Paddle, Picnic, Play on Public Lands Day
Join us for a day of free family-friendly programming at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center!
Weather Considerations: We will host family-friendly programs rain or shine! Please bring appropriate layers and a rain jacket. In the case of thunderstorms, we will update our event page with cancellations.
We invite local community members and visitors to celebrate the end of challenging summer flooding and the beautiful transition of seasons, and enjoy a day of free programs outside and on the water. The National Park Service and Voyageurs Conservancy will welcome special program partner Wilderness Inquiry and their amazing traveling Canoemobile program. Bring the whole family and a picnic. We especially encourage high school students, young explorers 4th grade and up, and their families to join us!
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM: Canomobile
Location: Boat Launch
Explore Rainy Lake with Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile. Enjoy a “floating classroom” experience in a 10-person canoe, launching on the hour at 10 AM, 11 AM, Noon and 1 PM. Great for 4th grade and up. Life jackets will be provided.
10:00 AM; 1:00 PM : Ethno-botanical Garden Tour
Location: Ethno-botanical Garden outside the visitor center
Have you ever wondered about wildflowers that pop up in your garden unannounced? Should you let them stay or treat them as party crashers? During this program you will spend a half-hour touring the Voyageurs ethnobotanical garden and learn to identify both native plant species and invasive weeds that are not so nice as they may look, followed by a half-hour of hands-on garden invasive species removal stewardship. Participants may also complete the Garden Junior Ranger booklet to earn a special Garden Ranger badge. Good for all ages.
11:00 AM: Solar System on a String
Location: Meet at Rainy Lake Recreation Trailhead near the Rainy Lake Visitor Center
Explore the wonders of our Solar System while hiking. On this hike, we will scale down the distances between our planets to about 0.5 mile on the trail, as well as scale down the size of planets to common household items. We will journey through the Solar System and visit each planet along the way to learn more about these fascinating worlds, and appreciate the size and distance of objects in space. Voyageurs Conservancy’s education specialist and amateur astronomer Jesse Gates will also share some of the celestial objects and events you can enjoy this fall from your own backyard. Geared for 10 years and up.
Noon: Wolf Talk
Location: Picnic tables near the Rainy Lake boat launch
Join young scientist Maeve Tuley as she shares the secret lives of wolves of the greater Voyageurs ecosystem and what it’s like to research and study them. Maeve will share surprising facts about wolves and dispel some of the harmful misconceptions about them.