The Voyageurs National Park camping experience is unlike any other park you’ve been to – and by that we mean it’s better. Gone are the crowded campgrounds, noisy generators, and screaming kids.
Gone, even, are the worries of not finding a site or having yours stolen. No, here in the far reaches of Minnesota’s northern border you can put your worries away and enjoy spacious and peaceful lakefront campsites all to yourself.
Yes in Voyageurs National Park you will actually never see another camper. (Pause for dramatic effect after reading that).
That’s because every one of the park’s more than 150 campsites have been designed for total seclusion and privacy.
Many campsites are on their own islands while the others are spread very far apart from each other.
Voyageurs National Park Camping Guide
Things to Know Before You Camp at Voyageurs
Entrance Fees
There are no entrance fees to Voyageurs National Park.
Cell Service
Cell Service is hit or miss throughout the park. The visitors centers have service and most places with roads do. Rainy Lake has some coverage, but as you go east on the other lakes coverage is rare.
Guide Book
Best Guide Book is this one which we used extensively on our visit.
Map
Map: The best map for Voyageurs is this one which we carried with us everywhere.
Dry Bags
Dry bags are an essential Voyageurs item keeping wallets, phones, etc nice and dry in a very wet park. We used / loved this dry bag.
Getting to Voyageurs
Getting to Voyageurs National Park is as easy as flying in to Minneapolis and renting a car from there. The park is 4 and a half hours from the MSP airport. You can also fly directly in to International Falls which is serviced by a few of the major domestic carriers. Once there you can rent a car and you’re already practically in the park.
Boat Rentals
The entire park is accessible only by boat! Rentals are easy and our Voyageurs National Park Guide provides a comprehensive guide to renting boats in the park.
Best Time to Visit
Best Time to Visit Voyageurs National Park is in the Fall. The bustle of summer fishing and house boating is long gone and the park’s shores and trails are ablaze with magnificent autumn reds, yellows, and oranges. Fall is a feast for the eyes at Voyageurs, but be quick as it’s also very short in this coldest area of the continental U.S.
Where to Stay
Visiting Voyageurs National Park? If you haven’t decided where to stay (yet) check out our helpful guide on visiting Voyageurs National Park for tips. Don’t have time? Here’s our favorite hotel for Voyaguers.
First, Watch the Award-Winning Voyageurs Video
Check out our award-winning short film on Voyageurs National Park to get an idea of what’s in store at this watery wonderland.
There’s a Bit of a Catch…
You didn’t think you could have the best camping experience in the national park system without any effort did you?
The catch is that all of the campsites in Voyageurs National Park are reachable exclusively by water.
What Does This Mean For Me?
It means that you’ll have to ditch that car of yours at a lodge and rent a boat (canoe, kayak, or motorboat) to get to your campsite.
Or you can bring your own boat. But fear not, it’s actually a lot easier than it sounds and trust us when we say it’s well worth it.
Read on to be well on your way to the best national park camping experience you’ll ever have.
Learning the Lakes of Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park has three main lakes: Rainy Lake, Kabetogama Lake, and Namakan Lake.
Rainy Lake is the largest lake in the park stretching over a whopping 360 square miles of spectacular scenery.
Rainy is also the most visited lake in the park as it stretches well beyond the park boundaries into Canada and provides access to many homes and developed areas that predate the park, including the city of International Falls, MN.
All three lakes provide ample camping opportunities as does the smaller Sand Point Lake further to the east.
Kabetogama Lake is the only one of the main lakes that is entirely within Voyageurs National Park (and the United States for that matter). Kab, as the locals call it, is sometimes referred to as the crown jewel of Minnesota’s 10,000+ lakes and you can certainly see why when you visit.
Namakan Lake straddles the Canadian border and connects Kabetogama to Rainy Lake near Kettle Falls. Namakan may well provide the most scenic and secluded camping opportunities in the park.
Things To Know About Camping in Voyageurs
Voyageurs National Park is almost entirely accessible ONLY by water.
I know we covered this at the beginning, but it’s worth pointing out again that this just isn’t like any other national park you’ve been to – and that’s part of what makes it so great!
You can see the Northern Lights in Voyageurs
Yes! You can absolutely see the northern lights here in all their glory.
No I’m not talking about a faint glow on the horizon, I’m talking about the entire sky coming alive and dancing in front of your very eyes in dazzling displays of blues and greens for hours or more.
Fall and spring are great times to catch this amazing phenomenon without freezing your butt off.
DO NOT Cross Into Canada While Camping at Voyageurs
DO NOT cross into Canada without first obtaining a remote border crossing permit.
The park’s lakes straddle the Canadian border and it can be very easy to stray into territorial waters, sometimes without even knowing it.
Both countries take their borders very seriously and you can get into a lot of trouble if you end up in Canada without going through the proper channels.
Fishing Licenses
You will need a Minnesota fishing license if you want to fish the famed waters of the park – and we recommend it!
There’s just nothing like catching your dinner or pulling your canoe up to an island and cooking a Minnesota shore lunch. Be sure to read up on the regulations about catch limits and the kinds of fish you can keep (see pages 57-59).
The waters are frequently patrolled by state and federal authorities making sure everyone is staying safe and playing by the rules. You can get your Minnesota fishing license here.
Know your limits
Canoeing and kayaking are loads of fun, you might even say boatloads of fun – see what I did there?
But it’s important to know your physical and geographical limitations before embarking on an unforgettable canoe trip.
Plot out how far away your campsite is and know how much gear you’ll need to bring. You can check out all of our boating tips here.
Check the weather!
Since getting around this park means getting in a boat, knowing the weather beforehand is twice as important.
While your car may have no trouble in the rain and wind, the same can’t be said for a canoe or a kayak.
Avoid Winter.
Winter in Voyageurs National Park is an entirely different world. The huge lakes are completely frozen and temperatures in the park are routinely far below zero.
In short, this might not be the best time to go camping! For more on Voyageurs in the winter check out our park guide.
What You’ll Need to Camp in Voyageurs National Park
- A boat. You can rent canoes and kayaks at nearly any lodge on any of the park’s three main lakes. The going rates for these venerable watercrafts are typically $30. You can also rent motorboats of all sizes, from houseboats (think RV’s of the water) on down to pontoons and small 2-person fishing boats.
- A reservation. Campsite reservations can be made online at recreation.gov and range between $12-35/night depending on the site. Unlike some parks, apart from maybe the busiest holidays, you should have no trouble at all finding a site.
- Supplies. Since you’ll be leaving your trusty steed in the stable (that’s a joke about your car) you’ll need to bring all of your food, water, and camping supplies with you in the boat. Varying sizes of dry bags for the items you don’t want getting wet are highly recommended.
- A Map. Don’t sleep on this one. The right map is crucial to getting around the giant lakes of this park and finding your campsite. It’s also doubly crucial to finding your way back!
- When in doubt, a guide. Look, as much as we’d all like to picture ourselves as the salty captain in the yellow slicker from the frozen food packages, we have to face that most of us are actually mildly to moderately helpless once beyond the comforting range of cell towers. Luckily the Voyageurs area is full of wonderful lodges and outfitters that can take you anywhere you’d like to go in the park – and they can even drop you off at a campsite and pick you up the next day!
The Campsites in Voyageurs
How many campsites are there in Voyageurs National Park?
Voyageurs National Park has over 150 individual campsites!
What kind of amenities do these campsites have?
Each of the more than 150 front country campsites is equipped with a dock, a fire ring, a picnic table, a site for your tent, a bear locker, and a secluded pit toilet – everything you need for an amazing getaway.
I’m not sold yet. Why should I camp in Voyageurs?
Camping in Voyageurs National Park is simply as good as it gets.
Few campsites in other parks can rival the experience of docking your boat, pitching your tent, cooking your meal over an open fire, and listening to the calming sound of water gently lapping against the shoreline, only occasionally interrupted by the distant calls of loons.
Okay, what about camping for experienced backpackers & boaters looking to get even further off the beaten path?
Voyageurs also offers 15 more primitive “backcountry” campsites which are typically located within interior lakes. You can read more about backcountry camping opportunities at Voyageurs on their website here.
If You Just Can’t Leave Your Car Behind
Alas there are options for ye land lubbers, though you’ll technically have to leave the park boundaries.
Woodenfrog Campground, part of Kabetogama State Forest, is located on the southern shores of Lake Kabetogama and offers one of the only drive-in campgrounds in the area.
Best Time to Visit Voyageurs National Park
The best time to visit Voyageurs National Park is September and October when the park displays it’s magnificent fall foliage.
The busy fishing and tourist seasons are over and the park is serene and quiet, perfect for an outdoor getaway. An added bonus is your chances of seeing the northern lights are pretty good!
How Does Voyageurs National Park Camping Sound to You?
Leave us a comment below and let us know your thoughts on this incredibly unique national park camping experience. Do you have a favorite park for camping?
Don’t forget to check out our comprehensive Voyageurs National Park Guide! Also be sure to watch our film on Voyageurs National Park near the top of the page for all the inspiration you need!
Also be sure to check out the Voyageurs National Park website for the most up to date information on camping in the park. The park’s camping page has more information about each individual campsite and what to expect.
Helpful Related Articles
Voyageurs Guide: Voyageurs National Park: Epic Guide to Minnesota’s Watery Wonderland
Things to Do: 10 (INCREDIBLE) Things to Do in Voyageurs National Park
Minnesota National Parks: 6 EPIC Minnesota National Parks Worth Visiting (Guide + Photos)
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