Kettle Falls Cruise (Rainy Lake)
Voyage to the historic Kettle Falls Historic District following the routes the Voyageurs, gold miners, loggers and others followed across Rainy Lake. This excursion takes you on a cultural and natural history tour of the park. Spend 2.5 hours aboard the Voyageur getting to the hotel, and then spend 2 hours touring the Historic District including the Kettle Falls Hotel and nearby dam. Finally, enjoy a 2-hour cruise on your return.
Please note: Due to time constraints, visitors on this trip may bring their own lunch or pre-order a boxed lunch at the time of tour check-in at the visitor center, then pay and pick up upon arrival at the Kettle Falls Hotel restaurant. Lunch is not included in the tour price.
The Kettle Falls (Rainy Lake) Tour boards at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center - 1797 Town Road 342, International Falls, MN 56649.
Things to do at Kettle Falls:
Take a full ranger-led walking tour: On arrival at Kettle Falls spend 30-45 minutes walking gravel roads and dirt footpaths, including some stairs, viewing the sights and looking for turtles on the Rainy Lake side of Kettle Falls and ending at the hotel to eat lunch and exploring the hotel. After lunch, spend another 30-45 minutes walking gravel on roads and footpaths, including more stairs, to learn about the Namakan Lake area and follow a possible Voyageur portage route to the Kettle Falls Dam Overlook before returning to the tour boat.
Take either the pre-lunch or after-lunch guided tour and have time to explore on your own. Note, if you join only the after-lunch half of the walking tour, meet at the hotel steps at 1:15.
Explore on your own: Your boat tour ranger will have maps to guide you to these sites.
Day use picnic site and houseboat mooring site: Picturesque view from both sites.
Dam tender’s cabin: Original log cabin dam tender residence built in 1910. The bat boxes, narrow black boxes on poles outside of the cabin give bats a roosting place and keep them from roosting in historic buildings.
Company House: Newer dam tender residence built in 1945. Currently houses Kettle Falls concessionaire staff.
Namakan Lake docks and boat ramp: Watch watercraft portage between lakes, view the back of the dam, and enjoy the scenery.
Trading post: A modern one-stop-shop operated by the Kettle Falls concessionaire.
Walking trail from Namakan Lake to Kettle Falls hotel: Includes a set of wooden steps.
Walking trail between Namakan and Rainy Lakes: this is a portage the Voyageurs may have used!
Kettle Falls Hotel:
o Challenge yourself with the historic furniture scavenger hunt. (available from your ranger)
o Visit the bar and figure out why the hotel was at one time called the “Tilton Hilton”.
o Go upstairs to check out any rooms with open doors. Please do not open closed doors.
o Look through binders of Kettle Falls history located in the hotel lobby.
o Eat lunch, rest, or even take a nap on the screened-in front porch.
Walking trail from Rainy Lake to Kettle Falls hotel: Includes a board walk and wooden steps, .
Walking trail near the guest villas: Please do not enter the villas or disturb guests, and follow off-trail footpaths to view the front of dam.
Rainy Lake docks, boat ramp, and houseboat mooring: Watch watercraft portage between lakes. Look for turtles on the rocks, and for fish in the shallows.
Rainy Lake docks and turtle log: Move quietly and slowly to glimpse turtles sunning on the log that juts into the water next to the wood railing.
Kettle Falls Dam:
o Stand on one of the compasses built into the overlook platform and look south into Canada.
o Read about the dam, its construction and life before and after the dam.
o View one of the survey markers that determines where the US Canadian border lies in the lakes between them.
o Listen to the roar and see the rush as water tumbles over the dam.
o Sit down on a bench and enjoy the scenery.
Keep an eye out for Northwoods plants and animals such as red squirrels, grouse, eagles, blueberries, bunchberries, bearberries, sumac, harebells, columbines, pine, spruce, aspen and birch trees and more.
Please be on the Voyageur (tour boat) no later than 2:05 PM for our return journey.
Select a date to see a list of times
Need to Know
- Check in at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center
Check in for tour 30 minutes prior to departure at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center - 1797 Town Road 342, International Falls, MN 56649. After turning onto the visior center entrance road from Hwy 11 East, stay on this road. It will bring you past the visitor center to the parking lot.
- Minimum Passenger Rule
There is a maximum capacity of 49 passengers; a minimum of 21 total passengers is required for this tour to depart. If the minimum is not met, the tour will be cancelled and passengers will receive a full refund.
- Recommended Items
Jackets, bug spray, and sunscreen are recommended.
- Restrooms
There is a restroom located on the main level of the vessel and at the Kettle Falls Hotel.
- Prohibited Items
Food may not be eaten on the vessel, but drinking water is allowed. No smoking on the tour boat.
Pets are prohibited on tour boats. Service animals are permitted.
