Voyageurs
National Park
Voyageur Country
The park lies in the southern part of the Canadian Shield,
representing some of the oldest exposed rock formations in the world. This bedrock has
been shaped and carved by at least four periods of glaciation. The topography of the park
is rugged and varied; rolling hills are interspersed between bogs, beaver ponds, swamps,
islands, small lakes and four large lakes. In the years since the last glaciation, a thin
layer of soil has been created which supports the boreal forest ecosystem, the "North
Woods" of Voyageurs National Park.
This land is rich in human history. Named for the Voyageurs , French-Canadian canoe-men who traveled these waters in
their birch-bark canoes from the Great Lakes to the interior of the western United States
and Canada. Modern voyageurs continue to ply these waters. The water, accompanying
scenery, geology and rich cultural and natural resources that give Voyageurs its national
significance, significance that merits its protection for the enjoyment of present and
future generations.
Acreage: 218,054.79
Land - 134,265.79
Water - 83,789.00
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VISITATION:
- Highest from May through August with boating, canoeing, camping, fishing,
wildlife-watching and hiking. January through March the park is a destination for winter
snowmobile vacations, snowshoeing, and winter camping.
LOCATION:
- On the northern edge of Minnesota's border, 55 miles of the park meander along the
Canadian border with Ontario. Voyageurs is about 15 miles east of International Falls, MN
and 300 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.
ADDRESS:
- Voyageurs National Park
3131 Highway 53
International Falls, MN 56649-8904
TELEPHONE:
- Headquarters (218) 283-9821
FAX (218) 285-7407
OPERATING HOURS:
- The park is open year round.
Visitor Center Hours:
Rainy Lake Visitor Center - Telephone: (218) 286-5258
May 6 to September 30 9 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Daily
October 1 to
May 5 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Wednesday thru
Sunday
Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center - Telephone: (218) 875-2111
May 6 to September 30 9 a.m. - 5:00
p.m. Daily
- Ash River Visitor Center - Telephone: (218) 374-3221
May 7 to September 30 9 a.m. - 5:00
p.m. Daily
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TRANSPORTATION:
- Voyageurs National Park is located five hours by car
from Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, three hours from Duluth, MN, and four hours
from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Roads approach the park from four points along U.S.
Highway 53 between Duluth and International Falls. Air travelers can take
advantage of the International Falls or Hibbing airports. Rental cars, and
hotel shuttles are available at the airports.
- VOYAGEURS IS A WATER BASED
PARK. Access to the Kabetogama peninsula, the
islands and nearly all of the park's shoreline is by watercraft. Free public boat ramps
and parking are available at the park's visitor centers and at the Kabetogama State Forest
Campgrounds. Watercraft rental and water taxi service are available from private
outfitters and resorts at each of the park's four gateway communities - Ash River, Crane
Lake, International Falls and Lake Kabetogama.
FEES:
- There is no entrance fee or any charge for use of park facilities.
CLIMATE:
- The park has a cool continental climate with short warm summers followed by long
winters. Average summer highs range from 60 degrees F to 80 degrees F; winter highs range
from 10 degrees F to 30 degrees F. Annual precipitation averages 28 inches.
HAZARDS:
- Weather conditions can be extremely variable. In
summer, storms can rise quickly, making travel on large lakes dangerous.
Current lake conditions and short-term weather forecasts can be obtained at
the visitor centers or on the weather band. In winter cold temperatures and
wind combine for periods of extreme cold. Slush and thin ice can make travel
off of the marked and staked trails dangerous. Stay on the trails.
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- Voyageurs has an U.S. Coast Guard numbered buoy system to guide boaters. This system is
dependent on the direction of water flow and can be explained by park staff.
Hazardous rocks, reefs and sandbars appear and disappear during the course of
yearly water fluctuations. Not all hazards are marked. Boaters should equip
themselves with a map and compass and discuss travel routes with a ranger
before leaving.
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- To prevent illnesses, boiling, filtering or chemicals
must treat lake water before drinking.
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- Voyageurs is black bear country. Bear-proof methods of food storage are required. Be
prepared to hang your food if food-storage locker space is not available. More information
on precautionary measures regarding bears can be obtained at the visitor centers.
FACILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES:
- Visitor Center/Exhibits
- A 15-minute film and interpretive exhibits at the visitor centers provide
an excellent overview of the park's natural and cultural resources. Information on camping
and other park recreational uses is also available. Lake States Interpretive
Association has maps, books, tapes, and other interpretive
items for sale at each of the visitor centers.
Trails/Roads
- Camping and day use on the Peninsula:
- Cruiser Lake Trail: 9 miles one way
- Locator Lake Trail: 2 miles one way
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- Day hike trails - road accessible:
- Blind Ash Bay Trail: 2 miles - trailhead
at Ash River Visitor Center
- Echo Bay Trail: 2.5 miles - trailhead off
Northern Lights Road
- Oberholtzer Interpretive Trail: 1 mile -
trailhead at Rainy Lake Visitor Center
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- Day hike trails - water accessible
- Little American Island: 1/2 mile - Rainy Lake
- Beaver Pond: 1 mile - Rainy Lake
- Anderson Bay: 1 mile - Rainy Lake
- Locator Lake: 2 miles - Kabetogama Lake
- Jorgens Lake: 1 mile - Kabetogama Lake
- Agnes Lake: 1/2 mile - Kabetogama Lake
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Snowmobile Trails
Over 110 miles of snowmobile trails cross the
frozen surfaces of the four large lakes. These groomed and marked trails have
portages around areas of thin ice and connect with the regional trail system
outside the park. In addition to these trails, the one-way, ungroomed, Chain of
Lakes Snowmobile Trail twists and turns through the back country of the
Kabetogama Peninsula.
- Cross-country Ski Trails
- Black Bay Ski Trail: 10 miles of groomed cross-country
ski trails are accessible from the ice road from Rainy Lake Visitor Center.
- The Echo Bay Ski Trail: 7 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails. The trailhead is on
Northern Lights road in the Kabetogama community.
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- Snowshoe trails - Marked and Tracked
- Blind Ash Bay - Trailhead is at Kabetogama Lake
Overlook, Ash River Visitor Center Road
- Sullivan Bay - Trailhead is on the east side of the
Ash River Visitor Center Road .25 miles north of the Beaver Pond Overlook.
- Oberholtzer Trail - Trailhead is at Rainy Lake Visitor Center
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- Fishing and Boating
- Boating and fishing are the most common recreational uses of the park. Known as some of
the best walleye and bass water in the nation, the lakes attracted sport anglers long
before the park was established. A Minnesota fishing license is required and Minnesota
boating regulations apply.
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- Canoeing and kayaking
- Even though waters are shared with powerboats, the lakes of Voyageurs National Park are
large enough to provide for some solitude. Ranges of canoe and kayak trips are available,
from day-trips to journeys lasting over a week; the Kabetogama Peninsula can be
circumnavigated in approximately one week.
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- Boats on Interior Lakes
- Voyageurs provides, free of charge, canoes and/or rowboats on the following interior
lakes of the Kabetogama Peninsula: Locator, Quill, Ek, Cruiser, Brown, Perry, Little
Shoepack and Shoepack. Boats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Reservations to use these boats can be made one week in advance at the visitor centers.
The trails leading to these interior lake boats are accessible only by water; water taxi
service can be arranged for visitors without transportation to these trailheads.
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- Watercraft Rental
- Most of the resorts in the four gateway communities offer boat, canoe, kayak and other
watercraft rental. Water taxi service and guide services. Resorts in the Crane Lake
community offer concession boat rentals on Mukooda Lake. Houseboat rental is available at
Ash River, Crane Lake and Rainy Lake.
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- Programs/Activities
- In the summer season, naturalists offer interpretive walks, evening programs, children's
activities, canoe trips, a junior ranger program and North Canoe Voyages. In winter, join
us for a candlelight ski, a snowshoe hike, or a starlight wolf howl. Or attend a class on
making snowshoes and walk out with your own. Schedules of these activities and their
locations are available at each of the visitor centers.
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- Camping
- There are 210 water accessible campsites distributed throughout the park designed for
either tent camping or houseboats. Designated tent sites have a mooring aid, tent pad or
level area, fire ring, privy, picnic table and bear-proof food-storage locker. Houseboat
sites include two mooring aids and a fire ring. There are currently no fees, permits, or
reservation requirements; camping is on a first-come, first-served basis.
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- Lodging Facilities
- The historic Kettle Falls
Hotel offers lodging within the park. Often called the "Jewel in the
Wilderness," Kettle Falls is accessible by boat, floatplane, ski plane, and
snowmobile. It is a concession-operated complex that includes a dining room, bar and rooms
in the historic 1912 hotel and modern housekeeping villas. Kettle Falls offers a
mechanical portage between Rainy Lake and Namakan Lake and trading post.
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- The gateway communities of Ash River, Crane Lake, Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake offer a
range of facilities including motels, cabins, Bed and Breakfast Inns and campgrounds. The
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources operates the Woodenfrog State Forest Campground
on Lake Kabetogama and the Ash River Campground on Ash River.
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- For information contact:
- Ash River Commercial Club (800) 950-2061
Crane Lake Visitor & Convention Bureau (800) 326-7405
International Falls Area Visitors & Convention Bureau (800) 325-5766
Kabetogama Lake Association (800) 524-9085
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- Boat Tours
- Boat tours are provided by concessionaire on Rainy Lake and Lake Kabetogama's "The
Sight-Sea-Er." Trips offered include sunset cruises, wildlife-watching cruises and
cruises to the historic Kettle Falls Hotel; most trips are naturalist-guided. Reservations
are suggested; check with the Kabetogama or Rainy Lake Visitor Centers for more details.
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- Education
- Through out the year resource educators present programs to learners of all ages at park
sites and offsite locations. Request a program by calling the Education Specialist, Lynda
Lancaster, at (218) 283-9821 during business hours.
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- Accessibility
- All Visitor Centers and the concession-operated tour boats are wheelchair accessible.
The main floor of the Kettle Falls Hotel and the trails, docks and villas at Kettle Falls
are all wheelchair accessible. The first half of the Oberholtzer trail at the Rainy Lake
Visitor Center and the Beaver Pond Trail and Kabetogama Lake Overlook Trail, near the Ash
River Visitor Center are fully accessible. The park also has a fully accessible campsite,
with lift, on Namakan Lake that is available by reservation at the Kabetogama Lake Visitor
Center.
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- Food/Supplies
- There are restaurants, grocery, and specialty stores on the periphery of the park. Many
resorts sell gas dockside.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
Kabetogama's Lady Slipper Festival: June 25-27, 1999
Artist in the Park: August 1-14, 1999
National Park Day: August 25, 1999
Christmas Bird Count: December 1999
Ice Box Days: January 2000
NEARBY VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:
- Boise Cascade of International Falls - Mill tours are offered June through August without reservations.
Children under ten are not allowed on the tour. Forest Tours begin in June and
are offered every other Wednesday throughout the summer. The field trip
includes lunch; reservations can be made at (218) 285- 5217.
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- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and Superior National Forest - Crane Lake is the
western most entry point for the BWCAW; use of BWCAW requires permits from the
U. S. Forest Service. The Superior National Forest offers trails, picnic
grounds and campgrounds. The Vermilion Gorge Trail and the Vermilion Falls
Trail near Crane Lake provide access to spectacular geologic features.
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- Grand Mound History Center
- Operated by the Minnesota Historical Center, the Grand Mound History Center
is located 17 miles west of International Falls on State Highway 11. The
center is open May 1 through September 1 daily and September through April on
weekends. Admission is charged.
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- International Border - From
International Falls, drive or walk across a toll bridge to Fort Frances,
Ontario. Or depart from Crane Lake and travel by boat to the Canadian Trading
Post on Sand Point Lake. Visitors are required to check in with Canadian
Customs.
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- Koochiching County Historical Museum and Bronco Nagurski Museum- This complex is
located in Smokey Bear Park, International Falls, and is open from Memorial Day through
Labor Day. Admission is charged.
MAPS AND GUIDES:
- Navigational charts and topographic maps may be purchased at the visitor centers or by
mail from the Lake States
Interpretive Association (218) 283-2103.
RECOMMENDED READING:
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Voyageurs National Park by Greg Breining;
- Voyageurs National Park Water Routes, Foot Paths and
Ski Trails by Jim DuFresne.
FRIENDS OF VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK:
- Organized in 1995 to sponsor and support outreach of natural, historical, and
educational activities at Voyageurs National Park, the friends operate under a cooperative
agreement with the National Park Service. The partnership allows the non-profit Friends
organization to sponsor the annual "March for Parks" Earth Day event in addition
to other local celebration and fundraising projects. To contact the Friends of Voyageurs
National Park, write them at P. O. Box 945, International Falls, and MN 56649.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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Write to:
- Voyageurs National Park
3131 Highway 53
International Falls, MN 56649-8904
SUPERINTENDENT'S
E-MAIL
OTHER WEB SITE LINKS:
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- You are visitorsince
February 14, 1997.
Last Updated: Thursday, September 2, 1999
http://www.nps.gov/voya/
Authors: Lois Fogelberg, Lynda Lancaster, and Carol Maass.