Voyageurs National Park

Welcome to Voyageurs National Park!  We spent a wonderful day hiking and boating our way through the park!  The weather started out a bit tentative, but ended up pretty nice.

We started out hiking the Forest, Beaver Pond, and Kabetogama Lake Overlooks as we entered the park.  After a visit to the Ash River Visitor Center and finding out there were severe storms predicted in the late afternoon, we decided to go to the little community of Ash River to try and find a boat to rent for a couple of hours.  (Note to self: boat tours do not start at Voyageurs until the 14-15 of June)

  

Fortunately we were successful!  Ebels Voyageur Houseboats had one we could use...

and some fun artwork to boot!

  

With a fine captain at the motor, we started off down the Ash River and across Sullivan Bay....

then out into Kabetogama Lake. 

Dozens of islands, red and green navigation markers, some young people in kayaks, and  a few fishing boats kept us company as we made our way up the channel.

The sun came out with blue skies and it was glorious!

We stopped for a picnic lunch on the boat by this little island.  The chart indicated it was Wigwam Island.

In the literature I read there are over 500 islands in the park.  You can leave your car in the parking lot and head in a boat at this park.  To really enjoy your stay it would be best to BYOB...boat not booze!

We made our way back to the boat launch by watching the charts, the buoy numbers, and finding the inlet to Sullivan Bay by seeing a sign.  A great adventure!

The weather started looking a little iffy again but we decided to hike the Blind Ash Bay Trail -- 

And it did not disappoint!  

Beautiful views at the point overlooking the Lake.  See how vast the waters are on the Lake looking north towards Canada.

In the end,NO severe weather...just clouds and a bit of wind.

Our last stop was at the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center about 17 miles from the Ash River Visitor Center.  The volunteer guide from Chicago pointed out a beaver dam with a turtle sitting nearby on a log.  The clouds reflected in the water so it is a little hard to see clearly.

This is where tour boats originate...when they are running.  Lots and lots of fishermen use this launch site.   The park does not charge for entrance...we did not need to show our National Park Seniors Pass any any time during our visit.

All in all, we got a great feel for the park.  Quite pretty and not crowded at all.  It's so big, there is room for everyone!  I do think it would be best enjoyed by having your own boat!

We left the park around 4:30 or so and started driving towards our next destination in North Dakota.  We ended up driving much farther than planned because we could not find a place to stay.  Seems that most places, in this part of the state anyway, are little resorts...and most rent by the week or month.  We finally found a 'resort-motel' in Park Rapids.  Again, a little quaint, cozy old cabin...a pattern is developing here...