Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs National Park Rangers urge caution when visiting the park – travel at your own risk. Over the past week, northern Minnesota has received large amounts of rainfall, making for hazardous conditions in many areas of the park.

All docks within Voyageurs National Park are submerged, extremely slippery, and some campsites have water encroaching on them. Floating debris and additional rock hazards can be found throughout the four main lakes in the park.

The park will enforce the No Wake Zones established by St. Louis County. The St. Louis County rule states: no person shall operate a watercraft at a speed greater than a slow-no wake within 600 feet of the existing shoreline on Lake Kabetogama beginning at, and including, Tom Codd Bay and continuing east to, and including, Duck Bay.

There is no developed shoreline in Koochiching County within the park. However, all areas within 300 feet of the shoreline on all lakes, rivers and streams in Koochiching County are to be considered No Wake Zones.

Minnesota Rule 6110.3700 defines “slow-no wake” as: “operation of a watercraft at the slowest possible speed necessary to maintain steerage and in no case greater than 5 mph.”

Due to hazardous conditions, park personnel have closed a total of 34 campsites on the park’s new reservation system through July 31, 2014. Four sites not on the reservation system have also been posted as closed. The closed sites are as follows:

Backcountry

  • All campsites
  • All day use canoes

Kabetogma Lake

  • Bald Rock (K1)
  • Peterson Point (K25)
  • Kabetogama Lake Group Campsite (K54)
  • Echo Island (K41) – closed, not on the reservation system
  • Pine Point (K45) – closed, not on the reservation system

Namakan Lake

  • Day Marker 23 (N5)
  • Voyageurs Narrows (N41)

Sand Point Lake

  • Browns Bay View (S3)
  • King Pin (S10)
  • Burnt Island (S4)
  • Granite Cliff South (S7) – closed, not on the reservation system
  • Houseboat Island West (S9) – closed, not on the reservation system

Rainy Lake 

  • Lyle Mine Island (R93)
  • Dryweed Island (R11)
  • Loon Bay (R63)
  • Saginaw Bay (R22)
  • Kempton Entrance East (R91)
  • Shelland Island (R106)
  • Sunrise Point (R26)
  • Rainy Lake Group Campsite (R74)
  • Kawawia Island (R16)
  • Virgin Island South (R27)