I'm trying to plan a trip for this June and Voyageurs is currently number one on my list. My goals for this trip are to have a relaxing few days out in nature, do some fishing, and enjoy some solitude with my buddy. We will be traveling by kayak.
Before I get too invested, I'm looking for insight from those who are very familiar with the park.

1. What part of the national park do I really need to see to appreciate this place? I should definitely build my route around the best the park has to offer. We're not afraid of reasonable portages.

2. What areas of the national park are the most remote? We'd like to avoid areas with high boat traffic as much as possible.

3. What's the best way to navigate while in a kayak out on the lake? I've spent hundreds of hours boating around Michigan and Tennessee, but I've never been on a long distance kayaking trip over such a large body of water that's riddled with bends, coves, islands, etc.. Is a specialty GPS basically mandatory? Am I crazy for trying to use a map?

4. Is 38 miles over five days reasonable in this body of water? As far as I can tell, it should only be a few hours a day of kayaking, but is there something about this location I'm not accounting for?

5. Any suggestions for transportation from our end point back to our start point to pick up the car?

6. Is there anything else in the area that we should see before/after our kayaking? Maybe a special part of Superior National Forest? We're also considering a night on the Apostle Islands.

I'm open to any other advice/insight outside of my questions. Thanks!
It won't let me post a link here since I'm new, but my first draft at a route is to launch at Ash River, head straight west until we get to the US/Canada Border, then travel south through Sand Point Lake and end at Crane Lake.

Sounds like a good trip! Here are a few thoughts on your questions:

1) There's so much to see in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness (emphasis on "wilderness" as it is not a national park - biggest distinction, in my opinion, is the remote and unkempt land of a wilderness versus the significantly managed roads, buildings, and people features of a park). Your route will take you through some really cool places - I haven't been on that particular route, but others here have and they'll surely chime in.

2) The further you get from an entry point the more remote you'll be. Usually takes a day's worth of tripping to put the crowds behind. You'll see people in most places but far fewer the deeper you go. The most remote areas are the dozen Primitive Management Areas. You can search online to learn about how to get a pass for overnight camping and be the only ones there.

3) The best way to navigate is the way you are most skilled. I always bring paper maps and a compass as well as a Garmin Inreach GPS. You'll find many threads on this site about navigation. I think it is important to duplicate your navigation method.

4) 38 miles in five days should be just fine...weather permitting. Wind can really impact how long it takes to travel as can lightning. Different folks have different skill levels and tolerate weather differently. It doesn't take much wind to keep me in camp and I usually travel at first light to take advantage of calmer water. Remember to factor in double portages, I'm assuming with a kayak that is a given.

5) For vehicle shuttles you might start with your outfitter. I prefer to get the shuttle on the front end - leave my truck at the exit point and get dropped off at the lake to start my trip.

6) We loved the Apostle Islands!

My only other advice is to type your questions into the search feature and take advantage of the wisdom and insights shared here. I've learned a lot from folks who share their successes and failures. Enjoy your trip!

Hi, welcome to the forum. I have not spent time in Voyageurs, but can offer some basic advice.

2. In general, the farther you are from the entry point, the more remote. If you plan to portage, any of the internal lakes will provide solitude.

3. Get a good map and bring a compass. GPS should be a backup.

4. 38 miles is very doable in 5 days. I figure 3 miles an hour in a canoe. A kayak should be similar. The main factor you have to consider is wind. You are on very big water and you could easily end up wind bound for at least part of the day. I would recommend a weather radio. When you move, paddle as early as possible in the day.

5. Contact the outfitter in Crane Lake about a shuttle to your starting point

Another thing to consider in Voyageurs is that you have to reserve specific camp sites every night. That could cause issues if you have a very windy day because you have no choice about moving campsites. Again, paddle early in the day and get to you next site early.

Have a great trip!

Have you done much portaging with your kayak? My first kayak trip was my last. My kayaks are about 45 lbs. Not sure what your vessel is like. I would look for routes with few portages and short. Maybe you've got a method, I was never able to figure one out.

Having said that, the one major advantage over canoes is paddling into the wind. Not a major obstacle in a kayak. I'm sure you know that.

I have kayaked at VNP many times. For navigation, use a deck compass, a deck map holder, and keep track of the navigation buoys. If you get confused, the buoys have numbers on them that are noted on the maps. Mostly just keep track of where you are by landforms on your map.

To avoid the big powerboats, keep out of the main navigation paths as marked by the buoys. Houseboats leave a lot of weird turbulence behind them. Just paddle between shore and the buoys and you’ll be fine.

As far as portages, the only two necessary portages in the park are the Black Bay portage and Kettle Falls. Neither are on the route you described. You should be able to paddle the whole route. There are some portages that allow canoeists to cut corners, but the portage trails might not even be there if they were not kept open as snowmobile trails in the winter. Namakan Lake is great, you have a lot to explore! I never went into Sand Point Lake so I don’t have any specific advice there.

As for shuttle, any of the outfitters on Sullivan Bay near Ash River should be able to help you out with a shuttle back to Ash River, or better yet shuttling your car over to Sand Point Lake so it’s just waiting for you at the end.

That route should be very doable on 5 days. The one concern I would have is going across the main body of Namakan. The west end on Nam will not feel like big water. It’s filled with islands and channels. The main lake is very open and exposed to wind.
The campsite that you book the night before you cross the main lake would ideally be Fox Island or one of the Wolf Pack sites or even Pike Bay. The Fox/Wolfpack sites are about 12 miles from Ash River and Pike is about an additional 3-4. After Pike Bay it’s a long way to the next campsite. One of those sites would set you up for a early morning paddle across the biggest water.
Once you get to the east side in Namakan, you get back to the islands and channels.
I’ve stopped at most of the campsites along the route so if you have one in mind, I can give you my thoughts about it. Fox Island is one of my favorites for the awesome views. The landing isn’t ideal for my fishing boat but would be great for a kayak.

You have to reserve specific campsites in VNP. This means you have to get there on the day you planned no matter what the weather. You have already planned short paddles if your route is 38 miles/5days. To make sure that happens it is best to move early in the day. These are big lakes and wind can be a real problem. It is usually calm in the morning, so get an early start. In June that will be 7 or earlier. Often the wind is starting up for the day by 10AM. Don't plan on luxurious breakfasts. Pack up quick and get moving. Those early June mornings are gorgeous and a fine time to be on the water. Some of my most memorable paddles started out at 5AM.

Getting to camp early will allow you lots of fishing/exploration time. Going out on day paddles, even fishing, watch the wind, bring some snacks. Head out upwind, that way you are more likely to have an easy trip back to camp. It is possible to get windbound away from your camp. If that happens, especially with June water temperatures, be patient, find a comfortable place on shore to wait it out. Don't take risks to get back to camp. Wind usually eases up late in the day and you will be able to return.

All of the early and late in the day stuff is interesting in June as sun rise is like 4AM and sunset is 10PM. I love the long days, but as I age I find a mid day nap, with the wind lulling me to sleep, is real nice!

Enjoy! I think VNP is one of the best kayak touring places in the midwest.

When you get to the south end of Sand Point Lake I would suggest you check out Grassy Bay on the east side. Very scenic with high rock cliffs and interesting rock formations on some of the islands.

VNP is beautiful, you will enjoy it. As long as you manage the wind by paddling close to shore on the big open stretches and take advantage of the islands, points, etc to get out of the wind you should be fine. With the current popularity of everything outdoors my guess is that reservations for VNP campsites could be similar to the BWCA, many of the most desirable are gone and if you are locked into a specific group of days, it could be a problem. Hopefully not, I did not check but you might want to. For solitude you might want to try and book the most out of the way campsites, ones that are off by itself a bit if possible.

My other thought would be to consider an out and back trip - put in and paddle around/explore for 5 days and head out the same place you came in at. Things look different on the way out and you can vary your route a bit to see some different scenery. It would seem to save a lot of time, money and hassle but that's just my thought. YMMV.

Navigation wise, a map and compass should be fine. Note landmarks(islands, points, bays, etc.) as you pass by them - the key to not getting lost is staying found. The numbered buoys are a fallback if by chance you get turned around.

Enjoy!

Biggest regret of my June trip was leaving bug nets at home. June can be full of black flies and is definitely mosquito time. Bug nets don't weigh a lot and don't take up much space, you won't regret it.

Thanks for your input! Silly question: Will we be fighting against a noticeable current at any point in time? I'm most concerned with the narrow stretch to the east along the Canada border near Burnt Island.

Also, is there a good map of portages floating around out there? There aren't many portages listed on my Nat Geo map of the park, and I haven't located one online.

About maps: get the MacKenzie maps, they are larger scale than the TI map, 5 maps for the whole park and I think two will cover your proposed route. There is also a TI map of paddlers routes atVoyagers that may have the portages, but I’ve never actually looked at it.

This doesn't answer your specific questions but I think is certainly worth taking into consideration in your planning process for your trip.

VNP Monthly averages for climate factors

Weatherspark.com also has graphs of weather climate factors graphed by month (easy to find by Googling if interested).