Voyageurs National Park stretches along 55 miles of the Minnesota–Ontario border, a wilderness of lakes, islands, bogs, and boreal forest on some of the oldest exposed rock on the continent. Named for the French-Canadian canoe-men who paddled these waterways in birch-bark canoes during the fur trade era, the park is defined by water — four large lakes and dozens of smaller ones connected by portages and channels.
This is a water-based park. There are no roads into the interior; access to the Kabetogama Peninsula, the islands, and nearly all of the shoreline is by motorboat, canoe, or kayak. Free public boat ramps are available at the park's visitor centres and at the Kabetogama State Forest campgrounds.
The park lies about 300 miles north of Minneapolis and 15 miles east of International Falls. In summer, the lakes are calm and warm enough for swimming; in winter, the park transforms into a landscape of frozen lakes, snowmobile trails, and ice fishing.