Voyageurs
A water park of big lakes, rocky islands and northern lights on the Canadian border
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, all year; free
- Entry
- Free entry
- Reservations
- Not required
- Size
- About 218,000 acres
Voyageurs Weather Now
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Voyageurs is a water park: about 40 percent of it is lakes, and the four big ones, Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan and Sand Point, link hundreds of rocky, pine-covered islands along the Minnesota and Ontario border. The rocks are among the oldest exposed in North America, more than 2 billion years old, scraped clean by glaciers. The park is named for the French-Canadian voyageurs who paddled birchbark canoes full of furs through these waters in the 1700s and 1800s. Ojibwe people have lived here for centuries, and the land later saw logging camps, gold mines and fishing camps.
There are almost no roads inside the park, so most visitors explore by motorboat, canoe, kayak or houseboat, or join a ranger boat tour from one of the four visitor centers at Rainy Lake, Kabetogama Lake, Ash River and Crane Lake. Kettle Falls Hotel, the only lodging inside the park, has hosted travelers since 1913 and can only be reached by water or air. Oddly, at Kettle Falls you can look south from the United States into Canada. In winter the park turns into a snow and ice world, with plowed ice roads, ski and snowshoe trails, snowmobile routes and some of the best northern lights viewing in the Lower 48.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- June through August is best for boating and camping, early September brings fewer bugs and crowds, and January through March is prime for ice roads and northern lights.
- How long to stay
- Plan two to three days, with at least one full day on the water.
- Getting there
- Falls International Airport (INL) in International Falls is about 15 minutes from Rainy Lake Visitor Center; Duluth (DLH) is about 2.5 to 3 hours away and Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) about 5 hours.
- Wildlife
- Look for bald eagles, common loons, gray wolves, black bears, beavers, otters, white-tailed deer and the occasional moose.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
- Hotels in International Falls (opens in a new tab)Minnesota
- Hotels in Kabetogama (opens in a new tab)Minnesota
- Hotels in Crane Lake (opens in a new tab)Minnesota
- Lodges inside the park (opens in a new tab)Official NPS list
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Voyageurs
- Bug head netMosquitoes and black flies are fierce in June and July.
- Dry bagKeeps phones, cameras and layers dry on boats and canoes.
- Rain jacketStorms and spray on open water can soak you fast.
- Lake chart or waterproof mapRocks and reefs hide just under the surface in many bays.
- Warm insulated layersLake evenings are chilly in summer and winter visits go well below zero.
A first day, start to finish
- Rainy Lake Visitor Center
- Ranger boat tour on Rainy Lake
- Lunch in International Falls
- Drive to Ash River and hike Blind Ash Bay Trail
- Stargazing from a dark lakeshore
Don't miss
- Kettle Falls Hotel and DamA restored 1913 hotel reachable only by boat or floatplane, where a ranger-led tour from Rainy Lake (6.5 hours) or Ash River (5.5 hours) stops for lunch and a look at the dam.
- Ellsworth Rock GardensTerraced gardens and more than 200 stacked rock sculptures built by Jack Ellsworth on Lake Kabetogama, reached by private boat or a 2.5-hour ranger tour.
- Rainy Lake boat toursRanger-led 2.5-hour Grand Tour and Life on the Lake cruises leave from Rainy Lake Visitor Center to islands, old gold mines and eagle nests.
- Blind Ash Bay TrailA 2.5-mile loop near Ash River that climbs rocky ridges with long views over Kabetogama Lake, one of the few good hikes you can reach by car.
- Night skies and northern lightsA certified International Dark Sky Park where the aurora borealis shows up several times a year, best from late fall through early spring.
Know before you go
Do
- Book boat tours and campsites early on Recreation.gov, since summer dates fill fast.
- Carry charts or a GPS and watch for marked rocks and reefs, which are common in shallow bays.
- Pack bug spray and a head net for June and July.
Don't
- Head out on big lakes like Rainy or Kabetogama in high wind; waves build quickly.
- Drive or walk on ice unless it is a marked, maintained ice road or you have checked thickness.
- Leave food out at campsites; use the bear lockers provided.
The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round, and there is no entrance fee. The Kabetogama Lake, Ash River and Crane Lake visitor centers are open about late May through late September (they closed for 2026 on September 27), while Rainy Lake Visitor Center is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through October 31, 2026 and keeps limited hours in winter. The lakes usually freeze in November and can stay iced over until mid-May, when boat access gives way to ice roads, skis and snowmobiles.
If you don't have a boat, the Kettle Falls tour is the easiest way to see the park's interior, so reserve it as soon as tickets open in April.Trekker's tip