Voyageurs National Park with Kids
When I think of Voyageurs National Park I picture blue water, blue sky and green trees as far as the eye can see. Unlike many National Parks, Voyageurs is best seen by water. Unlike many of the National Parks, Voyageurs is also free – no park pass or fee is required to enter.
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Voyageurs National Park with Kids
Voyageurs National Park is at the tippy top of Minnesota. It is more than half water, spanning 218,000 acres of lakes, forests, and streams. According to the National Park website, it is named after the French-Canadian Voyageurs who once explored these waterways.
You can visit it in a day, which is what we did. You can also stay longer, which opens up some more fun ways to enjoy the park, including camping on one of the islands or staying on a houseboat.
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The park is beautiful and was a unique experience. We only had one full day but we made the most of it.
Voyageurs in a Day
Voyageurs day trip packing list
- Water (You can refill reusable bottles at the ranger station)
- Food (especially important for this park – there is no food in the park. We packed lunch in a cooler in the car and brought lots of snacks with us on the boat tour)
- Sunscreen
- Bug Spray
- Binoculars (especially on the boat tour these are great)
- Sun Hats
- Good Walking Shoes
- Warm layer / rain gear for the boat
- Pens
- National Park Passports
when you get to voyageurs
Start by asking for the Junior Ranger booklet at the Ranger Station when you enter the park. We LOVE this program. You get a booklet for each kid to fill out. It has sections for different age ranges and ours started doing this when they were about 4.
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We’ve done this at a ton of different National Parks and they are always interesting and help to keep our kids engaged. When they are done, usually after you explored the park, they can be sworn in by any of the Rangers.
family friendly activities
Boat Tour: Rainy Lake Boat Tour
This was the longest part of our day at Voyageurs. This must be reserved ahead of time, so make sure to do this as part of your planning phase. It is a tour hour guided tour by one of the Rangers. We picked our tour based on what was available when we could visit, but there are a variety of options. This was engaging and the views were gorgeous. My kids spent part of the time working on their Jr Ranger Books but they also enjoyed exploring the boat and talking to the friendly guides.
More Info on Boat Tours and Reservations
Hike: Oberholtzer Trail
This was a short, 1.6 mile hike and fairly flat that starts by the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. It is an out and back trail that goes into the woods with a few pop outs where you can view the lakes. There are several other hikes – this page lists all of them.
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Good things to know about Voyaguer National Park
- You can also rent boats, engaged private boat tours or fish in the park. This page has some local resources to find vendors for these activities.
- This part of Minnesota is very rainy in the warmer months and very cold and snowy in the winter months. Pay attention to forecasts and any weather alerts. Visiting in the more mild months is the most advisable time to fully enjoy the park.
