Exploring Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park is located in northern Minnesota very close to the Canadian border. It is predominantly a water park best explored by a boat or a kayak.
The park was named after the French-Canadian fur traders who transported beaver furs across these waters to Montreal. In fact, you can watch an interesting 20 -minute movie about the history of the voyageurs in one of the park’s visitors centers. It’s certainly a fascinating part of the early American and Canadian history.
The park offers spectacular views of the lakes, the multitude of islands, and the Kabetogama Peninsula. Even if you only visit the sections around the visitor centers, you won’t be disappointed. By and large, the park has many trails that you can take through the woods. You will certainly come upon beaver ponds and if you’re lucky, you may even spot a beaver. As a matter of fact, the views of the islands reminded me of the San Juan Islands and partly of Acadia National Park.
Because the park receives relatively few visitors, boat tours are offered only on certain days of the week. If you’d like to take a tour, check the schedule ahead of time.
We visited the park on Sunday and weren’t able to go on a tour. It was OK since we had just sailed around the Apostle Islands but otherwise we would have been rather disappointed.
While we only explored the park on foot, I think Voyageurs National Park would be a great place to bring a kayak to. It’s certainly secluded, so if you’re after the natural beauty without big crowds, Voyageurs National Park might just be the choice. And don’t worry, we didn’t see any mosquitoes!
