Voyageurs National Park Tours
Voyageurs National Park, in northern Minnesota, is a water-based park where you must park your car and take to the water to fully experience the lakes, islands, and shorelines of the park. Today, motorboats, houseboats, canoes, and kayaks are all used here.
The park is a mosaic of land and water; an environment of great beauty. It has exceptional natural and cultural resources, and abundant recreational opportunities. The park's complex system of waterways includes an important segment of the transcontinental highway traversed by French-Canadian voyageurs during the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Voyageurs is a place where the southern tip of the boreal forest meets and mixes with the northern edge of the hardwood forest. The area is comprised of fire-dependent forests, hardwood forests, peat lands, fens, marshes, rocky outcrops, and lakeshore environments. Throughout the forests, visitors can see Eastern timber wolves, bald eagles, moose, and black bears.
Many scenic and naturalist-led tours are offered at Voyageurs. Visitors can enjoy learning about the cultural and natural history of the area on tours ranging from a short 1.5 hours to a full-day 6.5-hour cruise.
Voyageurs National Park, in northern Minnesota, is a water-based park where you must park your car and take to the water to fully experience the lakes, islands, and shorelines of the park. Today, motorboats, houseboats, canoes, and kayaks are all used here.
The park is a mosaic of land and water; an environment of great beauty. It has exceptional natural and cultural resources, and abundant recreational opportunities. The park's complex system of waterways includes an important segment of the transcontinental highway traversed by French-Canadian voyageurs during the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Voyageurs is a place where the southern tip of the boreal forest meets and mixes with the northern edge of the hardwood forest. The area is comprised of fire-dependent forests, hardwood forests, peat lands, fens, marshes, rocky outcrops, and lakeshore environments. Throughout the forests, visitors can see Eastern timber wolves, bald eagles, moose, and black bears.
Many scenic and naturalist-led tours are offered at Voyageurs. Visitors can enjoy learning about the cultural and natural history of the area on tours ranging from a short 1.5 hours to a full-day 6.5-hour cruise.
Need to Know
- Reservations can be made online up through the day before a tour.
- Same day tickets can be purchased up to a half-hour before the departure of the tour, at the visitor center where the tour will be departing from.
- Visitors must check-in at the respective visitor center a half-hour before departure. Be certain of where your tour departs from, as you may not have time to make it to your tour if you initially arrive at the wrong location.
- Your confirmation email is your ticket to the tour. Make sure to bring it.
- There is a 24 hour cancellation policy. Cancellations more than 24 hours in advance will result in a full refund minus a $3 cancellation fee, while cancellations after this point will not receive refunds.
- There will be no refunds for cancellations made on the day of a tour.
- Cancellations are made through www.recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777, not the park. If the park cancels a trip for any reason, the visitor will receive a full refund by recreation.gov, not the park.
- No pets are allowed on tour boats unless they are properly documented service animals that are identified accordingly.
- Food may not be eaten on the vessels, but drinking water is allowed. No smoking on the tour boat.
- Weather conditions can vary greatly; jackets, sunscreen, and bug spray are recommended.
Booking Windows
Tickets become available on April 15th of each year for that summer's tours.
Changes and Cancellations
Policy for Visitor-Initiated Tour Cancellations:
Changes and cancellations can be made online from a visitor's recreation.gov account, or by contacting the Recreation.Gov call center at (877) 444-6777.
Cancellations must be made by midnight on the day before the tour to receive a refund (minus a $3 cancellation fee).
There will be no refunds if a visitor cancels their trip on the day of a tour.
Policy for Park-Initiated Tour Cancellations:
If the park cancels a trip for any reason BEFORE the start of a trip, the visitor will receive a full refund, minus the non-refundable $1 reservation system fee per ticket.
If a tour is underway and the captain is forced to stop or shorten the trip to less than half of the scheduled length, the visitor will receive a full refund, minus the $1 reservation system fee.
If a tour is underway and the captain is forced to stop or shorten the trip after the half-way point but before 75% of the scheduled length, the visitor will receive a partial refund of 50%.
No refunds will be provided if 1) more than 75% of any scheduled trip length has passed, or 2) the tour reaches its destination.
Contact Information
Mailing Address
VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK 360 HWY 11 EAST International Falls MN 56649
Phone Number
(218) 286-5258
Available Tours and Tickets
- Kettle Falls Cruise (Ash River or Kabetogama)
- Ellsworth Rock Gardens Tour
- Grand Tour
- Kettle Falls Cruise (Rainy Lake)
- Life on the Lake (Rainy Lake)
- Anderson Bay Overlook Tour
- Life on the Lake (Ash River)
