Everything in this post, including very good advice about visiting for the first time, will greatly improve shortly!
Thank you for your patience!
From stunning isolated backcountry lakes, endless fishing opportunities, fall colors that rival the best of the Northeast, and both wilderness camping and lodging on the remote Kabetogama Peninsula, Voyageurs National Park is a profoundly underrated destination in the Minnesota North Woods, largely because out-of-state visitors don’t know how to visit!
Yes, Voyageurs National Park gets a bad reputation because many who visit for the first time show up underprepared and unaware of how rugged, remote, and challenging Voyageurs can be, even when it comes to simply day hiking.
On top of this, Voyageurs National Park is a world-class fishing destination, meaning fishing is by far one of the best things to do in the park, but it can seem intimidating and out of reach if you’re visiting or flying in from out of state. If this is you, I strongly recommend reading my fishing setup section at the end of this article, as it’s not as challenging as it may initially seem!
Now, what all this hopefully shows is that Voyageurs National Park requires A LOT of advance planning in order to have a great trip, most notably being practical about what you’re interested in doing, which should dictate what time of year you plan to visit—and I need to stress that word "should"!
By this, I mean that one of the worst aspects about Voyageurs National Park is the bugs, as they are horrendous if you visit at the wrong time of year! This is why I discuss different activities in Voyageurs in detail in the next section below, because the bugs—specifically the biting flies—can ruin a trip! Trust me, I’ve experienced this firsthand.
What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Voyageurs National Park?
The answer to this question is easily and unequivocally fall, specifically the last few days of September and into early October when the leaves begin to change. I hope the photo below says it all!
Now, if you’re a family with kids and are thinking by reading this that fall is out of the question because of the school year, I would seriously encourage you to reconsider because Voyageurs is just that different!
What I mean is that fall is a time of year that I often recommend as one of the best times to visit parks across the country because of both the colors and the fact that crowds are minimal. However, in Voyageurs National Park, this sentiment goes far beyond those two factors, and it all goes back to the bugs!
This is why I mentioned in the first paragraph that what you are interested in doing should influence the time of year you plan to visit, and to add to this, the vast majority of the best things to do in Voyageurs National Park on the list below should not be considered if you visit at the wrong time of year.
So, what is the wrong time of year? It’s mid-summer, which is all centered around the bugs!
I’m talking biting flies that will swarm your hair and bite through your clothes the second you step onto any trail, Wood Ticks that will have you checking your clothes, your hair, and your gear for weeks to follow, and mosquitoes that can make enjoying any evening campfire unbearable!
Seriously, don’t try to act tough and say bugs don’t really bother me. You’re not that tough, and I know this from many mid-summer trips in the North Woods that have tested the best of my grit in the past!
That said, private operators that give boat tours, shuttle hikers to trailheads, and do fishing trips will not tell you this because their business is seasonally dependent on summer travel, but mid-summer is exactly when you want to steer clear of Voyageurs National Park—at least for the vast majority of the best things to do!
This is why Voyageurs National Park is one of a few destinations where I can confidently say it’s worth pulling your kids out of school to visit at the right time of year! You won’t be disappointed that you did!
The one exception to this—and this is a very fine line that I have successfully timed on numerous occasions—is to visit right when the snow melts at the end of May and into the first week of June before the hatching flies and mosquitoes start to become a problem. The temperature to look out for is around 50–60°F (10–15.5°C). This is when mosquitoes and biting flies tend to become more active in the spring and a nuisance for visitors.
If you can’t visit before the end of the first week in June, I’d say forget about it until fall comes around. I’m not kidding when I say I will never visit Voyageurs at any other time of the year after first experiencing late spring/ early summer, then mid-summer, before finally visiting during the colors. There really is no question: plan your trip around the fall!
As for specific activities, I strongly recommend planning your visit around my thoughts below.
Hiking & Backcountry Camping:
I recommend visiting during the fall for all the reasons mentioned above.
This applies to both drive-up trailheads near Kabetogama and the Ash River Visitor Center and remote trailheads out on the peninsula. I can promise the mid-summer bugs are something you never want to experience, and this is exactly why I said at the end of this article, your water taxi will ask you, "Have you ever been to Voyageurs before?"
Boat Tours & Staying at Kettle Falls:
Reserving an all-day boat tour is easily one of the best things to do in Voyageurs National Park—especially on Kabetogama Lake for the reasons mentioned below—and this is one of the few activities where I think visiting during the mid-summer is not a bad choice.
I say this largely because you will be seeing Voyageurs from the water and not subject to the swarms of biting insects out on the trails, but I also want to stress that solely visiting Voyageurs without the intention of hiking is not the best way to visit. You will miss out on a lot if you don’t plan one or a few trails, so again, I lean toward visiting during the fall.
I also included Kettle Falls under this section because staying in the historic Kettle Falls Hotel can be a great mid-summer adventure because, when the bugs inevitably get bad, you have the luxury of heading inside!
Fishing Trips
I mentioned previously that Voyageurs is a world-class fishing destination, which could not be more true!
That said, front-country fishing, where you launch on one of the drive-up lakes or reserve a trip through one of the local guides, can be a way to visit during the mid-summer months because you’re not subjecting yourself to the terrible biting flies and mosquitoes when out on the water.
However, this same sentiment does not apply to backcountry fishing where you need to hike in. Even midday, when the temperatures are hottest, the bugs are horrible throughout much of the Voyageurs backcountry.
What I hope all this shows is that there really is one universal time to visit Voyageurs National Park in order to see and enjoy the most you can, and it’s not even close! Visit during the fall for the spectacular colors!
What is the Difference Between Camping in Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (B.W.C.A.)
If you’re an out-of-state visitor, this comparison likely won’t mean as much to you because most traveling from a different state to the Minnesota North Woods are making the trek for the National Park—and I totally get it! There is a lot to love about Voyageurs National Park!
However, I still believe a side-by-side comparison is useful because there are a lot of similarities between the two, as well as a lot of differences.
First and foremost, both Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) are renowned for their stunning backcountry lakes, endless fishing opportunities, and wilderness campsites that are among the most pristine and least-visited in the country!
That said, there are a lot of subtle differences when it comes to planning a camping trip in one or the other, as each requires a very different approach. What I really mean by saying this is that a canoe trip of any kind is not the most straightforward adventure, but one is far more challenging to plan for out-of-state residents than, say, simply setting off on any trail across the Mountain West, like The Beaten Path Trail in Montana.
To start with Voyageurs, the National Park is by far better suited for out-of-state residents because much of the planning process is all about getting a backcountry permit on Recreation.gov.
By doing so, your permit is valid for a specific campsite at a specific lake (sometimes lakes), you will be the only group there for those reserved nights, and your permit includes codes for canoes staged on the interior lake you reserved. Yes, the National Park Service pre-stages canoes at all the lakes in the Voyageurs backcountry in an effort to keep out invasive species.
As for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in the Superior National Forest, the process is not as straightforward as I just described. Rather, permits specify entry points and follow a daily quota, but campsites are not assigned. This means that it’s a little more of a free-for-all when choosing where to spend the night, so having a backup site in mind is necessary if your first option doesn’t work out.
Additionally, canoes must be arranged by the permit holder, meaning the National Forest Service does not have canoes waiting for you as the National Park Service does. Therefore, renting a canoe from an outfitter out of Ely, Minnesota is often necessary, or transporting your own, granted that the registration is valid.
If you are visiting from out of state, booking through an outfitter is not a bad or difficult option. It just requires one additional step in the planning process.
So, what are the advantages and disadvantages? As previously mentioned, Voyageurs National Park is far better suited for out-of-state visitors because it’s a much more hassle-free planning process. The other nice thing about camping in Voyageurs is that you always know your campsite will be open for you when you get there, and you will be the only group on a specific lake on any given night.
As for the BWCA, there are often multiple campsites on an individual lake, but I wouldn’t think of that as a disadvantage. I say this because once you portage into an interior lake, meaning a lake that has no road access, it’s canoe-only, and you can almost always count on a very quiet and relaxing experience.
The other advantage about the BWCA is that it is much more about creating your own adventure, meaning that piecing together a big one-way loop out of many lakes and many portages is very common and very popular. For example, on one of a few trips I took up to the BWCA, my friends and I launched from Moose Lake, portaged into Wind Lake, followed by Basswood, the Prairie Portage, into Sucker, then Newfound Lake before returning to Moose. It was something of a 22.0-mile (35.4 km) adventure!
What I hope that shows is that creativity is sort of the name of the game in the BWCA, and it really comes down to how much or how little you’re willing to see!
If you’re asking which one I prefer, I think the answer is easy: Voyageurs, and I say this because the convenience that Voyageurs National Park provides by not having to portage and arrange a separate canoe reservation is a luxury I think is second to none, though I will continue to visit both in the future, as I have many times before!
Hiking Checklist - Voyageurs
Obviously, for camping, you will need general backpacking gear. For this reason, I wrote a separate post about what backpacking gear is worth the money, from my experience, and what the best alternatives are to save you money.
Read My Separate Post: Best Ultralight Backpacking Gear
In addition, here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Voyageurs National Park.
10 Best Things to Do in Voyageurs National Park
The following list is written in no particular order of best or worst, but more importantly, I talk about a number of obvious and not-so-obvious tips to know at the end.
Don’t skip over the end, as many are things that I wish I would have known before my first visit to Voyageurs National Park!
1. Mukooda Trail
2. Locator Lake Trail (Chain of Lakes)
3. Private Boat Tour on Kabetogama Lake
4. Oberholtzer Trail
5. Stay at the Kettle Falls Hotel
6. Private Fishing Tour
7. Little Shoepack Lake Trail
8. Ellsworth Rock Gardens
9. Sullivan Bay Trail
10. Black Bay Beaver Pond
5 Things to Know Before Visiting Voyageurs National Park
1. Don’t go backcountry camping without plans to fish.
If you venture out into the heart of Kabetogama Peninsula with the intention of camping one or a few nights, hike in ready to fish!
This may sound stuck-up, but if you don’t plan to fish, I want to say you’re wasting your time! I mean, seriously, how can you pass up on world-class fishing just because you don’t know how, don’t have the gear, or it seems too complicated to learn? And trust me, it’s not!
Learning to fish is not as intimidating or expensive as it may initially seem, which is why I wrote the following description below.
2. This is my universal fishing setup for both Voyageurs National Park and alpine lakes.
This section is not sponsored. All the gear described and linked below is what I personally use and recommend.
7-ft. (2.1 m) Two-Piece Medium Spinning Fishing Rod - A good fishing rod should be the easiest piece of gear to come by.
Just go to Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops, Scheels, or your local outdoor store, and tell them you want a 7-ft. (2.1 m) two-piece spinning rod. You don’t need a name brand. The store brand will do!
Spinning rods are sold as light, medium, and heavy, but medium is the sweet spot for just about any fish you’re likely to catch—just not trophy-sized!
Rowan Fishing Rod Case (2.5" × 44") - If you take my advice regarding what rod to buy, then go with the Rowan case I have linked below.
It is light and easy to strap to the outside of your bag or carry in your hand while hiking, but also durable enough to handle checked luggage when flying.
I have long been impressed by how well it has held up over many trips on an airplane!
Pflueger President Spinning Reel (Gear Ratio: 5.2:1 / Size: 30) - For a spinning rod, you need a spinning reel, and Pflueger President reels are by far the best company making reels on the market!
That said, this is the one piece of gear that is a little more on the expensive end, but if you want an enjoyable, hassle-free experience, there is no question that President is the way to go!
50-lb.-Test Braided Fishing Line - I guess if you know the type, you know, but naysayers would say don’t use braided fishing line.
However, I would counter with: Do you want to catch fish or be frustrated and watch them get away?
By all this, I mean there’s a long-standing debate about whether it’s better to use monofilament line or braided line, and I’ve always rolled my eyes when I’ve heard the mono argument.
What I really mean is that some fishermen treat fishing too much like it’s an art. They use different pound tests for different species, all in the name of presentation.
However, the name of the game here is "universal"! You need a setup that works in all situations, and that’s why you want to use braided line.
With braided line, you don’t have to worry about it breaking for 99% of what you can expect to catch, it won’t get tangled in a bird’s nest as monofilament is much more prone to do, and I’m a die-hard believer that presentation doesn’t matter as much as some say it does.
I have caught countless Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Perch, and even the rare and endemic Shoepack Muskie on the Kabetogama Peninsula, and I can confidently say from years and years of experience: Fish are dumb! Just get your line in the water, and you will catch something!
Folding Fishing Net - A good fishing net may be the most vague recommendation on this list because size does matter in terms of it being too small for certain fish, too big to fly with, and too awkward to hike with.
This is why I recommend a roughly 18–24-in. (46–61 cm) hoop on a folding net. This certainly won’t help you land a state-record Northern Pike, but it should help you bring most fish into your boat or canoe without breaking your setup.
Plano Tackle Insert — Approx. 10 × 5.5 in. (25 × 14 cm) - You don’t need a whole tackle box; you just need one Plano plastic insert where you can jam in all your lures and small pieces of gear.
Backcountry fishing, or rather, flying with gear, is really not about being organized as you might in another situation. Rather, it’s more about conserving space, which is why I recommend jamming as much as you think you need into a small Plano box—and yes, this should include spare fishing line.
Tackle (Fishing Lures, Steel Leaders, Stringer, Pocket Knife, & Hook Remover) - If you’re visiting Voyageurs National Park without any gear, all this gear is actually something you should be able to come by pretty easily, given that pretty much every corner store near the park sells bait and tackle.
Personally, I recommend buying a few different spoons in different sizes—3 in. (7.6 cm), or a little over or under, is perfect—and a few Rapala deep-diving lures around 3–4 in. (7.6–10.2 cm), and a #2 or #3 Mepps spinner, which will help you hook into just about everything you’re likely to encounter!
That said, a stringer may not be necessary if you don’t plan to clean fish, but a good hook remover is something you can’t go without if you’ll be fishing on a lake with Walleye, Northern Pike, or Muskie.
These are toothy fish, and a hook remover is essential for your safety because their teeth can easily slice your hand wide open. A hook remover will also help you get the fish back in the water quickly so it doesn’t die during handling.
Additionally, steel leaders are essential when fishing on a lake with the same toothy fish because if you happen to hook into a fish without one on, it can easily bite through your fishing line, which often leads to its death when the lure remains with it for life.
If you’re like me and live out of state, this is the best universal fishing setup you can assemble for flying in, hiking, and catching fish, both in Voyageurs National Park and in alpine trout lakes across the country.
The lures should change based on where you are visiting, but if you’re just getting started, my go-to setup should work in most situations!
3. Don’t fish without a license.
In both Voyageurs National Park, a valid Minnesota fishing license is required to fish.
That said, a fishing license for a quick trip really isn’t all that expensive and can be purchased online before visiting.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: Fishing License Sales
4. Water taxi guides will likely ask, "Have you ever been to Voyageurs before?"
The bluntness and importance of this question cannot be overstated!
When you request a water taxi to access one of the many trailheads that lead into the remote Voyageurs National Park backcountry, your guide will likely call you because they are trying to understand the experience and preparedness of the group that is asking for a ride. I have been asked this question numerous times from different guides before!
That said, what the guide is really asking is, "Do you know what you’re getting into?"
This is because countless out-of-state visitors come to Voyageurs National Park unprepared for the ruggedness that is the Kabetogama Peninsula.
It’s not that it’s necessarily a steep or challenging place to hike, but hot summer days in the swampy, very buggy backcountry test visitors more than they often anticipate. In fact, it’s not uncommon for visitors to get dropped off at a backcountry trailhead one minute before running back to the dock, looking for a cell signal to get picked up just hours later.
Seriously, that is not an exaggeration, and it’s exactly why I keep saying, "Visit during the fall!"
5. Make reservations before visiting Voyageurs National Park.
Voyageurs isn’t Canyonlands or Yellowstone, where it’s easy enough to put the park into your GPS, drive, and enjoy Voyageurs from places that you can drive.
If you visit Voyageurs as I have just described, you’re missing out!
By this, I mean that the vast majority—and I want to stress, vast majority—of the best things to do in Voyageurs National Park are not accessible by car.
This is exactly why many of my individual hiking articles about adventures in Voyageurs National Park show trailhead parking from a public water access.
That said, visiting Voyageurs National Park is inevitably a little more on the expensive end when it comes to reaching some of the best things to do, including the Mukooda Trail, the Locator Lake Trail, boat tours, and guided fishing trips.
However, when the costs are divided between parties, it’s really not all that bad!
If you’ve read this far, here’s a little insider tip! Just about everyone who lives around Voyageurs National Park is a guide or knows a guide. It’s sort of like saying, “Hey, I got a guy!”
Jokes aside, I’m not kidding when I say you can ask just about any bartender or your server in the Kabetogama area, and they’ll start giving you numbers to call. I certainly have a growing collection of my own!
Now, if you are visiting during the summer, understand that it is peak season, so last-second reservations may be a little harder, though not impossible. However, during the fall, when I recommend visiting, I’ve almost always set everything up the day prior by simply asking my server, Airbnb host, etc.
Either way, plan to visit Voyageurs with the intention of getting out on the water, and I recommend doing so multiple times. This could be for a day hike, a fishing trip, a guided boat tour, or even a backcountry adventure. Just get out there!
