Voyageurs National Park - General Park Information

Nearly 200 years ago voyageurs paddled birch bark canoes full of animal pelts and trade goods through this area on their way to Lake Athabaska, Canada. Today, people explore the park by houseboat, motorboat, canoe and kayak. Voyageurs is a water-based park where you must leave your car and take to the water to fully experience the lakes, islands and shorelines of the park.

Water is the defining feature of Voyageurs National Park. The interconnected waterways provide recreational boaters with an unparalleled opportunity to explore the northwoods lake country.

Forests cover the land, thriving on a thin layer of soil that has formed since the last glaciers melted around 10,000 years ago. Rocks that formed when the earth was young are exposed here. In Voyageurs National Park, you can touch some of the most ancient rock on earth and watch light reflect on the lake. The waters are blue during the long summer days and bright white when frozen beneath a blanket of snow in the winter.

The distant howl of a wolf, the snap of branches as a white-tailed deer or black bear moves through the forest--sounds that remind us that although we are visitors here, Voyageurs is home to a rich variety of wildlife.

Whether you are here for a day, a week or longer, the lakes and land of Voyageurs National Park offer plenty of opportunities for exploration, fun, relaxation, and learning.

Voyageurs has a cool, continental climate with short, warm summers followed by long, cold winters.

Average summer temperatures are 60 degrees F to 80 + degrees F; winter temperatures range from below 0 degrees F to 20 degrees F.