes periodic prescribed burns, shearing of lowland brush, manipulation of water levels (drawdown in 2002), duck boxes in impoundment, aspen harvest on uplands.

14. Winnibigoshish Fish and Wildlife Management area –Chippewa National Forest

Also known as the “Winnie Ponds”, this area includes hiking trails and an observation deck that rises above the old hatchery ponds. These ponds are kept at various levels, from open water to shallow cattail marsh. Surrounded by woods and planted conifers and right across the road from Lake Winnibigoshish, I would guess that nearly anything is possible here. This is one of my favorite spots to try for American Bittern, Black Tern, and Yellow-headed Blackbird. The observation deck often has whitewash and pellets on it, indicating that it is used as a perch by owls and/or raptors. The Winnie Ponds are right across CR 9 from Big Winnie, just south of the dam that separates Itasca and Cass counties.

15. Boy River – Chippewa National Forest

About 5 miles south of the town of Federal Dam on Cass CR 8, the Boy River crosses near the intersection of CRs 4 & 8. The wide swath of marsh here is home to Yellow Rails, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows, and other marsh birds—most easily found during low-light hours. This marshy habitat can also be found on the north end of Federal Dam.

16. Blackwater Lake – Itasca

Blackwater Lake is the name of the wide area of Mississippi River where it passes through the Minnesota Power and Light plant in Cohasset. Here the water is heated so unlike nearly every other lake and river in Itasca County, it stays open year round. During most late winter/early spring periods in Itasca, Blackwater Lake is the only sizable open water in the county. Check here December through April for concentrated waterfowl and overwintering birds like kingfishers and herons. You can scan the water from the bridge just south of the SA station in Cohasset as well as from several streets in town. If there aren’t a lot of fishermen, you can check the boat ramp by MP&L (just follow the smokestacks) and walk along the fence that runs along the river until you get to the spillway where waterfowl often stay. I often find Northern Shrikes along the MP&L fence as well. If you can get the plant to let you through the gate, the ash ponds in back are good for waterfowl as well.

17. Sewage Ponds – Itasca, Chippewa National Forest

Grand Rapids - along River Road (CR 3), 1.1 miles SE of Airport Rd. Essentially they are directly across from 23rd Avenue SE.

Bigfork - .1 miles northeast of the hospital

Deer River - 1 mile east on CR 128, 1/2 mile north on an access road (would only be accessible on foot).

Nashwauk – Access road runs south off of Hwy 169, 1.9 miles east of Hwy 65. I called the city and they were OK with me going through the first gate to view the ponds.

Warba - .2 miles east of Hwy 2 on CR 10

Longville – .2 miles east of 84 on FR 2309

Remer – Turn south at the smaller gas station and follow the gravel road on the edge of town until just before the Soo Line Trail crosses. You can view the ponds from the gate or walk down the Soo Line and watch from there.

Walker – 2 miles south of Hwy 200 on CR 34, then east .6 miles

Top Birding Lakes in Itasca County

My Preferred Times For Each Location