Are you ready to venture north? Like really, REALLY FAR NORTH? Let me tell you about a place that will make you want to trek north —-> Voyageurs National Park in beautiful northern Minnesota.
I’ve lived in Minnesota for a large portion of my life, but like many of my fellow Minnesotans I had never visited Minnesota’s own national park. Sad, I know. Thankfully, this summer I was able to remedy my mistake and voyaged north with a few girlfriends for a camping trip I will never forget.
Top 7 things to do at Voyageurs!
- Take a guided boat tour of the park!
- Rent a houseboat and enjoy sleeping out on the water
- Cliff Jumping
- Hiking
- Visit Kettle Falls
- Star gazing and the Northern Lights
- Vermillion Falls (technically not in the national park area)
1. Take a Guided Boat Tour of the Park:
When planning your trip, remember that most of this national park is water. You’ll want to find a way to get out on the water and enjoy the gorgeous views. If you plan on bringing up your own boat, make sure you have adequate maps and navigational skills. One slight deviation can put you in Canadian waters or stuck in a rocky narrow.
My advice would be to rent a guide for the day to take you around the lakes. We hired Emily Schwanke with Voyageurs Guide Services (out of Crane Lake) and had a fabulous time exploring the park. Emily and her team also take fishing rental groups and know the lakes incredibly well. You will not be disappointed with this day trip!
If using your own boat or renting one isn’t an option, the National Park Service offers guided tours. Click here to see their options.
2. Rent a houseboat and enjoy sleeping out on the water:
A houseboat! What a cool way to experience the park right?
Unfortunately this is one thing that my group of girls didn’t do this trip HOWEVER next trip we plan to! I have heard nothing but amazing testimonials of houseboat cruising on the lakes! Our guide, Emily, recommended Voyagaire Houseboats (out of Crane Lake) so if you’re interested in houseboats, give them a shot!
3. Cliff Jumping!
Yes. That is me. Yes it was a blast. Yes, you should re-check your life insurance policy before attempting—ok jk. But in all seriousness if your going to cliff jump, make sure to know where to go to do it safely!
That being said, there are some fantastic crags around the lake to launch yourself off of if you choose to!
4. Hiking
I. LOVE. HIKING.
It’s seriously one of my favorite things to do, and if your a fan of hiking you’ll love the options at Voyageurs! As I stated previously, most of the park is water so to reach many of the hiking trails you will have to boat or paddle to their starting points.
Mukooda Trail: This trail was my personal fav! It’s a 3 mile loop boarding a really pristine lake — Mukooda Lake–that has no boats or houses on it. This lake is an absolute gem. Clean, sandy water and zero boat traffic. I wish we could’ve spent the entire day on the beach of this lake, eating all the wild blueberries!
Our guide also told us that there was once a cabin on Mukooda lake that was used as a vacation spot by prohibition gangsters –including Al Capone. You can still view the remains of the cabin if you follow the path ways. Mukooda even has some interesting history!
Blind Ash Bay Trail: We also enjoyed this out and back trail near Kabetogama Lake. We found more wild blueberries here and loved the beautiful overlook at the end of the trail. The beauty of the woods is truly on display with this trail. No boat needed to access this trail head either, simply park at the Ash River Visitors Center and walk through the parking lot to find a set of wooden steps.
There are MANY other wonderful trails in the park to explore! So grab a map and get those hiking boots on!
5. Visit Kettle Falls
If you’ve done any research about Voyageurs, you’ve probably stumbled across the historic Kettle Falls Hotel. This area started off as a logging camp and then transformed into a hotel with a more recreational purpose later on. If you decide to visit, make sure to read the unique story about how the hotel was purchased for $1000 and 4 barrels of whiskey 1918 and then view the warped floor in the bar area.
After visiting the hotel, meander over to the Kettle Falls dam and take some photos. The view here is incredible and it gives you a great sense of how the lakes are connected.
6. Stargazing and the Northern Lights:
Fasten your seatbelts for this one. The stars in this park are majestic. Voyageurs is a “Dark Sky Park” which means it’s a great place to view the night sky with minimal light pollution. My friends and I didn’t find out until too late into our trip that Voyageurs Guide Service also offers a “Sunset and Night Sky Float”. If we would’ve known, we would’ve totally done this but thankfully we had a pretty great stargazing spot at our campground.
We were hopeful that we would get to view the Northern Lights, since we were visiting in late July, but unfortunately we missed it by a day! We saw all over social media (the day before we arrived) that the lights were in full view! Greens, pinks, purples—ALL THE COLORS!
We’ll have to try to catch them again next time!
Picture Credit: Taylor Geer
7. Vermillion Falls:
There’s plenty of beautiful sites within the park, but while you’re exploring near Crane Lake be sure to check out Vermillion Falls. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s technically NOT in the national park but this waterfall is a gem. Take my word for it and stop.
It’s about 5 miles off Crane Lake Road and hike to the actual falls is very short. There are some great viewing platforms that will allow you to get some stunning photos of this waterfall.
Where to Stay:
There are plenty of great accommodation options within the park. Determine if tent camping, RV camping, a houseboat or lodge option is what will fit your family’s needs.
If you’re going to tent or RV camp, I recommend Woodenfrog Campground. This is a primitive campground with no sewer or water hookups, but the location is perfect. It’s located in a more central location so your drives to the different lakes isn’t as far. If you’re up for a real backpacking adventure, try camping on one of the parks many islands!
There are MANY great lodge and resort options including: Voyagaire’s on Crane Lake, Northern Lights Resort on Lake Kabetogama or Thunderbird Lodge on Rainy Lake. And many, many more!
A unique accommodation option that Voyageurs offers is renting a houseboat and sleeping out on the water! You can’t go wrong with this option! Check out Voyagaire’s rental program.
Picture Credit: Morgan Bauchaum
I hope this guide helps you plan the best trip to Voyageurs National Park that you could hope to have!
It truly is Minnesota’s best kept secret!
What is your favorite Voyageurs memory? Share it below with me! I would love to hear about your trip!