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Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park encompasses 218,054 acres, including 84,000 acres of lakes forming part of a natural highway stretching from Lake Superior to Lake of the Woods. The park commemorates the French-Canadian voyageurs who navigated these waters in canoes laden with furs and trade goods. Carrying up to 180 pounds on a portage, or overland route, and paddling for 16 hours a day, these men were the heart and brawn of the fur trade.
Dominated by a maze of waterways, time has left few marks on this landscape. Except for motorboats, canoe portage trails and the names the voyageurs left behind marking their route--Chaudierre (Kettle Falls) and Rainy Lake--little has changed since they traversed the region to reach the outposts of the Canadian Northwest. Even now the ridges and hillsides outside their route remain unnamed.
Probably nothing so symbolizes the park's timelessness as the Eastern timber wolf. Just as Yellowstone and Glacier national parks are two of the last refuges for the grizzly, Voyageurs is one of the last sanctuaries in the continental United States for these wolves. Contrary to folklore, wolves are shy and secretive and usually leave only tracks as a sign of their presence. Deer and moose also occupy the area, as well as bears, beavers and waterfowl.
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