Hiking Trails in & Around Voyageurs
The park offers many hiking trails, ranging from short and
easy to long and challenging.
The following are trails that can be reached by car.
Kab-Ash Trail System
MAP
This 24 mile network
includes loops and one-way sections. Trailheads are located
at Salmi Road, on the Ash River Trail Road
and at the Beaver Pond Overlook. Check with a visitor center
for current trail conditions. Not all sections are
maintained
and require skill in backcountry travel.
Echo Bay Trail
MAP
This 2.5 mile loop
trail is located northwest of the Kabetogama Lake Visitor
Center. A wide path takes you from aspens to pines
as you pass through lowlands and rocky outrcrops. Birding is
great here with a great blue heron rookery and sightings of
warblers,
woodpeckers, and even the occasional great gray owl.
Kabetogama Lake Overlook
This 0.2 mile (one
way) path provides a handicap accessible path leading to a
view through the forest out to Kabetogama Lake.
Located on the Ash River Visitor Center Road.
Beaver Pond Overlook
This 0.2 mile (one
way) path provides a short walk up a low hillside that looks
out onto a beaver pond. Located on the
Ash River Visitor Center Road.
Voyageurs Forest Overlook
This 0.5 mile loop
trail takes you down into the transitional southern boreal
forest of Voyageurs National Park. The trailhead is
located on the Ash River Visitor Center Road.
Blind Ash Bay Trail
MAP
This scenic 2.5 mile
loop trail takes you through rolling forest out to a
lakeside view of Blind Ash Bay. Blueberries are abundant
in mid-summer. Trailheads are located in the upper parking
lot at the Ash River Visitor Center, and with the parking
for the
Kabetogama Lake Overlook.
Oberholtzer Trail
MAP
This one-mile loop
trail begins outside the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. It
passes through forest and include views of wetlands looking
out towards Black Bay.
Information and map links courtesy Voyageurs Nat'l Park
VNP trail clean up planned - April 25, 2008 - Daily Journal Staff
People can help monitor the trails of
Voyageurs National Park
to make them safer and more enjoyable. By volunteering to
identify
maintenance needs of the trails during the weekend of May 30
to June 1, participants can help park service staff provide
the best
experience for summer visitors. At the same time
participants can explore the park, meet new people and have
fun.
This spring, VNP has set a goal to monitor all 60 miles of
the park’s trail system and identify maintenance needs for
park service staff.
Groups of two to four people will hike sections of the
park’s trails on May 30 and May 31 and map locations of
fallen trees and over-grown
brush that need to be cleared. Specific monitoring
methods will be explained prior to the event, so no prior
experience is necessary.
Volunteers should come prepared with work gloves and boots
and be prepared for a day of hiking. Park staff are also
looking for people
interested in backpacking and camping to more easily monitor
the longer backcountry trails of Voyageurs National Park.
The spring trail weekend is not all work and no play.
Participants can explore the park on their own Friday
evening and celebrate the
group’s accomplishments during a special dinner Saturday
night, hosted by
Arrowhead
Lodge in Kabetogama,
Voyageurs National Park
Assoc
and
Friends of Voyageurs National Park. On the morning
of June 1, Sunday, participants can take an adventure in the
park by exploring
Kabetogama Lake by
pontoon or kayak.
Everyone is welcome and families are especially encouraged
to participate. Meals, camping and discounted lodging
in Kabetogama are arranged
and available for purchase for out-of-town volunteers. There
is no fee for volunteering or the celebration dinner.
For more information and to register for the event, meals,
or lodging, contact Voyageurs National Park Association at
vnpa@voyageurs.org
or (612) 333-5424. If interested in participating, but
unable to attend the whole weekend, VNPA can accommodate
availability. Register by May 20.
This event was developed through a partnership of the
Kabetogama Tourism
Bureau,
Voyageurs National Park and
Voyageurs National Park
Assoc.
The project is made possible through funding from the Beim
Foundation and discounted accommodations provided by
Arrowhead
Lodge and
Moosehorn Resort
on Lake Kabetogama.
Can’t make it this spring but would like to participate in
the fall?
The next Volunteer Trail Rendezvous will be in fall 2008.
Contact VNPA
if to receive details.


