Voyageurs National Park High Water Update

Date: June 20, 2014
Contact: Tawnya Schoewe, 218-283-6670

International Falls, MN – Voyageurs National Park Rangers urge caution when visiting the park – travel at your own risk. Over the past week, northern Minnesota has received large amounts of rainfall, making for hazardous conditions in many areas of the park.

All docks within Voyageurs National Park are submerged, extremely slippery, and some campsites have water encroaching on them. Floating debris and additional rock hazards can be found throughout the four main lakes in the park.

The park will enforce the No Wake Zone established by St. Louis County. It states: no person shall operate a watercraft at a speed greater than a slow-no wake within 600 feet of the existing shoreline on Lake Kabetogama beginning at, and including, Tom Codd Bay and continuing east to, and including, Duck Bay.

Minnesota Rule 6110.3700 defines "slow-no wake" as: "operation of a watercraft at the slowest possible speed necessary to maintain steerage and in no case greater than 5 mph."

Due to hazardous conditions, park personnel have closed a total of 34 campsites on the park's new reservation system through July 31, 2014. Four sites not on the reservation system have also been posted as closed. The closed sites are as follows:

Backcountry

All campsites
All day use canoes

Frontcountry

Kabetogma Lake
Bald Rock (K1)
Peterson Point (K25)
Kabetogama Lake Group Campsite (K54)
Echo Island (K41) – closed, not on the reservation system
Pine Point (K45) – closed, not on the reservation system 

Namakan Lake
Day Marker 23 (N5)
Voyageurs Narrows (N41)

Sand Point Lake
Browns Bay View (S3)
King Pin (S10)
Burnt Island (S4)
Granite Cliff South (S7) – closed, not on the reservation system
Houseboat Island West (S9) – closed, not on the reservation system

Rainy Lake 
Lyle Mine Island (R93)
Dryweed Island (R11)
Loon Bay (R63)
Saginaw Bay (R22)
Kempton Entrance East (R91)
Shelland Island (R106)
Sunrise Point (R26)
Rainy Lake Group Campsite (R74)
Kawawia Island (R16)
Virgin Island South (R27)

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