Voyageurs National Park – International Falls, Minnesota

Voyageurs National Park – International Falls, Minnesota

Way up there, next to the Canadian border is the town of International Falls.  You probably hear about it on the news quite frequently during the winter as having the coldest temperatures in the nation.  The people in International Falls are a wonderful group of people that love the diversity of the seasons and enjoy not only the summer activities but the winter ones as well.

Come to International Falls in the summer and spend some time at Voyageurs National Park.  This park has over 200,000 acres of interconnected waterways, islands, campsites and wildlife in breathtaking beauty.  You should bring your own boat or canoe, rent a houseboat or take a tour and see what this entire sublime park has to offer.  You could spend a very long time here and never see it all.

The average summer temperature at the park is 60 degrees F to 80+ degrees F; winter temperatures range from below 0 degrees F to 20 degrees F.

Voyageurs National Park is a great place to snowshoe in the winter.  If you don’t have any snowshoes but want to try it you can borrow a pair from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center for free.

Approximately 150 black bears live in Voyageurs National Park.  If you leave the black bears alone you can truly enjoy them and their escapades but please do your part in providing the environment where bears can live with minimal human interference.  When camping property store your food in a park bear-proof locker or hung fourteen feet from the ground and four feet from a tree.  Bear proof lockers hold two standard coolers.

Put in a bear-proof locker anything that has an odor such as toothpaste, bug repellent, soap, garbage and etc.

Store or hang items that a bear might think is food, such as fuel containers and water jugs.

Cook food away from your tent.  Food odors linger on the material of your tent and may attract the bears, be smart, be safe, cook away from where you sleep.

There are many, many other tips that you should know when you are planning to camp in the Voyageurs National Park, go to their website and read up so you are prepared.

Directions to the Park: By Plane: there is a small airport located in International Falls.  Taxi service and rental cares are available there.

Car: Voyageurs National Park is approximately 5 hours north of Minneapolis-St. Paul on I-35 and Hwy 53. 3 hours north of Duluth on Hwy 53 and 4 hours south of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Boat: There are public launch ramps available at the three park visitor centers on Rainy Lake, Kabetogama Lake and at the Ash River Visitor Center.  Numerous resorts also offer boat access into the park.

Open: The park is open year around.
Visitor Center Hours are: Rainy Lake Visitor Center: 218-286-5258
Open Year Round
Jan 1 – May 23 Open Wed-Sun 10 – 5
May 24-Sept 30 Open 9-5
October 1 – Dec 31 Open Wed-Sun 10-4

Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center 218-875-2111
Mid May – Sept. Open 9-5 daily
Closed October 1 thru Mid May

Ash River Visitor Center 218-374-3221
May 24 – Sept 30 Open daily 9-5
Closed Oct 1 thru mid-May

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