Voyageurs

Overview

Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota is a water-based park where the primary mode of transportation is by boat. The park encompasses four large lakes — Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sand Point — connected by narrow waterways along the U.S.-Canada border. Over 40% of the park is water, and the remaining land is an archipelago of over 500 islands covered in boreal forest. This is canoe country, where the French-Canadian fur traders called voyageurs once paddled birch-bark canoes laden with pelts. The Kabetogama Peninsula, the park's largest landmass, is accessible only by water and contains inland lakes, hiking trails, and some of the finest old-growth red and white pine remaining in the Midwest. Houseboating is the park's signature experience — rental houseboats allow visitors to explore the interconnected lakes at their own pace, anchoring in quiet bays, fishing for walleye, and watching the northern lights from the open deck on clear nights. Voyageurs is one of the best national parks for winter activities. When the lakes freeze (typically December through March), the park grooms snowmobile trails across the ice, and visitors can cross-country ski, snowshoe, and ice fish in a winter wonderland of frozen waterfalls, snow-covered pines, and northern lights. The park's dark skies and northern latitude make it a prime aurora viewing destination.

Things to Do

• Explore the lakes by houseboat
• Canoe or kayak between islands and through narrows
• Fish for walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass
• Watch for northern lights from the water
• Hike the Kabetogama Peninsula trails
• Snowmobile across frozen lakes in winter
• Visit Ellsworth Rock Gardens on Kabetogama Lake
• Join a ranger-led canoe trip

Wildlife

Keep an eye out for these animals during your visit:

Weather & Best Time to Visit

Short, warm summers with highs of 70-80°F and long daylight. Winters are severe with temperatures dropping to -30°F and lakes freezing 3-4 feet thick. Mosquitoes are intense June through July.