VOYAGEURS NATIONAL
PARK

Voyageurs National Park about 15 miles east of International Falls, MN and 300 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. - five hours by car from Minneapolis-St. Paul, three hours from Duluth, MN, and four hours from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 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. On the northern edge of Minnesota's border, 55 miles of the park meander along the Canadian border with Ontario.

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. Visitation to the park is 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.

Weather conditions can be extremely variable in the park. During the 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.

The park 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, and not all hazards are marked. Boaters should equip themselves with a map and compass and discuss travel routes with a ranger before leaving.

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.

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 fishing regulations apply. 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. There are free 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 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.

In the summer, naturalists offer interpretive walks, evening programs, children's activities, canoe trips, a junior ranger program and North Canoe Voyages. 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 no fees, permits, or reservation requirements, and camping is on a first-come, first-served basis.

In the winter, 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. In winter, you can candlelight ski, snowshoe hike, attend a starlight wolf howl, or attend a class on making snowshoes and walk out with snowshoes you've made. Schedules of these activities and their locations are available at each of the visitor centers.