Voyageurs National Park

About

Voyageurs National Park lies along the Minnesota-Canada border near International Falls, in country shaped by glaciers into a maze of lakes, islands and granite shoreline. It is named for the French-Canadian canoe men who carried furs through these waters, and it is mostly a water park: much of it is best seen by boat, and every campsite except the primitive ones requires a boat to reach.

You can still get a good sense of the park from shore. Three visitor centers, at Rainy Lake, Kabetogama Lake and Ash River, each show a park film and have exhibits and short trails. The Oberholtzer Trail starts near the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, and the Kabetogama Lake Overlook is a short walk off the Meadwood Road to Ash River. The best way onto the water without your own boat is a ranger-led boat tour, booked through Recreation.gov.

There is no entrance fee for Voyageurs. Camping, houseboat permits, boat tours and some programs do cost money, and holders of the interagency Access and Senior passes get 50 percent off boat tours only. Campsites must be reserved on Recreation.gov.

Voyageurs is a long drive from Minnesota's cities; International Falls is close to the Rainy Lake entrance. Access points include Rainy Lake, Kabetogama Lake, Ash River, Crane Lake and Orr/Pelican Lake. Summer is the main season for boat tours and camping, and in winter the frozen lakes become a place for snowshoeing and ice roads. Call the visitor center you plan to use before you go, since hours and services change by season.

Accessibility

Voyageurs National Park is partly accessible. Its shoreside facilities and boat tours are set up for wheelchair users, but most of the park is reached only by water, and the backcountry is not accessible.

All three visitor centers, at Rainy Lake, Kabetogama Lake and Ash River, have accessible entrances and restrooms, and so does the park headquarters in International Falls. The first quarter mile of the Oberholtzer Trail, near the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, is accessible, and so is the 0.2-mile path to the Kabetogama Lake Overlook along the Meadwood Road toward Ash River.

The National Park Service vessels used for ranger-led boat tours are accessible, but the short walks with a ranger at stops along the tour may not be. Read the tour descriptions on Recreation.gov before you book. Interagency Access Pass holders get 50 percent off boat tours.

For campers with their own boats, accessible lifts are at the Rainy Lake, Kabetogama and Ash River boat launches. Accessible campsites are R26 (Sunrise Point) on Rainy Lake and N41 (Voyageur Narrows) on Namakan Lake, plus the Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake group sites (R74 and K54). All require reservations on Recreation.gov.

The park film at every visitor center has closed captions. Service animals are allowed in all park facilities and on all trails. For other accommodations, the park asks you to call the visitor center at least two weeks ahead; the main number is (218) 283-6600.

Checked by Accessible America, September 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Minnesota

• Science Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul)
• Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (Minneapolis)
• Minnesota Zoo (Apple Valley)
• Mall of America (Bloomington)
• Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis)
• Mall of America & Twin Cities Parks (Minneapolis)

Photo credits

• Wooded islands scattered across a deep blue lake at Voyageurs National Park, seen from above.: National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Public domain (source)
• A rocky granite point covered in pines looks out over a calm lake at Voyageurs National Park.: National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Public domain (source)
• Visitors paddle a large replica voyageur canoe near a dock at Voyageurs National Park.: National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Public domain (source)