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Voyageurs National Park

A Living Legacy Linking Generations and Centuries

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced that Voyageurs would become our country’s 26th National Park, saying, “Rich in history of the early and exciting exploration of our great country, Voyageurs will serve as a living legacy linking generation to generation and century to century.”

Just four years later, Voyageurs National Park was officially established “to preserve for the inspiration and enjoyment of future generations the outstanding scenery, geological conditions and waterway system which constituted part of the historic route of the Voyageurs who contributed significantly to the opening of the Northwestern United States.” To this day, it is the only water-based US National Park.

Kabetogama is Your Main Gateway to Voyageurs

Straddling the US-Canadian Border, Voyageurs’ 218,000 acres include three different Visitors Centers, four major lakes (Kabetogama, Namakan, Rainy and Sand Point), thirty smaller inland lakes, and literally hundreds of uninhabited islands that have waited millenia to host your family picnic.

Did you know that Kabetogama is the only major lake in Voyageurs National Park that is fully US waters? Rest assured, that family picnic on one of our many islands will always be on US land. And the National Park’s largest landmass is Kabetogama Peninsula, which can be reached by water in the spring, summer and fall, as well as by travelling over the ice in winter.

Bucket List Item:

See the Northern Lights

Voyageurs National Park is a certified International Dark Sky Place – meaning that our beautiful star-filled night skies are completely free of unnatural “urban light.” Simply put, our skies will blow you away. Seriously, visitors from the Twin Cities and other urban areas are routinely stunned by the sheer volume of visible stars. In fact, Voyageurs provides you the best opportunity to see Aurora Borealis – the famed Northern Lights – in the lower 49 states. Hey, we’re not Alaska – but we are just a 5-hour drive from Minneapolis and just 30 minutes from Minnesota’s International Falls Regional Airport (with direct flights from MSP). Plus, when you check into one of our lakeside resorts, your host will typically ask if you want to be awakened in the “middle of the night” should Aurora Borealis present herself. We don’t want you to miss it!

Hot Spots in Voyageurs

Every one of our lakeside Kabetogama resorts is within minutes of the Ellsworth Rock Gardens, known as “Showplace of Lake Kabetogama” since the 1940s. The park’s 200+ rock sculptures are a can’t-miss part of your journey to God’s Country.

Our Kabetogama lakeside resorts also give you easy access to Kettle Falls, where centuries ago prospectors visited on their way to the Rainy Lake gold mines.

Video provided courtesy of Voyageurs National Park Resorts. Please visit https://www.voyageurs.org/ for more information about conserving this treasured land.

Please visit www.nps.gov/voya for all Park information, including the Park Naturalist programs.