Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park spans 218,000 acres of lakes, forests, and streams in northern Minnesota. Established in 1975, the park is named after the French-Canadian Voyageurs who once navigated these abundant waters. Voyageurs National Park provides exceptional opportunities for recreation and exploration amidst landscapes rich in natural beauty, history, and cultural heritage.
Alerts
- ClosureNPS ↗Increased bear activity and Dryweed Island area closures
Due to unsafe bear‑human interactions, all of the Dryweed Island area's campsites, houseboat sites, and day use sites are closed. See below for a full list of sites covered by the closure. This time of year typically brings increased bear activity throughout the park. Visitors should remain bear aware and follow all food‑storage requirements.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Voyageurs National Park does not have an entrance fee. However, there are fees for camping, houseboat permits, boat tours, special interpretive programs, winter equipment rentals, and special use permits. Interagency Senior and Access passes provide a discount of 50% on boat tours only.
Hours
| Park Hours | Daily · All Day |
When to go
August draws the most visits here and April the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Rainy Lake Visitor CenterPassport stamp
The closest visitor center to International Falls, the Rainy Lake Visitor Center hours of operation vary with the season. The visitor center offers an exhibit area, displays, a bookstore, a staffed information desk, a children's activity table, and a theater for viewing the park film.
- Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Nestled along the southwest shoreline of Kabetogama Lake, the visitor center is in the small community of Kabetogama. The Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center is open during our summer season from late May to late September and is closed through the winter.
- Ash River Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The Ash River Visitor Center is open during our summer season from late May to late September. Ash River Visitor Center is closed over the winter season. The Ash River Visitor Center is located in the historic Meadwood Lodge. Take a moment to explore this historic, rustic building.
- Crane Lake Visitor Center ↗
Located in the town of Crane Lake, the newest visitor center at Voyageurs National Park features an exhibit area, seating, an information desk, and a conference room for viewing the park film.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Trails and hikes
These are the walks the Park Service lists for Voyageurs. Each one opens on the Park Service site.
- Hike Blind Ash Bay Trail1-3 Hours
This narrow, winding, rocky trail exposes users to the wonders of the boreal forest. This path is great for birding, it is also frequented by deer and other wildlife.
- Hike the Locator Lake Trail2-5 Hours
Please note: The Cranberry Creek Portage Trail into Locator Lake from Rainy Lake has been permanently closed. Explore this two-mile, one-way hike as an afternoon adventure, or use it as a starting point for an exciting backcountry camping…
- Hike Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail30-60 Minutes
Take a boat one mile from the visitor center and hike this trail through northern pine country to a scenic, active beaver pond.
- Hike Kab-Ash Trail1-5 Days
Please note: The Salmi Road entrance to the Kab-Ash Trail in the Kabetogama community is closed (click to see map). This multi-day trail connects the Kabetogama and Ash River communities through an extensive system of interconnected backcountry…
- Hike the Oberholtzer Trail45-80 Minutes
Wander through deciduous and conifer forest as the trail twists around the edge of a cattail filled wetland and past rocks deposited by ancient glaciers. Look for signs of wildlife as you hike to two different overlooks with marsh and lake views.
- Hike Echo Bay Trail40-120 Minutes
This wide trail showcases the transition between deciduous and boreal forests as you pass through lowlands and rocky outcrops. With views of wetlands created by the engineering genius of the North American Beaver, and dense forest, the trail is…
Show all 12Hide
- Rainy Lake Recreation Trail1-2 Hours
The Rainy Lake Recreation Trail offers visitors a peaceful experience as it meanders along the park road, into the woods, and around rock outcrops.
- Hike the Sullivan Bay Trail30-90 Minutes
This easy hike along an old forest road leads you through both coniferous and deciduous forest. The trail ends at a viewpoint on Sullivan Bay with a picnic table and fire ring.
- Hike Beaver Pond Overlook Trail10-30 Minutes
A short uphill hike through an aspen and pine forest leads to a rocky outcrop high above a beaver pond. Although beavers are no longer active at this pond, this trail provides great birding opportunities, and the possibility of spotting large…
- Hike Voyageurs Forest Overlook Trail10-30 Minutes
This short trail takes you through a section of forest revealing the changes in the forest at different elevations. Growing trees have blocked the overlook that used to be at the parking area. There are picnic tables and grills by the parking area.
- Voyageurs' Tilson Connector Trail15-40 Minutes
This trail accessible year-round. Once sufficient snowfall accumulates, the trail will continue be groomed for classic, cross country skiing that leads to the Tilson Bay Trails that are managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
- Hike the Mukooda Trail2-3 Hours
Accessible only by boat, the Mukooda Trail meanders through a mix of deciduous and coniferous forest and over rocky ridges, scraped bare by ancient glaciers.
These are named Forest Service trails on National Forest land within 15 miles of Voyageurs. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured to the nearer end of the trail. Every named Forest Service trail on Trailhead Atlas.
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
News
- Jennifer Onufer Selected as Superintendent of Voyageurs National Park ↗2026-10-02
The National Park Service today announced the selection of Jennifer Onufer as its next superintendent of Voyageurs National Park.
- Voyageurs National Park Lifts Campfire Restrictions Parkwide ↗2026-08-24
The National Park Service has lifted campfire restrictions in Voyageurs National Park effective August 24, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., due to cooler weather and a lower risk of wildfire.
- Voyageurs National Park Invites Public to Sixth Annual Star Party ↗2026-08-11
Voyageurs National Park, the Voyageurs Conservancy, and other partners will host the sixth annual Voyageurs Star Party on September 11 at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center and September 12 at the Kabetogama Visitor Center.
- Kettle Falls Concession Opportunity Open for Proposals ↗2026-07-20
The National Park Service (NPS) is accepting proposals for a concession opportunity at Kettle Falls in Voyageurs National Park.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Jun Fujita CabinBuilding · Ranier · 4.8 mi
- Kettle Falls HotelBuilding · Island View · 9.2 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for Voyageurs National Park and Minnesota
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 2× · Ruffed Grouse 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 235 birds, 56 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Bald eagle · Barred owl · Boreal owl · Broad-winged hawk · Cooper's hawk · Golden eagle · Great gray owl · Great horned owl · Long-eared owl · Marsh hawk · Merlin · Northern hawk owl · Northern saw-whet owl · Osprey · Peregrine falcon · Red-tailed hawk · Rough-legged hawk · Sharp-shinned hawk · Short-eared owl · Snowy owl · Turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican bittern · American black duck · American coot · American white pelican · American wigeon · Blue-winged teal · Bufflehead · Canada goose · Common goldeneye · Common loon · Common merganser · Double-crested cormorant · Great blue heron · Greater scaup · Green-winged teal · Hooded merganser · Horned grebe · Lesser scaup · Long-tailed duck · Northern pintail · Pied-billed grebe · Red-breasted merganser · Red-necked grebe · Red-throated loon · Ring-necked duck · Ruddy duck · Sandhill crane · Snow goose · Trumpeter swan · Tundra swan · Virginia rail · Western grebe · Wood duck · Yellow rail
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican golden plover · American woodcock · Baird's sandpiper · Black tern · Bonaparte's gull · Caspian tern · Common snipe · Common tern · Dunlin · Franklin's gull · Greater yellowlegs · Herring gull · Hudsonian godwit · Killdeer · Least sandpiper · Lesser yellowlegs · Long-billed dowitcher · Marbled godwit · Pectoral sandpiper · Piping plover · Ring-billed gull · Ruddy turnstone · Sanderling · Semipalmated plover · Semipalmated sandpiper · Short-billed dowitcher · Solitary sandpiper · Spotted sandpiper · Upland plover · Western sandpiper · White-rumped sandpiper · Willet · Wilson's phalarope
Gamebirds & dovesEurasian collared dove · Feral pigeon · Mourning dove · Ruffed grouse · Sharp-tailed grouse · Spruce grouse
WoodpeckersBlack-backed woodpecker · Common flicker · Downy woodpecker · Hairy woodpecker · Northern three-toed woodpecker · Pileated woodpecker · Red-headed woodpecker · Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney swift · Ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAlder flycatcher · American crow · American goldfinch · American pipit · American redstart · American robin · American tree sparrow · Baltimore oriole · Bank swallow · Barn swallow · Bay-breasted warbler · Belted kingfisher · Black-and-white warbler · Black-billed cuckoo · Black-billed magpie · Black-capped chickadee · Black-throated blue warbler · Black-throated green warbler · Blackburnian warbler · Blackpoll warbler · Blue jay · Blue-headed vireo · Bobolink · Bohemian waxwing · Boreal chickadee · Brewer's blackbird · Brown creeper · Brown thrasher · Brown-headed cowbird · Canada warbler · Canvasback · Cape may warbler · Cedar waxwing · Chestnut-sided warbler · Chipping sparrow · Clay-colored sparrow · Cliff swallow · Common grackle · Common nighthawk · Common raven · Common redpoll · Common yellowthroat · Connecticut warbler · Dark-eyed junco · Eastern bluebird · Eastern kingbird · Eastern meadowlark · Eastern phoebe · Eastern towhee · Eastern wood-pewee · European starling · Evening grosbeak · Fox sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned kinglet · Golden-winged warbler · Gray catbird · Gray jay · Gray-cheeked thrush · Great crested flycatcher · Gyrfalcon · Harris' sparrow · Hermit thrush · Hoary redpoll · Horned lark · House sparrow · House wren · Indigo bunting · Lapland longspur · Le Conte's sparrow · Least flycatcher · Lincoln's sparrow · Magnolia warbler · Mallard · Marsh wren · Mourning warbler · Myrtle warbler · Nashville warbler · Northern goshawk · Northern mockingbird · Northern parula · Northern rough-winged swallow · Northern shoveler · Northern shrike · Northern waterthrush · Olive-sided flycatcher · Orange-crowned warbler · Ovenbird · Palm warbler · Philadelphia vireo · Pine grosbeak · Pine siskin · Pine warbler · Purple finch · Purple martin · Red crossbill · Red-breasted nuthatch · Red-eyed vireo · Red-winged blackbird · Rose-breasted grosbeak · Ruby-crowned kinglet · Rusty blackbird · Savannah sparrow · Scarlet tanager · Sedge wren · Snow bunting · Song sparrow · Sora · Surf scoter · Swainson's thrush · Swamp sparrow · Tennessee warbler · Tree swallow · Veery · Vesper sparrow · Warbling vireo · Western meadowlark · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted nuthatch · White-crowned sparrow · White-throated sparrow · White-winged crossbill · White-winged scoter · Wilson's warbler · Winter wren · Wood thrush · Yellow warbler · Yellow-bellied flycatcher · Yellow-billed cuckoo · Yellow-headed blackbird
Small mammalsAmerican beaver · Arctic shrew · Deer mouse · Eastern chipmunk · Eastern cottontail · Eastern gray squirrel · Eastern heather vole · Franklin's ground squirrel · House mouse · Least chipmunk · Masked shrew · Meadow jumping mouse · Meadow vole · Muskrat · Northern bog lemming · Northern flying squirrel · Northern short-tailed shrew · Northern water shrew · Norway rat · Porcupine · Pygmy shrew · Red squirrel · Rock vole · Smokey shrew · Snowshoe hare · Southern bog lemming · Southern red-backed vole · Star-nosed mole · Thirteen-lined ground squirrel · White-footed mouse · Woodland jumping mouse
PredatorsAmerican badger · American black bear · American marten · Bobcat · Canada lynx · Coyote · Ermine · Fisher · Gray wolf · Least weasel · Long-tailed weasel · Mink · Raccoon · Red fox · River otter · Striped skunk
Hoofed mammalsMoose · White-tailed deer
BatsBig brown bat · Eastern red bat · Hoary bat · Little brown bat · Northern bat · Silver-haired bat
Also on the checklistGround hog
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Skiing in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 41 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
There are four distinct seasons in Voyageur country. During June, July, and August periods of fine, mild weather prevail. The frost-free season averages 120 days from June to mid-September. The average ice-out date is May 3. The first measurable snowfall occurs in late October and the last in late April or early May.
Questions people ask
Does Voyageurs charge an entrance fee?
No. Voyageurs is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Voyageurs open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Voyageurs?
The Park Service lists no campgrounds inside Voyageurs. Campsite Atlas shows public campgrounds nearby.
Source: Campgrounds near this park
Is anything closed at Voyageurs right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Increased bear activity and Dryweed Island area closures.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Voyageurs?
206,326 recreation visits in 2025, number 173 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Voyageurs?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Is Voyageurs good for stargazing?
Yes. Voyageurs is a certified International Dark Sky Park.
Source: Dark sky parks
When was Voyageurs established?
1975. It covers about 341 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Voyageurs?
There are four distinct seasons in Voyageur country. During June, July, and August periods of fine, mild weather prevail.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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