Orr, MN - Day 1

Saturday, August 14

Visiting Minnesota’s Voyageur’s National Park has been on my travel bucket list for a while now, and a few weekends ago we finally made it happen! We’ve had a busy summer this year, so I was especially looking forward to getting away for a mini vacation — just the four of us.

Voyageur’s National Park is unique because 40% of its 200,000+ acres are made up of water. For this reason, we decided to tow our fishing boat behind our RV so that we’d able to explore the national park’s many islands, lakes and historical sites.

Andi reserved us a campsite at Sunset Resort on the Ash River. I was nervous we’d have trouble finding an available campsite on short notice, but fortunately our travel days were flexible which allowed us to snatch up a last minute cancellation. Sunsets is a quiet and convenient location just outside the park’s boundary. Our campsite included a boat slip at the resort not far from our camper, and a boat launch at the resort made dropping our fishing boat into the water easy to do. I expected the resort to be bustling with families, but it really wasn’t. Most of the people we saw were seasonal campers and fishermen.

After Andi and I dropped our boat into the water and got our RV settled in its spot, we decided to head over to the Voyageur’s National Park - Ash River Visitor’s Center to pick up Junior Ranger packets for the kids and a map of the park. It took us about 20 minutes to boat from Sunset Resort to the Visitor’s Center. The Ash River flows to Sullivan Bay which connects to Lake Kabetogama and Lake Namakan. Driving to the Ash River Visitor’s Center was an option, too, but sometimes it’s easier to leave the RV parked at the campground if we’re able to — especially when we have another mode of transportation available (in this case, the fishing boat).

We had fun cruising along the Ash River channel as we made our way to Sullivan Bay, admiring the cabins dotting the shore. It’s interesting to see someone else’s “lake life” and the boats they use to navigate the big waters of Crane, Kabetogama, Namakan and Rainy Lakes. So different than the small 200-acre lake we call home.

Soon, the Ash River channel opened into Sullivan Bay and our boat picked up speed. Tory and Aden were seated together at the bow of the boat when Tory’s hat blew off in the wind. “Dad, turn around! My hat!” she shouted. After we retrieved her favorite ball cap from the water with a net, the kids decided to lay down on the floor of the boat to protect themselves from the strong wind. It was actually a warm, sunny day on the water but big water always equals big wind, especially when you’re cruising around in a little fishing boat.

We weren’t exactly sure where the Ash River Visitor Center was located on the lake, but figured we must have found it when we saw a big American Flag waving in the wind and a row of open public docks.

Andi tied up our boat at one of the available docks, and then we made our way up a pathway to the historic Meadwood Lodge which is now the Ash River Visitor’s Center. Andi visited with the park ranger about possible family-friendly hikes to do in the park while we waited for our turn to go into the Visitor’s Center. Due to COVID, the park only allows 6 people in the building at a time. Once it was our turn, we watched a short informational video about Voyageur’s National Park and checked out a few of the displays. Voyageur’s National Park commemorates French-Canadian canoesmen who traveled through this area in the 1800’s transporting beaver pelts and furs for sale in Europe. I’d read about a fun activity called the North Canoe Program where park visitors get to dress up like voyagers and navigate the lake waters in a real North Canoe, but unfortunately the program is on pause due to COVID restrictions. Since we couldn’t go out on the water in a real north canoe, our imaginations would have to do the trick. I downloaded a book called The Broken Bow about the French-Canadian canoes men who traveled these waters for the kids and I to read together.

After spending time in the visitor’s center, the four of us hung out on the lake shore near there. It was a beautiful summer day — much warmer than I’d expected northern Minnesota to be! Temperatures were near 90 degrees which made the 70 degree lake water feel cool by comparison.

From the visitor’s center, we hopped into our fishing boat and decided to find another sunny beach perfect for swimming. There are lots of private coves and small islands to utilize on the lakes within the park, so finding a secluded spot wasn’t tough to do.

The lake shore was perfectly sandy. Tory and Aden played in the water while Andi and I relaxed nearby.

A while later, we decided to cruise around Lake Namakan. Andi and I were really enjoying our time trolling for fish and scanning the shoreline for critters, but Tory and Aden were growing antsy in the boat. “How much longer are we going to be doing this?” Tory asked in the most whiny voice possible. Aden wanted to know if we could explore one of the many islands around us because it was on his “bucket list,” so Andi beached the boat at one of the nearby islands and we all got out to explore it.

From the island, Andi flew his drone and we got a bird’s eye view of our surroundings. It’s so beautiful here.

We trolled around for a little while longer, but didn’t catch any fish. Around dinnertime, we made our way back to camp for the night. Tomorrow, we’re planning to explore Lake Kabetogama. Excited to see another part of this beautiful national park.