Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota is open year-round. Winter offers a unique solitude in the park, and there are plenty of outdoor activities available to those of you braving the cold, often sub-zero, temperatures: snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, and sledding. You can even drive your vehicle on an ice road over a frozen lake.
Snowshoeing near an island at Rainy Lake, Voyageurs National Park / NPS file
If you intend to visit the park during December through February, you need to familiarize yourself with the park’s safety tips for ensuring a fun and safe winter visit. Remember, 40 percent of the park is covered by water, so it’s a good idea to mind those thin ice warnings in addition to dressing in layers to avoid hypothermia, packing an emergency kit, watching where you place your equipment and shelter when ice fishing, and especially minding the rules for driving on the park’s ice roads.
If you are thinking of cross-country skiing or snowshoeing a trail at Voyageurs, it’s a good idea to read the latest Winter Ice and Trail Conditions Report (Posted weekly during the winter months) for the most updated park ice and trail conditions. You might want to check out these sites, too for additional area trail conditions:
If you don’t own cross-country skis or snowshoes but still want to join in on the winter fun, the park offers a Winter Equipment Rental Program January through March.
Check out the Snowshoe and Cross Country Ski Maps.
Cross-country skiing across a section of a frozen lake, Voyageurs National Park / NPS file
Ice Fishing
Feel like testing your ice fishing skills to catch that night’s dinner? Voyageurs is the perfect place for this sport. A Minnesota State Fishing License and ice shelter license are required. It is important to place icehouses, whether portable or permanent (left overnight during the allowable season), at least 50 feet from the center of snowmobile trails and the ice road. If you don't have your own gear, there are plenty of local resorts and fishing guides through which you can make ice fishing arrangements.
Before heading out for that day of fishing on a frozen lake, it’s important to check the latest ice conditions report.
Driving The Ice Roads
Rainy Lake ice road, Voyageurs National Park / NPS file
The Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake ice roads are unique winter feature of Voyageurs National Park. There are not too many parks where you can tell friends and family you’ve driven over a frozen lake.
Voyageurs National Park ice roads generally open in mid-January and remain accessible through mid-March. The exact timing depends on ice thickness, which must be at least 12 inches (30.5 centimeter) before the roads are opened to traffic.
According to park staff:
The Rainy Lake Ice Road begins at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center boat launch.
The Kabetogama Lake Ice Road stretches between the boat launches of the Ash River and Kabetogama Lake Visitor Centers.
- Be sure to check the park's most recent Winter Ice & Conditions Report [see link in Ice Fishing] before considering a trip onto the ice.
- Routes vary year to year depending on conditions.
- The ice road is open to cars and trucks of less than 7,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight. Snowmobiles are not permitted on the ice road.
- The speed limit is 30 mph.
- When heavy snow, slush, or thin ice exists, the ice road may be closed or shortened for safety. Travel beyond the plowed sections is unsafe.
- Safety on the ice roads
If you are interested in knowing more behind-the-scenes information about this national park’s ice roads, check out this article published by Voyageurs Conservancy.
Snowmobiling
If you intend to travel the snowy landscape and frozen lakes with your snowmobile, there are 110 miles (177 kilometers) of staked and groomed trails at the park. Be aware, all land areas, including rock faces, are closed to snowmobiles with the exception of designated safety portages, and hill climbing is prohibited.
Obey all closure signs. Areas are closed to protect your safety and to protect sensitive resources.
Safety While Snowmobiling
- Pressure ridges – they change the surface of the lake. Always stop and inspect ridge areas before crossing. Pressure ridges are marked with two crossed orange caution stakes on each side.
- Slush and open water – avoid them by staying on staked and groomed trails.
Check out the Snowmobile Trail Map
Sledding
Winter sledding fun at the Sphunge Island sledding area, Voyageurs National Park / NPS file
According to park staff:
A new addition to our winter activities is the Sphunge Island Sledding Hill. Take the Kabetogama-Ash River Ice Road from the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center just a short distance to a large plowed parking lot on the north side of the island. Visitors will find picnic tables and a fire ring at the bottom of the hill near the sledding hill parking lot. The sledding hill consists of a small hill for younger children and a larger hill for older children and adults. A skating rink on the ice is also maintained when conditions allow.
Check out the map for Sphunge Island Sledding Hill
