Activities

Boating

Whether your choice of craft is a kayak, canoe, sailboat, tour boat, houseboat, or power boat, with nearly 84,000 acres of water (approximately 40% of the Park’s surface area) Voyageurs National Park is truly a boater’s paradise. The four “big lakes” offer opportunities to explore 655 miles of undeveloped shoreline, including numerous back bays and over 1,000 islands, and plenty of open water. Visitors seeking more solitude can paddle the inland lakes of the Kabetogama Peninsula, accessible from Rainy and Kabetogama Lakes by trails and portages. The boating season at Voyageurs typically runs from mid-Spring through mid-Fall, when the lake ices over until the following spring.

Kayak/Canoe

Voyageurs National Park is considered to have some of the best sea kayaking and canoeing in the country with opportunities for all skill levels. Although the major lakes are shared with power boats, the area is large enough that paddlers can avoid the traffic and still find plenty of solitude. At several interior lakes, the park service provides canoes or rowboats for a small fee to those who want the experience without the portage.

Fishing/Ice Fishing

Voyageurs National Park provides excellent fishing opportunities throughout the year. The lakes are known to have over 50 different species of fish, including lake sturgeon, walleye, northern pike, black crappie, and smallmouth bass. Many believe these waters have some of the best walleye fishing in the country (if not the world) and some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in Minnesota. A Minnesota fishing license is required.

Swimming

There’s little that is more refreshing than plunging into the crisp, clear waters of Voyageurs National Park, especially on the hottest summer days. The 84,000 acres of water cover in the Park offer plenty of swimming opportunities. Due to their smaller size, the inland lakes get a little warmer during the summer than the four big lakes, but a few of the islands on the big lakes do have some great sandy shore beaches.

Birding

Voyageurs National Park is a premier site for birding. The Park’s richly varied ecosystem supports some of the greatest diversity of bird life in North America with over 240 species, including bald eagles, loons, cormorants, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, osprey, white pelicans, and a myriad of songbirds. Each spring the Park hosts a 3-day “Birder’s Rendezvous” with opportunities to view birds during hikes, cruises, and canoe trips. To enjoy birds in any season, bring your binoculars and pick up a copy of Birds of Voyageurs National Park, produced by the Voyageurs National Park Association and published by the University of Minnesota Press.

* During your stay at the Park it is important to remember that you are the visitor. Please view all wildlife from a safe distance so as not to disturb them. Using binoculars, a spotting scope, or a telephoto camera lens will help you view animals “close up” without affecting their behavior.

Wildlife Watching

The combination of forest, bog, and lake environments at Voyageurs National Park provides a wealth of habitats where a diversity of wildlife flourishes. Listen carefully on a quiet night and you may hear the cry of a loon, the howl of a wolf, or the hoot of an owl. Wander in the forest after a freshly fallen snow and you might discover the tracks of fisher, mink, coyote, and possibly even moose and lynx. Focus your binoculars on the sky to see soaring bald eagles and osprey and on the trees to glimpse colorful and elusive warblers. The Park is either home or temporary host to over 240 different species of birds, 42 species of mammals, 10 species of reptiles and amphibians, 53 species of fish, and numerous invertebrates. Voyageurs is one of only two national parks in the continental U.S. that has indigenous populations of wolf.

* During your stay at the Park it is important to remember that you are the visitor. Please view all wildlife from a safe distance so as not to disturb them. Using binoculars, a spotting scope, or a telephoto camera lens will help you view animals “close up” without affecting their behavior.

Backpacking/Hiking/Nature Walks

Discover the tranquility of the Voyageurs National Park landscape as you meander through rolling hills and rocky cliffs, and around bogs, beaver ponds, swamps, and idyllic lakes. With fewer than 10 miles of roads in the Park, exploring the inland of Voyageurs demands travel by foot. Walking the Park offers exceptional solitude, a greater chance for spotting wildlife, and an opportunity to experience the landscape up close. Backpacking along the 24-mile long Kab-Ash Trail on the mainland or the more remote interior trails of the Kabetogama Peninsula can provide an unforgettable experience. For the day-hiker, Voyageurs has trails both short and long, and easy to more difficult. The Park also periodically offers guided, interpretive hikes (check at the visitors centers). The changing leaves make autumn a particularly enjoyable time to hike the Park. Some trails are only accessible by boat (check with area businesses for water taxi service), although many begin a short distance from one of the three visitors centers.

Snowmobiling

Experience expansive vistas while traveling over 110 miles of snowmobile trails maintained by the Park. Voyageurs National Park is one of the only national parks in the lower 48 states that allows snowmobiling, and the only one that allows off-road snowmobiling. All snowmobile trails travel over lake ice except for the overland safety portages that bypass unsafe ice and the ungroomed Chain of Lakes trail that passes through the heart of the Kabetogama Peninsula. Visit the Voyageurs National Park website at www.nps.gov/voya for weekly updates of trail conditions.

Snowshoeing and Cross Country Skiing

Discover the tranquility of the winter landscape in Voyageurs National Park. Venture across frozen lakes and ponds amid the stillness of snow-covered forests, hills, and rocky cliffs. The Park has both groomed and ungroomed trails for all skill levels; most are accessible from either the Ash River or Rainy Lake visitorcenters. Ski rentals and snowshoes for loan are available at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.

Camping/Backpacking

Enjoy quiet nights spent under the stars and northern lights at one of over 200 secluded boat-in campsites within the park. Designated tent and houseboat sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are a few developed walk-in campsites on the Kabetogama Peninsula, but boat transportation is required to reach the trailheads. Camping is allowed elsewhere in the park, but not within 200 yards of designated camping or day use sites, on private and leased land, or within ¼ mile of any park structure or developed area. Overnight use requires a free, self-registration permit. Permits can be obtained at visitors centers during business hours or at permit stations located near all Park boat launch facilities. Drive-in campsites are available just outside the Park at Woodenfrog State Forest Campground on Kabetogama Lake and at Ash River Campground.

Interpretive Programs

Throughout the year, Voyageurs National Park hosts a number of special events and a variety of ranger and naturalist guided activities. Special events include the Birders Rendezvous in early June, the Autumn Rendezvous in late August, and the Winter Rendezvous from January through March. Activities offered include guided boat and canoe tours of the Park, a Junior Ranger program, interpretive walks and talks, tours of the gold mine on Little American Island, and a chance to paddle back in history aboard a 26-foot voyageurs’ North Canoe. Schedules for events and activities are available at the Park visitors centers or online on the Park’s special events and speaker series calendars.

Stargazing

The distance from city lights and the northern latitude location of Voyageurs National Park provides visitors with excellent stargazing opportunities. Constellations are prominent, the band of the Milky Way is often distinguishable, and sightings of the northern lights are not uncommon.

Points of Interest in the Park

WESTERN REGION

• Little American Island (Rainy Lake)
  In the summer of 1893, gold was discovered on Little American Island, which led to the Rainy Lake Gold Rush. The excitement was brief, however, as barely $5,000 worth of gold was produced in the first year. Today you can discover the past while exploring the remains of mining activities on the island, including a 210-foot shaft along with machinery and adits (horizontal entrances leading into mines). You may experience the history as part of a ranger-led walk during a tour boat program or on your own with self-guided wayside exhibits and a brochure. The island has a quarter-mile wheelchair accessible interpretive trail, a comfort station, and a dock. Little American Island is located just north and west of the Voyageurs National Park boundary on Rainy Lake.
• Rainy Lake City (Rainy Lake)
  Rainy Lake City was a short-lived boomtown (1894-1901) developed to support the gold mines discovered on Little American Island. Though there are no services established at the site, the Rainy Lake City Saloon, built before 1910, is visible from the water. Its simple design and construction methods evoke the days when frontier towns seemed to spring up overnight. By 1922 the building functioned as a “blind pig” for the illegal sale of liquor during prohibition. A century later, Rainy Lake City’s former streets and buildings are visible only as landscape features. Patient visitors may observe many kinds of wildlife in the surrounding forest and wetland habitats. Rainy Lake City is easily accessible by canoe or kayak from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.
• Rainy Lake Visitor Center
  The Rainy Lake Visitor Center is located 11 miles east of International Falls on Highway 11. In any season, you are invited to come and sit in the comfort of the lobby and overlook the wildlife activities of Black Bay. Gulls here are often the harbingers of spring, loons can be heard throughout most of the summer, and deer wander the entrance road year round. Rainy Lake Visitor Center is a hub of information and activity. The park offers exhibits, an orientation film, camping information, and permits as well as an interesting selection of books, maps, and other items for sale in the visitor center. You can rent boats located on the interior lakes of the Kabetogama Peninsula in the warm months. During winter, the visitor center lends snowshoes and children’s skis free-of-charge and rents adult skis for a small fee. Here you can access trails for hiking and cross-country skiing. Facilities include restrooms, boat and canoe launch, free parking, phone, and a picnic area. A section of the 2-mile Oberholtzer Trail and all park boat tours are handicapped accessible. Contact 218-286-5258.
• Oveson Fish Camp (Rainy Lake)
  Oveson Fish Camp is the only remaining intact commercial fishing camp in the region. Harry Oveson constructed his camp on an island near Cranberry Bay in the late 1950s and fished for whitefish in Rainy Lake from 1958 to 1985. The Oveson home, an ice house, a fish processing building, and tools of the trade help tell the story of commercial fishing on Rainy Lake. A cove near the fish camp is a watchable wildlife site where visitors may observe turtles, beavers, and a variety of birds. Facilities include a dock, boardwalk, comfort station, and a picnic table. The camp is accessible by water approximately seven miles from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.
• Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center
  The Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center is located 24 miles south of International Falls. Watch for signs on Highway 53 showing the turn onto County Road 122 for the 3-mile drive to the visitor center. You will pass the turnoff to the Woodenfrog State Forest Campground. The visitor center offers exhibits, an orientation film, information about park recreational activities, and sale items including books and maps. You can also rent canoes that are located on the interior lakes of the Kabetogama Peninsula. The park offers interpretive programs at the visitor center and at Woodenfrog Campground. Facilities include restrooms, a boat launch and marina, free parking, and a picnic area. Contact 218-875-2111.
• Ellsworth Rock Gardens (Kabetogama Lake)
  Imagine terraced flower beds and stone statuary in the midst of the wilderness. Jack Ellsworth, a Chicago contractor who spent summers on Kabetogama Lake from 1944 to 1965, created the Ellsworth Rock Gardens on a 60 foot granite outcrop. At its peak, the site grew to 62 flower beds with over 13,000 lilies blooming. Although Mr. Ellsworth was not a trained artist, the gardens reveal his uniquely creative expression and his love of beauty and nature. As a visitor to the rock gardens today, you will see some of the original flowers Mr. Ellsworth planted along with the artistic stone sculptures. A picnic shelter with a stone fireplace graces the spot where the Ellsworth summer home once stood.
• Gold Portage and Hacksaw Pass day use site (Kabetogama Lake)
  Gold Portage is a half-mile trail connecting Rainy Lake with Kabetogama Lake. Hikers, canoeists and kayakers can travel between the two lakes on this portage. The Kabetogama Lake end of the Gold Portage is an excellent place to begin an exploration of the west side of Kabetogama Lake. Visitors can picnic at the Hacksaw Pass day use site and explore Chief Woodenfrog’s Islands, both south of Gold Portage. Continue southwest to Tom Codd Bay to discover quiet, rocky wetlands and an abundance of wildlife. The park has future plans for formal interpretation of this area’s natural and cultural history at Hacksaw Pass, including interpretive materials that tell the story of the Chief Woodenfrog family and other Ojibwe history.
• Fox Island Rookery – Watchable Wildlife Area* (Rainy Lake)
  At the northernmost tip of Voyageurs National Park there is a jumble of rocky outcroppings both above and below the water’s surface. These nearly barren rock piles are home to hundreds of nesting Double-crested Cormorants, Ring-billed Gulls, and Herring Gulls. Packed tightly together, the gulls and cormorants co-exist scrappily. Please enjoy them from the water with your binoculars and bird books during the May and June nesting season. If you choose to land your boat during non-nesting months, watch carefully for submerged rocks in the area.

* Please view all wildlife from a safe distance. Using binoculars, a spotting scope, or a telephoto camera lens will help you view animals “close up” without affecting their behavior.

CENTRAL REGION

• Camp Marston (Rainy Lake)
  From 1923 to 1938, Camp Marston in Brown’s Bay on the eastern end of Rainy Lake was a summer camp for civil engineering students from Iowa State University. The topography of Rainy Lake offered the technical challenges desired by the University to train its students, and the remoteness of the area offered few distractions. Students not only received an intense educational experience, but also made important contributions to the surveying and mapping of Rainy Lake. Though there are no services available at the site, the cabin known as Polaris where the camp professors stayed and the foundations and chimneys from other former structures are visible from the water.
• Anderson Bay (Rainy Lake)
  Anderson Bay exemplifies the outstanding scenery for which Voyageurs National Park was established. The exposed white granite cliffs of Anderson Bay rise abruptly 80 feet from the water and provide spectacular views of the bay and Rainy Lake. It is one of the most photographed areas of the park. There is a loop trail that takes park visitors atop the bluffs and access to the northern trailhead for the Cruiser Lake Trail system.
• Kettle Falls (Rainy Lake and Namakan Lake)
  Kettle Falls has been a portage area as long as people have used the boundary lakes for travel. The falls were well known to American Indians, early fur traders, explorers, gold miners, commercial fishermen, and loggers who had to portage around this transportation barrier when traveling between Namakan and Rainy lakes. There have been accommodations at Kettle Falls since the late 1890s. A dam tender’s cabin was built in 1910, and the Kettle Falls Hotel, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed at about the same time. In 1914 the Minnesota and Ontario Power Company completed construction of two dams at Kettle Falls and at Squirrel Falls in Canada. Today you can join a naturalist-led hike of the historic area as part of a tour boat program, dine at the historic hotel, stay overnight, view the Kettle Falls Dam, and look south into Canada from atop the dam lookout. Kettle Falls is the only lodging available in the park. Mechanized portage between Namakan and Rainy Lakes, for boats 21 feet or less, is available for a fee.
• Ash River Visitor Center (Kabetogama Lake)
  Off Highway 53, the Ash River Trail (County Road 129) is a scenic, paved, winding road that takes you to the visitor center entrance road 8 miles past the turnoff. Open seasonally, the Ash River Visitor Center is at the eastern end of Kabetogama Lake. Facilities at the visitor center include a park orientation film, camping orientation, exhibits, restrooms, a boat launch, a paddle only launch area, free parking, and picnic tables. The Lake States Interpretive Association maintains a sales outlet with books, navigation maps, and other items. The visitor center is housed in the historic Meadwood Lodge constructed by Ted Mead and two Finnish carpenters in about 1935. The Meadwood Lodge and sauna exhibit superior craftsmanship in log construction and are evocative of the rustic style vacation retreats of the 1930s. Contact 218-374-3221.
• Hoist Bay (Namakan Lake)
  The Hoist Bay property was originally a railroad hoist camp for the Virginia & Rainy Lake Lumber Company. Piers of the former railroad trestle from the logging period are still visible. Ted and Fern Monson acquired the Hoist Bay property in 1938. The Monsons spent the first few years clearing remains of the lumber camp and building rental cabins for a resort that operated until 1973. This site represents a middle class becoming accustomed to the independence and adventure that the automobile offered. The lakes in the park became accessible by improved highways during the 1930s and many resorts were constructed during that period. Hoist Bay is in southwest Namakan Lake.
• I.W. Stevens Pine Cove Resort (Namakan Lake)
  This destination site includes historic buildings nestled among large scenic pine trees on a 400-acre island. The Virginia & Rainy Lake Lumber Company, headquartered on the island in the early 1900s, chose not to cut the giant red pines that still stand today. Ingvald Walter Stevens, a Norwegian who immigrated to America at the age of 19, purchased the island in 1932 after leaving the city due to poor health. By re-using buildings from the lumber company and adding some additional cabins, I.W. Stevens was able to operate a fishing resort on the island until 1959. Stevens was one of only a few people in the region who lived on islands year-round, facing the challenge of being self-sufficient during the winter months. He remained on the island until 1973 and died in 1989 at the age of 104.

EASTERN REGION

• Grassy Bay Cliffs (Sand Point Lake)
  Sheer granite cliffs rise 125 feet above the surface of Sand Point Lake and reach one of the highest points within Voyageurs National Park. Grassy Bay is an area rich in natural and cultural resources. The Grassy Bay area provides examples of three reasons why the park was established: geologic features, outstanding scenery, and interconnected waterways. The bay and cliffs are accessible from Sand Point Lake on the far eastern edge of the park.
• Crane Lake Ranger Station (Crane Lake)
  The Crane Lake Ranger Station is open year round when there is a ranger on site. This facility has information about the Minnesota DNR, St. Louis County boat ramps and docks, US Forest Service hiking trails, as well as Voyageurs National Park information, maps, and permits for overnight camping. The Crane Lake Ranger Station is the only other Voyageurs National Park facility, besides the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, that is open in the winter months. The number at the ranger station is 218-993-2481. It is located 25 miles northeast of Orr, Minnesota, on the Crane Lake Road, County Road 24.
• Gull Island Rookery – Watchable Wildlife Area* (Namakan Lake)
  Gull Island, near the center of Namakan Lake, is worth the trip just to view thousands of gulls that have established the island as their primary nesting site. In addition to the gulls, Great Blue Herons nest on Gull Island. Please enjoy this premiere habitat from a safe distance on the water with binoculars and camera during the nesting season. Gull Island is just outside the northern boundary of Voyageurs National Park, north of Namakan Lake’s Beaver Bay in Canada. Please follow Canadian Customs and Immigration laws when crossing the international border.

* Please view all wildlife from a safe distance. Using binoculars, a spotting scope or a telephoto camera lens will help you view animals “close up” without affecting their behavior.

Nearby Attractions

• Fortune Bay Resort & Casino: http://www.fortunebay.com/
  1430 Bois Forte Road
  Tower, MN 55790
  (800) 992-7529
• American Bear Association/Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary: http://www.americanbear.org/
  Mailing Address (Sanctuary located off of County Road 23 near Orr, MN)
  P.O. Box 77,
  Orr, MN 55771
  (218) 757-0172
• Atisokanigamig (“Legend House”)
  Bois Forte Heritage Center and Cultural Museum: http://www.boisforte.com/divisions/heritage_center.htm
  1500 Bois Forte Road
  Tower, MN 55790
  (218) 753-6017
• Bogwalk at the Voyageurs National Park and Orr Area Information Center
  Access from HWY 53 in Orr, MN
  (218) 757-3932
• Boise Cascade Paper Mill Tours
  International Falls, MN
  (218) 285-5011
• Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness: http://www.bwcaw.org/
  Ranger stations located in: Aurora, Cook, Ely, Grand Marais, and Tofte (MN)
  International Wolf Center: http://www.wolf.org
  1396 Highway 169
  Ely, MN 55731-8129
  218-365-4695
• Ironworld Discovery Center: http://www.ironworld.com
  801 SW Hwy 169, Suite 1
  Chisholm, MN 55719
  (800) 372-6437 or (218) 254-7959
• Koochiching County Historical Museum and Bronko Nagurski Museum
  214 6th Avenue,
  International Falls, MN 56649
  (218) 283-4316
• Minnesota Museum of Mining
  900 W. Lake Street
  Chisholm, MN 55719
  218-254-5543
• Sportsmen’s Service & Wildlife Museum
  424 3rd Avenue
  International Falls, MN 56649
  (218) 283-2411
• Soudan Underground Mine State Park: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/soudan_underground_mine/index.html
  P.O. Box 335
  Soudan, Minnesota 55782,
  (218) 753-2245
• Superior National Forest: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/
  8901 Grand Avenue Place
  Duluth, MN 55808
  (218) 626-4300

Dining

Information on the dining options near Voyageurs National Park can be obtained from the visitor and tourism bureaus of surrounding communities:

• Ash River
• Crane Lake
• International Falls
• KabetogamaL

Lodging

Voyageurs National Park maintains a thorough list of lodging accommodations that are available in the communities surrounding the Park. The list contains information on resorts, bed & breakfasts, motels, houseboats, and campgrounds, including information about the available services and amenities provided at each. Also on the list is information about commercial services in the area, such as guides, outfitters, rentals, and tours. This list is printed in each issue of the Park’s newspaper, available at the Park visitors centers or online at http://www.nps.gov/voya/PDF/Rendezvous%202005.pdf; the list is also available as a standalone pdf file, which can be downloaded at http://www.nps.gov/voya/PDF/lodging%20and%20commercial%20services.pdf

Services

Voyageurs National Park maintains a thorough list of commercial outfitter services that are available in the communities surrounding the Park. The list contains information on guides, outfitters, equipment rentals, and tours. Also on the list is information about lodging accommodations in the area. This list is printed in each issue of the Park’s newspaper, available at the Park visitors centers or online at http://www.nps.gov/voya/PDF/Rendezvous%202005.pdf; the list is also available as a standalone pdf file, which can be downloaded at http://www.nps.gov/voya/PDF/lodging%20and%20commercial%20services.pdf. Supplies such as grocery, bait and tackle, gasoline, fishing licenses, and gifts can be found in any of the communities surrounding the Park: Ash River, Crane Lake, International Falls, Kabetogama, and Orr.

Weather

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