Top 9 things to do in Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs National Park, on the Canadian border in northern Minnesota, is a park of water: four large lakes and dozens of smaller ones, scattered with more than 500 islands of granite, pine and birch. It is named for the French-Canadian voyageurs who paddled birchbark canoes loaded with furs through these waters two centuries ago, on the main route of the fur trade. Almost all of the park is reached by boat, and the best way to see it is from the water, on a tour, in a canoe or kayak, or from a houseboat. These are the nine outings we would put first. The order starts with what the park is known for, then goes by what an outing gives back for the time and effort it takes. Distances are approximate; times are our estimates and do not include stops.

The big lakes can turn rough quickly in the wind, and their water is cold for much of the year: wear a life jacket, stay near shore in a canoe, and get off the water when storms build. Many reefs and rocks lie just under the surface, so boaters need a good chart. Black bears visit the campsites, so use the food lockers. In winter, never go out on the ice without checking conditions with the park.

1. Take the boat tour to Kettle Falls

Where Namakan and Rainy lakes meet, the Kettle Falls Hotel has stood since 1913, built for loggers, fishermen and travellers, and it is the only lodging inside the park, reached only by water. A park boat tour carries you through the islands to the hotel and the historic dam beside it, with stops along the way. From the dam you can stand in the United States and look south into Canada, one of the quirks of this border country.

• Allow: about 5.5 hours for the tour
• Start: Ash River Visitor Center, on the park’s tour boat; book ahead
• When: summer
• Suits: everyone

2. Visit the Ellsworth Rock Gardens

From the 1940s to the 1960s, a Chicago contractor named Jack Ellsworth spent his summers building terraced flower beds and more than 200 sculptures out of the granite boulders on a hillside on the Kabetogama Peninsula. The park keeps the gardens in bloom. You can reach them on a short boat tour from the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center, or by your own boat or canoe.

• Allow: about 2.5 hours for the tour
• Start: Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center, on the park’s tour boat
• When: summer
• Suits: everyone

3. Paddle among the islands

The sheltered bays and island channels of Kabetogama and Namakan lakes are made for a canoe or kayak, among rocky points, pine-topped islands and quiet coves where loons, bald eagles and otters are common. You can rent a canoe or kayak near the park, or join a ranger-led paddle in a big North Canoe, like those the voyageurs used, from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.

• Allow: 2 hours to a day
• Start: any of the park’s boat launches
• When: June to September; stay in sheltered water when the wind is up
• Suits: everyone who can paddle

4. Camp on an island

The park’s campsites are reached only by water, on islands and rocky points with tent pads, picnic tables and food lockers, and some have their own docks. Spending a night on one, with loons calling across the water and the stars reflected in the lake, is the best way to know the park. Many visitors rent a houseboat from the resorts outside the park and cruise between the islands for a few days.

• Allow: a night or more
• Start: any of the park’s boat launches; reserve a campsite ahead
• When: June to September
• Suits: anyone with a boat or canoe and camping gear

5. Hike the Cruiser Lake Trail across the Kabetogama Peninsula

The Kabetogama Peninsula, in the heart of the park, has no roads at all. The Cruiser Lake Trail crosses it from Kabetogama Lake to Rainy Lake, past small, clear lakes, beaver ponds and rocky ridges with views over the forest, where moose, wolves and black bears live. It is a long backcountry trail, reached by boat, with campsites on the lakes along the way.

• Distance: about 9.5 miles (15 km) one way across the peninsula
• Allow: a long day, or 2 days with a night on a lake
• Start: the trailheads on Kabetogama Lake or Rainy Lake, by boat
• When: June to September
• Suits: experienced hikers

6. Walk the Blind Ash Bay Trail

On the mainland near the Ash River Visitor Center, this short trail climbs onto rocky ridges of ancient granite with views over Kabetogama Lake and its islands, through pine and birch forest. It is the best short walk in the park that you can reach by car, and a good place to watch the sunset over the lake.

• Distance: about 2.5 miles (4 km) loop
• Allow: 1.5 hours
• Start: near the Ash River Visitor Center
• When: May to October
• Suits: most walkers

7. Walk Little American Island

In the 1890s, gold was found on a small island in Rainy Lake, and a short-lived boom town grew up on the shore. A short trail on Little American Island leads past the old mine shafts and the remains of the mining works, with signs telling the story of the rush. It is a good stop by boat or canoe from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.

• Allow: 30 minutes on the island, plus the boat trip
• Start: Little American Island, by boat from near the Rainy Lake Visitor Center
• When: June to September
• Suits: everyone with a boat or canoe

8. Watch for the northern lights

Voyageurs is an International Dark Sky Park, far from any city, and on clear nights the stars reflect in the still lakes. It is also one of the best places in the lower 48 states to see the northern lights, which dance across the northern sky on active nights, most often in the darker months. Any shore with a clear view north will do, and the park holds a star party in summer.

• Allow: an hour or two after dark
• Start: any shore or campsite with a view to the north
• When: all year; late summer to spring for darker nights and the northern lights
• Suits: everyone

9. Drive the ice roads in winter

When the lakes freeze hard, the park plows roads across the ice of Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake, so you can drive out among the islands. The frozen park is also open for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and snowmobiling, and it is quiet, white and very cold. The park marks and monitors the ice roads; never drive on the ice anywhere else.

• Allow: half a day
• Start: the ice road access points near the Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake visitor centers
• When: about January to March, when the park opens the ice roads
• Suits: everyone dressed for deep cold

Before you go

This list covers what stays the same from year to year. Closures, boat tour schedules, ice conditions and campsite reservations change, and the National Park Service posts them on its own site. The link is on our Voyageurs National Park guide, with the map and how to get there.