Voyageurs National Park is mostly underwater. This striking mosaic of rocky islands, southern boreal forests, temperate deciduous forests, and freshwater lakes hugs the boundary between Minnesota and Canada.

Voyageurs is named after the French-Canadian traders who transported furs between Native American peoples and Europeans. Life as a voyageur was a dangerous and grueling career. Crews worked from sunrise to sunset, paddling as many as 45 strokes a minute or 100 miles a day. They sang songs to maintain a strong, unified paddling rhythm. In areas where waterways didn’t connect, these men had to portage canoes and heavy trade goods across rocky terrain. Voyageurs typically burned 5,000 calories a day from their many exertions. It took approximately 12 to 16 weeks of labor for their brigades of birch canoes to make the journey from Lake Superior to Montreal!

From fur trading to logging to mining to even caviar production, the woods and waterways of Voyageurs National Park have inspired many human enterprises over the years. Today, the region is a tranquil retreat punctuated by the mournful cries of loons and bald eagles. It is inhabited by 100 species of birds and 50 species of mammals (including moose, otters, and wolves). The North Woods are distinguished by hundreds of plant species including birch, spruce, white pine, and red maple.

The golden sunsets are beautiful here. We hiked through waist-high ferns on the scenic Blind Ash Trail and among creeping bunchberry flowers on the meandering Oberholtzer Trail. The fragrant scent of conifers filled the air like Christmas trees. 

When seeking a place to rent kayaks for an afternoon paddle, we found a cute little inn that offered to lend us their kayaks for free…. as long as we bought cold beer at the bar afterwards! DEAL. We had a pleasant time paddling Rainy Lake with flocks of emerald necked mallards. We stopped at Little American Island, the site of a minor (and somewhat anticlimactic) gold rush in the 1890s. Despite much fervor, the mining operation was not as lucrative as originally hoped…. roughly $4,500-$5,600 in gold was produced during the second year and the mine did not operate for very long after that. 

EXPLORING VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK-

The best way to explore Voyageurs is by boat. It is pretty obvious that everyone knows that since just about every parking lot is full of white F150’s with boat trailers. On our second day, we got with the program and rented a little 70 horsepower alumnacraft to explore the interconnected lakes of Voyageurs. 

Strong wind made for lots of chop on Lake Kabetogama. It was a bumpy ride, but we were quite grateful to have a motor instead of a paddle that particular day. We docked at several interesting hiking trails including Kettle Falls, Locator Lake, and the Ellsworth Rock Gardens. Trolling fishermen chased walleye, northern pike, and yellow perch from their swaying boats. Several islands were dotted with tent campers and houseboat rentals. During winter months, Voyageurs is a popular destination for ice fishing, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing.  

The scenic 4 mile Locator Lake trail traversed across multiple ecosystems. Gnawed tree stumps and a sturdy dam were clues that led us to its blasé general contractor…. the American Beaver. We caught a quick glimpse of him slapping his tail and swimming towards his lodge in the middle of the lake. A striking pink ladyslipper orchid was another delightful trail discovery. These unusual magenta wildflowers can live to be 20 years old! Their survival is dependent on both fungi and bees. 

Unfortunately, the border crossing into Canada was closed due to COVID. Nethertheless, it was immensely satisfying to still be able to boat along the iconic boundary waters. With the aid of our boat’s GPS tracker, we could see the invisible line demarcating the international border. Out in the wilderness, the USA looks the same as Canada. There is not much distinction between one pine crested island to the next… without modern technology, one would not be able to tell the difference. I do believe that the fish and birds change their citizenship status on the daily!

Strangely, we saw a flock of massive white pelicans paddling around Lake Kabetogama. Being a Florida girl, it was quite bizarre to see what I had always considered to be a blatantly tropical beach bird lounging about on the cold border to Canada. But newsflash: birds have wings and like to travel like the rest of us! 

Side note: After a long day of traveling, I found love in a busy parking lot at International Falls. We succumbed to the lure of hot fried cheese curds from an unassuming little food truck. Hot, salty, and crispy it is no wonder that this regional delicacy inspires such fanatic devotion. Located close to the great cheese state of Wisconsin, you can find fresh cheese curds at just about any gas station or supermarket in the region.

OUR FAVORITE PLACES-

#1: Locator Lake Trail (accessible only by boat; rewarding hike with mountain views, pine forests, and freshwater lakes)

#2: Blind Ash Trail (connected to the mainland; beautiful undulating hike across dense forests of pine and through waist-high ferns)

#3: Kettle Falls Dam (accessible only by boat; traveling to the quaint little peninsula is just a good excuse to boat along the USA-Canada border)

#4: Ellsworth Rock Gardens (accessible only by boat; quirky garden of rock sculptures painstakingly carved by a vacationing craftsman)

MISADVENTURES-

About halfway through our Locator Lake hike, I realized that the strange squelching sound my hiking boot was making was not from mud, but from the rubber treads detaching from my boot. Adam cut his bootlaces in half to create a makeshift strap to keep my shoe from completely falling apart. We were able to complete the rest of the trek there and back… but we will have to do some surgery with superglue soon. I’m lucky to have such a wonderful “sole” mate!

Due to the cool weather, the militant squadrons of mosquitoes that normally defend the Minnesota woods like fighter jets were sluggish and flew about in an almost drunken manner. We easily warded off their lazy invitations to combat by shutting the door to our trailer.

Unfortunately other biting insects were more spry.... After peeling off our muddy jeans, we were disgusted to discover that 3 wriggling ticks had hitch-hiked home with us. Because these blighters can transmit all sorts of nasty illnesses like Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, it is important to remove them as soon as possible. After permitting myself to hop about in a fit of frenzied revulsion for a few seconds, I grimly assassinated our sly attackers. Armed with flashlights, tweezers, and isopropyl alcohol, we repeated this inspection ritual after every hike from then on. Despite wearing long sleeves and applying liberal amounts of DEET, these sneaky bloodsucking arachnids still manage to find a way to crawl up your pants. 

VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK STATISTICS-

Established: April 1975      /      Size: 218,054 acres
Annual Visitors: 240,000     / Location: Minnesota

~Safe Travels, Nathalie

1,650 miles traveled and 3 national parks explored