Hello Wilderness Paddlers,
My wife and I are experienced BWCA enthusiasts. However, we also love visiting national parks and Voyageurs is next on our list. We understand Voyageurs will have lots of boat traffic and will not provide the same quiet and solitude as the BWCA. There doesn't seem to be anything recent regarding Voyageurs here on BWCA.com and very little for paddlers anywhere.

What recommendations on a 3-4 night trip do you have?

One possibility we are exploring is the 'Chain of Lakes Route' which utilizes NPS canoes to access interior lakes within the park. Has anyone got experience with this route?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Photo from our 2023 trip to Vera and Knife Lake included for interest.

It takes some digging around to find the info that you are looking for but it is available on the VNP website. The park is divided into the "front country" and the "back country". The front country is made up of the large lakes and that's where you will find the motorized fishing boats and houseboats. You have to camp at a designated campsite which is reserved in advance. The back country is suitable to canoeing. You are correct in that you MUST rent a canoe in the back country and cannot bring your own. The canoes that you rent can only be used in the designated area. This is to prevent the spread of invasive species.

I've never been in the interior where you are considering going but if you find yourself near Kettle Falls and need a cold drink the bar and the hotel is a unique experience.

Matt

fairmatt: "I've never been in the interior where you are considering going but if you find yourself near Kettle Falls and need a cold drink the bar and the hotel is a unique experience.


Matt"

Ain’t that the truth!

While camping with my brother, we ‘stumbled’ on the Kettle Falls bar completely by accident. We had no idea it existed. One minute we were paddling along in our canoe. The next minute I’m drinking a cold beer around an old Juke Box. WTF??

Voyageurs is beautiful. Like a giant BWCA but with house boats.
Tom

Been to Voyageurs a few times but not for many years. I have paddled it, motorboated it and houseboated it but I found the solitude to be very good back then. It is a large area, a lot of water and though there are many campsites a lot of those are off the beaten path in bays, coves and away from the primary routes. I guess it depends on ones definition of solitude but if I am mostly alone, hear a few motorboats off in the distance throughout the day but the magical hours of dawn and dusk are mostly quiet then I am quite content. I am sure the backcountry would be extremely quiet. Pretty sure the frontcountry wouldn't disappoint either.

I believe that the essence of the place is the same or similar to the BWCA and similar experiences are there to be had. Scenery, quietness, wildlife, fishing, geography and night skies are all there at comparable levels. Perhaps a little less challenge and a little more comfort to be had. Depending on the goals of your trip I guess that can be a good or a bad thing. As I age I am thinking it is a good alternative to the more strenuous BWCA, although nothing will ever replace that in my heart or in my mind. Not done with that, just nice to have options.

We go to VNP every year (on our fiberglass power boat) and love it.

Frankly, I find it at times quieter than the BWCA lately!

How are you guys at paddling BIG water? That will determine a few things

Second... if you like quieter waters, then I might suggest putting in at Ash River and staying along the "Ash River" between the boat launch and Namaken Lake. Its narrow waters, and shouldn't feel too open in a canoe. This area does get frequent traffic from motor boats, but there are sites that are tucked in as well. Like others have mentioned you could paddle all the way up to Kettle Falls without feeling like you're on too big of water from Ash River boat launch.

Another option is put in at Crane lake, and paddle up to Mukooda, and stay at one of these sites. There is no motor boat traffic on Mukooda.

I've also seen canoers and kayakers on "Your Island, N49", "My Island S, N24" and "My Island W, N25" on Namakan, put in at Crane Lake.

I've been to VNP twice. Both times were before you could book specific campsites. The first time we took an aluminum canoe and way too much gear in hopes of staying somewhere in Lost Bay so we could high back to Shoepack Lake. We portaged back to the bay and we found all of the campsites full so we paddled around Round Bear Island and ended up staying at the site on the southeast end of Round Bear Island. It was a beautiful site.

The next year we went back, but with a small motor boat. We had our eyes on the site on Moxie Island but when we got within about 200 yards of the island the motor on our boat quit so we had to troll back to the put in and pull the boat our, pack up and find a place that would fix the motor. About 6 hours later we put back in and headed to the island but the site was taken, as were all the sites to the north across the open water. On our way back to the boat ramp the wind was in our face and we got soaked driving into the waves. We pulled out, defeated, and were going to stay at the wooden frog campground but instead got to stay the night a a friends' cabin. The next day, bound and determined, we headed for the Ash River boat launch and went towards Round Bear Island but those sites were taken. Then we turned and went towards Namakan and finally found a site somewhere down on Namakan.
Those are my two experiences in VNP.

My family goes up to Voyageurs every year for a fishing trip. I don't love sitting in a boat all day hoping to get a bite so I stay behind and do a lot of hiking and canoeing. We stay on the Ash River so I have experience with Kab and Namakin, but not the other lakes. Kab and Namakin are decently big water, but have lots of islands to aim for and/or shelter behind. There is a lot of motorboat traffic and unlike Moose in the BWCA, for example, the boaters are not necessarily respectful of canoe traffic so you have to be responsible for your own safety and stay out of the way in case you get an oblivious or jerk boater. (There are also lots of good boaters who are very respectful of canoes.)

I purchased a map called Voyageurs Paddle Routes that I highly recommend. It has lots of good information about routes and distances that would be appropriate for canoeing. Other options for canoeing/hiking include the KabAsh Trail (17 miles point to point), canoeing Sullivan's Bay, canoeing up the Ash River (there is a nice waterfall at the top), Blind Ash Bay hiking trail and Beaver Pond Overlook hiking trail (both by the Ash River Visitor's Center, nice but short), and lots of other short hiking trails in the area. I have not been to Kettle Falls as another poster suggested, but have heard good things. I would also highly recommend visiting the Ash River, Kabetogama, and Rainy Lake Visitor's Centers. Rainy is the biggest and has great history of the Voyageurs.

A family member and I just did the Chain of Lakes last year and loved it. Highly recommend. We did it as a two day trip, one day to get in and one day to get out, but you could easily extend that to a 3-4 night trip if you like to fish. It is not like the BWCA in that you can't really base camp and go on day trips because the chain doesn't really connect to anything. If you want long days paddling from base you will be disappointed. That said, it was beautiful, secluded, and very fun. I will likely do it again sometime.

I could find very little information online about it so here is what I wish I had known. The easiest way to get there is take a shuttle from the Kabetogama Visitor's Center to the trail head. You could also depart from the Ash River Visitor Center, but it will be significantly longer. Once you get to the trail head it is a moderately challenging two mile hike back to the Chain of Lakes. Steep hills and it is a full two miles. Beautiful views. At about half way you will be on top of a hill and it has a beautiful (not marked) overlook right there, good spot to take a break.

Once you finish the two mile hike you will be at Locator Lake. Here is where you will pick up your aluminum canoe. As another poster stated, you cannot bring in your own canoe. This is to prevent the spread of invasive species. The rental of a canoe is included with your campsite reservation, there are lots of canoes available so don't stress about not having one available. You will be sent the combination code for the canoes and paddles shortly before your reservation date. All canoes have the same code. Some of the canoes have a yoke and others don't. They do not come with portage pads. I brought my own that I could screw into a metal yoke and then picked a canoe that had a yoke.

There is one campsite each on Locator Lake, War Club Lake, Quill Lake, and Loiten Lake. We stayed on Loiten which is the furthest in. The campsite had a latrine, tent pad, campfire grate, and a bear pole. We did not need rope for the bear pole, it had a metal hook, but if your pack is heavy you might want rope to help get it up. Fishing for bass was excellent, they were practically jumping in the boat. You will need a reservation for the campsite and they do fill up. There are check in and check out times. I couldn't get a straight answer from the rangers of if that was getting and dropping off the canoe or if that was getting to and leaving the campsite. We erred on the respectful/safe side and tried to get the canoe back by the checkout time, but there are so many canoes available I would not stress about inconveniencing anyone over this.

There is an inlet between Locator and War Club that is passable if the water is high enough, in late June last year we never had to get out, but we did have to scoot along the bottom.

The passage between War Club and Quill is miserable. It was not obvious at all on the way in where the path was, it just looks like War Club ends. We made a mistake here and thought we would just start portaging and eventually find it. This was a mistake because there are bushes and uneven ground and we got VERY lucky that we didn't break an ankle. I recommend getting out (it is also shallow and muddy, not fun) and taking a walk without your gear to find your way. You are looking for a stream that takes you to the other side. The actual portage is very short here. Get your canoe to that stream, paddle to the end and then there is a very short portage into Quill. This was the worst part of the whole trip, but doable.

The portage from Quill to Loiten is the most normal portage from BWCA standard and is short and easy. I think it was about five miles of canoeing from Locator to Loiten.

The one time I was on the water in Voyageurs NP we had a 16-foot Lund with a 25 horse motor. On the big water we were on (primarily Kabetogema and Namakan) that is the SMALLEST watercraft I'd want to be in. With the monster boats zipping around and the big water, a canoe didn't seem like much fun. I saw a couple of them and it looked like they were really working to get anywhere with all of the boat wake and waves.

I did not realize the "backcountry" option existed. Looks interesting but a lot of coordination and planning for a similar experience to BWCA. Might be a good choice for something "different".

Wow! Thanks for all the info. We do have the 'Voyageurs Paddle Routes' and have been using that to start our planning. Lots of options. We have gotten lots of helpful insight here. Thanks Much.

Thank You So Much, this is exactly the kind of info I hoped this group could provide. Your suggestions are excellent and we are examining each of them on our maps.

Right before your post I had a similar idea to see VNP for the first time and looked at sites near the Ash River Visitor Center. I reserved site K17 (Lost Bay Island) in August to base camp because it looks like it could be accessed by a portage route and avoid Kebetogama Lake if conditions are not ideal. The plan is to day paddle or hike the Cruiser Lake Trail in that area for a few days.

dsmith1979: "Right before your post I had a similar idea to see VNP for the first time and looked at sites near the Ash River Visitor Center. I reserved site K17 (Lost Bay Island) in August to base camp because it looks like it could be accessed by a portage route and avoid Kebetogama Lake if conditions are not ideal. The plan is to day paddle or hike the Cruiser Lake Trail in that area for a few days."

You sure can portage through there. My visit to that area was 12 years ago so I am sure things have changed. But I remember the portage being pretty thick with some really muddy areas and lots of wood ticks. That was my first time ever portaging and we did a terrible job of it but it surely cuts the big water out of the equation.

Know Vera well. As for Voyageurs, stay off the big water because of the boats which can have so VERY big motors and bigger wakes and little manners. We did the houseboat thing just to try it and brought along our canoe. We were trolling through some narrows when a boat with twin 100s came out of nowhere and almost swamped us. Never slowed down. Back in my younger days standard motor discouragement consisted of a big bobber thrown out like a buoy. Boats tend to stay away because they don't know where the line is and don't want it wrapped around their LU. This bunch was going so fast they wouldn't have seen the Split Rock Lighthouse.