Voyageurs National Park spans 218,000 acres of lakes, forests, and streams in northern Minnesota. Established in 1975, the park is named after the French-Canadian Voyageurs who once navigated these abundant waters. We visited and explored this park in summer of 2015 with our friends, Hamsa and Jaishankar.
- Northern Lights Resort
- Hiking in Voyageurs National Park
- Boating on Lake Kabetogama
- Ellsworth Rock Garden
Northern Lights Resort & Outfitting – We stayed for a couple of days in this lovely wooded property which had cabins with all the comforts of home and was located on Lake Kabetogama. It offers access to several hiking trails, within Voyageurs National Park, which is known for its wilderness and dark skies ideal for aurora viewing. Since we went during the summer, we did not see any Northern lights.
Hiking in Voyageurs National Park – We went on hike on the Echo Bay Trail. This is a popular 2.4 loop trail located near the resort and considered an easy route for hiking. Voyageurs sits directly in the transition zone between deciduous forests to the south and the great boreal forest of the north. Along the Echo Bay Trail this transition zone is obvious, with trees of both biomes represented in abundance. The hike which lasted 45-55 minutes was quite enjoyable.
Boating on Lake Kabetogama – The resort we were staying in rents boats and pontoons by the hour as well as daily/weekly. We rented a pontoon for a few hours and went boating on the lake.
Ellsworth Rock Gardens – On our boat ride, we stopped at this rock garden which has been known as the “Showplace of Lake Kabetogama” since the 1940s. Jack Ellsworth, the garden’s creator and a self-taught artist, used natural elements of the native northern Minnesota landscape as his artistic media, creating an original and distinctive art environment on the north shore of Kabetogama Lake.
Ellsworth constructed 62 terraced flower beds on the outcrop, which he filled with more than 13,000 lilies and other flower varieties. He then accented his garden landscape with over 200 abstract rock sculptures which vary in size and complexity; some are single rocks featuring an unusual shape or color, others are several large rocks or boulders mortared together. There are a number of chairs, tables, spires, altar-like arrangements.
