Our summer trip to Voyageurs National Park was perfect – it included beautiful sunsets, stunning lakes, great hikes, and some fun history. We spent a total of 4 nights in the park, with 3 of those being on the water on our houseboat.
As mentioned in our other post here on Voyageurs National Park, we went out on Crane Lake and as a result some of these things to see are on that side of the park, but we visited Kabetogema Lake Visitor Center and Rainy Lake Visitor Center as well so we got to two of the three Visitor Centers and did activities at each of them. We have organized this post by the nearest visitor center so you can choose where you go and what to see in that area.
Kabetogema Lake Visitor Center
After leaving the Twin Cities, we drove up to the park and first went to Kabetogema Lake Visitor Center (1 of the 3 visitor centers for Voyageurs National Park) to complete our Junior Ranger books and have a picnic lunch next to the boat launch. (Check out this post for activities to keep your kids busy on the car ride). There was not a lot to do at this Visitor Center especially with Covid restrictions (we were only allowed into the gift shop area), so I would skip this location unless you have your own boat to launch. Leaving this area, we went to Crane Lake Ranger Station and were able to check in to our hotel.
Vermilion Gorge
After checking in to the Voyagaire Lodge, we ate dinner at their restaurant and went for a quick, but beautiful hike to see the Vermilion Gorge. This neat geographic feature was a short 3.0 mile out-and-back trail from the Lodge and can also be accessed by boat on Crane Lake and nearly eliminate the hike altogether.
Namakan Lake
The next morning we relaxed, got some breakfast at the restaurant, and prepared to head out on our houseboat. With Voyagaire’s Bed & Breakfast package we got out on the water earlier than normal and were able to be on the water around 10:30AM. We drove all the way across Crane Lake, through the King Williams Narrows (a highlight for sure!), across Sand Point Lake, through the Namakan Narrows and all the islands in that area before getting to the open water of Namakan Lake.
Houseboats aren’t fast (about 6-7MPH), but with that package getting us out earlier we were able to get to the west side of Namakan near Junction Bay to an official houseboat site (marked on the map they provide you with) on McManus Island (there are also official sites there). The site was great and water calm until about 4AM when the wind shifted and began banging our boat against the shore. Lesson learned, we struggled to sleep and eventually gave up on it and made sure to find more protected sites on our remaining nights…
Kettle Falls Hotel
After eating breakfast and getting ready to set off we made our way north to a houseboat site in the Voyageur Narrows where we dropped off the houseboat (at the Gagnon Island site, a really nice site that seemed pretty protected) and took our tow-behind (fishing boat) up to the Kettle Falls Hotel. This historic spot is a must-see and one of just a couple spots in the United States where you can look south into Canada. We ate our picnic lunch by the hotel and stopped in the shop to see if there were any keepsakes we wanted.
I would definitely suggest taking your tow-behind to the Kettle Falls Hotel area as it is much easier to navigate into the dock area.
Grassy Bay Cliffs
We heard good things about Mica Bay and considered heading into it for our next night but decided to try our luck on a houseboat site we had heard others talk about near the Grassy Bay Cliffs. Seeing a stunning photo at the Voyagaire Lodge restaurant of the Cliffs sealed the deal. We made the lengthy trip across Namakan Lake and through the Namakan Narrows and down into Sand Point Lake and the Grassy Bay before finding the perfect site just beyond the Cliffs in a secluded little bay, our favorite houseboat site of the trip (and also the most difficult to figure out where we were supposed to pull in to tie up).
After dinner we took a boat ride on our tow-behind down into Browns Bay and saw a few other boats settling in for the night. It reminded us how important it was to get to a site in the early afternoon as the later you wait the less likely you are to find a spot you will like. You will find a spot, but the stress of it can be a nuisance when you are trying to relax. It will also give you the best chance to protect yourself from the wind and waves if a storm comes through.
If we get back to Voyageurs National Park I would like to do the portage over to Little Trout Lake to see what is over there, but we didn’t have a canoe or kayak on this trip so it wasn’t feasible for us to do so. The evening we spent in this spot was a highlight of our trip as the sunset was beautiful, the stars at night were crystal clear, and the lake was perfectly still the next morning and gave us beautiful photos.
After hanging out in this spot for a fair portion of the day we packed up again and made our way down to a site near Mukooda Lake so we were a reasonable distance to get the houseboat back in time the next morning. Each houseboat company has a check out time and it is important that you have a reasonable expectation of how long it will take for you to get from where you are camped that final night to their dock.
Sand Point and Mukooda Lakes
After getting the houseboat all settled we took the tow-behind over to the Mukooda Lake dock and took off to walk the short distance over to Mukooda Lake and explore the area. Mukooda Lake is unique in Voyageurs National Park in that it has 20’ of clarity (most other lakes in the area are tinted brown by Tamarack trees) and the park protects the lake from invasive species by restricting the boats to a select few that can be utilized on the lake. In 2020, a hiking trail was completed, and while we hoped to explore more of it the day we were there was rainy and the smoke had returned from the nearby wildfires.
We chose to head south from the Day Use / Picnic Area towards the remains of the Filben Cabin and found the history fascinating as the cabin was once called the St. Paul Club and was used in the smuggling of liquor during prohibition. The cabin was also a great hideout for Thomas Filben and signage at the site tells of the connections to John Dillinger and a number of Minnesota mobsters.
From here we walked out to the lake and simply sat and appreciated the beauty of this area while reflecting on how a few quick days in the wilds of Northern Minnesota had brought rest and rejuvenation to our family. We made our way back to the houseboat, ate our final dinner on the water, and played the trivia game that Voyagaire ran that evening over the radio. We didn’t win but enjoyed the game and lost on a fish question, which made sense because we are somewhat clueless when it comes to fishing.
We left the houseboat that next morning after a drive through the beautiful King Williams Narrows and made our way up to International Falls where we walked through the downtown area and stopped in a few of the cute shops. We then headed out to our final park stop, Rainy Lake Visitor Center.
Rainy Lake Visitor Center
This Visitor Center is one of the most visited in Voyageurs National Park, both due to its proximity to International Falls and the border crossing there but also because it is open all year and is the primary access to Rainy Lake. We enjoyed the visitor center and the park video that was running. What we did not have a chance to do was get out on Rainy Lake and will try to do so on a return trip so we can see the Harry Oveson Fish Camp, Camp Marston, Anderson Bay, and hiking trails along the lake.
So there you go! We had an amazingly restful, and peaceful time in the beautiful Voyageurs National Park and while we left a few things on the to do list for a return trip, we highly recommend going out on Crane Lake through Voyagaire Houseboats and the exploring we were able to do on that side of the park! Looking forward to going back again. Hopefully sometime soon!
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