Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t judge a national park by its numbers. Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota is one of the least visited national parks in the United States.
“I think it’s one of the best-kept secrets,” said Mark Miller, the park’s acting chief of Interpretation, Education, Visitor Services, Public Affairs and Partnerships.
“We are a predominantly water park, and about 40% of our surface area is water,” he said.
In the summer, Voyageurs lakes are ideal for water recreation activities such as canoeing, fishing, and simply relaxing on houseboats “with a hot tub and slide on the upper deck.” In the winter, Miller said, “people love to come ride the 110 miles of snowmobile trails we have, several miles of trails groomed for cross-country skiing and ice fishing.
Here’s what travelers should know about Voyageurs, the latest national park series in KeynoteUSA’s annual series.
What is so special about Voyageurs National Park?
“The park is well known for its incredible landscapes, the 218,000 acres of forests and waters that border the boreal forest,” Miller said. “From an ecological point of view, the large masses of white pines, red pines and the ecosystem that houses megafauna such as elk, bears and wolves, but also the geology of the park, rocks up to 2.8 billion (with a B) years old, some of the oldest rocks here in the heart of the North American continent. “Our lakes are bordered by this incredible rocky shoreline of exposed granite with pine-filled forests.”
He noted that 99% of the park’s campgrounds have lake views, which is unique among national parks. They are perfect places to sit and gaze at the night sky.
“We are a certified International Dark Sky Park and what that means is incredible dark skies that we strive to preserve and protect so that people can come and have the opportunity to see the Milky Way in all its glory, constellations like they have never seen before. seen. before, and the northern lights, the northern lights, shining in waves, the orange, the red, the pink and the green,” Miller said.
Where is Voyageurs located?
Voyageurs National Park is located in northern Minnesota, almost to Canada. It’s about a four-and-a-half hour drive from the twin cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
The entrance town of International Falls is about 12 miles from the park. There is a small airport in International Falls, which offers connecting flights to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport via Delta and regional airline Sky West.
“For people looking for a remote, but unique and beautiful experience, Voyageurs is a great place,” Miller said.
What is the most visited national park?Answers to your most important questions about the park
Can you drive to Voyageurs National Park?
Yes, but the distance you can drive depends on the season.
“Through snowmobiling and driving on our plowed ice roads, you could argue that in terms of driving a car, there’s actually more mileage than you could get in the winter,” Miller said.
The rest of the year, there are a couple of what Miller describes as straight paths that lead to the Rainy Lake and Ash River park visitor centers. “That’s about the range of driving a vehicle on our road within the park boundaries.” During the open water season, she said, most people take boats further into the park.
What is the best time of year to visit Voyageurs?
Voyageurs is a year-round park with no entry fee, but there are two places that are ideal for Miller.
“I love August and September,” he said. “You get the best of summer. The air is dry. There are fewer errors. It’s warm. And then, if you wait a little longer until September, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the changing colors of fall.”
For winter activities like snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and ice fishing, Miller recommends February and March.
“February and March are often when we have the best snow and ice conditions and warmest temperatures. We’re talking highs in the 20s from mid-February to mid-March,” she said. “Hopefully we’re done with sub-zero highs like we often see in January.”
In what months can you see the Northern Lights in Voyageurs National Park?
You can potentially see the Northern Lights any time of year on Voyageurs.
“If you’re a night owl, being here in the summer is, of course, as good a time as any, but in these northern latitudes it’s light for quite a while,” Miller said. “It doesn’t really get dark in June and the first half of July and until after 10 pm, and there is ambient light that apparently persists until 11 pm”
In winter, he said, there are about nine more hours of darkness. But darkness alone is not enough.
“The key to being able to see the northern lights really has more to do with whether there is a solar storm and whether the sky is cloud-free.” he said. “With solar storms increasing lately, and we are at the peak of a typical 11-year cycle, here in 2024 and 2025, there are great opportunities to come and see the northern lights.”
Who are the native peoples of the earth?
“The predominant indigenous tribe is the Anishinaabe. That’s the term that tribes in the area often refer to themselves,” Miller said. “The word Ojibwe is probably more commonly used. “It is essentially the same ethnic group as the Chippewa, which is another word that is used.”
“The Dakota (Sioux) people who also have a history in this area. “Over the generations, they ended up migrating west toward the plains and prairies,” he added. “There are also the Cree, but they are further north, northwest.”
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