Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs National Park encompasses a total area of 218,200 acres of land in both Koochiching County and Saint Louis County in the state of Minnesota. The park’s activities and attractions are mainly water based since one-third of the park is in water. The closest urban area to the park is International Falls which is about 15 miles away. 

Other areas near the park include the US-Canadian border in the Northern Minnesota area and Minneapolis-Saint Paul which is about 300 miles away. Access to islands, shorelines, and the Kabetogama Peninsula in the park are mainly accessed through watercraft.

Historically, the area of land and water where the Voyageurs National Park sits was used by French-Canadian voyageurs who used canoes to transport trade goods including animal pelts on their way to Lake Athabaska in Canada. Today, the park is still an interconnected maze of water highways that connects four large lakes, and this means that it is important to plan the routes that you wish to pursue when you get to the park. 

Recreational activities that you can enjoy in the park include swimming, hiking, camping, boating, cross-country skiing, kayaking, interpretive programs, fishing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and wildlife viewing. Amenities available to facilitate these activities include restrooms, campgrounds, picnic area, restaurant, lodging, boat rental, boat ramp, visitor centers, self-guided tour/trail, and a museum. 

Also within the park are several wildlife species including moose, wolves, black bears, white-tailed deer, river otters, foxes, snowshoe hares, beavers, muskrats, weasels, double-crested cormorants, loons, bald eagles, and owls among other animals.

You are definitely allowed to bring your dog along for the ride as long as you adhere to strict park rules. Some of the rules that you will need to follow are as follows. First, you must ensure that your dog is always on a leash that has a maximum length of six feet. 

Additionally, you must ensure that you clean up after your dog and that you are responsible for where your dog accesses by ensuring that you know areas of the park that you can and cannot visit. Dogs are basically only allowed in Front country campsites and not anywhere else. You are specifically not allowed to take your dog into Backcountry sites located within the Kabetogama Peninsula.