All Backcountry adventures start with a boat ride to a trail head on the Kabetogama Peninsula. A water vessel is needed to access the trail head as you can only arrive by water. Set-up camp at our backcountry campsites by hiking to and/or canoing on the smaller lakes within the Kabetogama Peninsula.
Backcountry Canoes are provided on certain lakes within the peninsula to the public—both for overnight camping and single-day use— and can be reserved on Recreation.gov.
Frontcountry camping is accessible directly by boat and do not require the extra hiking or canoing invovled with Backcountry Camping.
If you do not have boat acess and want to drive your vehicle to a campsite on land, there are public and private campgrounds within the surrounding gateway communities.
If you want to rent a canoe from the mainland to explore Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, Sand Point, or Crane Lakes (instead of the Backcountry), Local Area Businesses offer rentals. To avoid competing with these local businesses, the National Park Service does not rent canoes for the large lakes from visitor centers.
The Basics for Traveling to your Backcountry Campsite
Parking: Camping Permit holders can park their vehicles overnight at any park visitor center for up to 14 days during their trip.
Follow your map and hike the trails into the Backcountry.
Some backcountry sites also require the use of a canoe after hiking to reach the site location. These are available for rent by the park and staged at the end of the trail. Remember to bring your Personal Flotation Device (PFD) hiking as the park only provides the canoe and paddles.
Total Number of Watercraft Available for this Backcountry Location
Locator Lake (B9)
2.75 miles
Yes
4 campsite canoes (1 for each campsite), 3 additional canoes, and 2 rowboats. All staged at the end of Locator Lake trail.
War Club Lake (B17)
3.75 miles
Yes
4 campsite canoes (1 for each campsite), 3 additional canoes, and 2 rowboats. All staged at the end of Locator Lake trail.
Quill Lake (B15)
4.75 miles
Yes
4 campsite canoes (1 for each campsite), 3 additional canoes, and 2 rowboats. All staged at the end of Locator Lake trail.
Loiten Lake (B11)
5.75 miles
Yes
4 campsite canoes (1 for each campsite), 3 additional canoes, and 2 rowboats. All staged at the end of Locator Lake trail.
Ek Lake (B6)
0.1 mile
No
1 canoe
Jorgens Lake (B7)
1 mile
No
0
Little Shoepack Lake (B8)
2.4 miles
Yes
1 canoe
Shoepack Lake (B19)
3.9 miles
Yes
1 rowboat (staged on the south shore of Shoepack; it is automatically included with the canoe at Little Shoepack Lake)
Cruiser Lake (B5)
4 miles
No
1 canoe
Brown Lake (B3)
2.1 miles (hiking) or 1.5 (canoeing)
No
1 canoe on north shore (Rainy Lake side)
Quarter Line Lake (B14)
0.5 miles
No
0
Peary Lake (B13)
1.2 miles
No
0
Oslo Lake (B12)
0.5 miles
No
0
Agnes Lake (B1)
0.4 miles
No
0
Ryan Lake (B18)
0.4 miles
No
0
Plan ahead and Prepare
Have a basic understanding of camping rules and regulations before you start your trip. Make sure to secure a boat, watercraft, or water taxi to travel to the trail head and secure plans for pick-up at the end of your backcountry itinerary.
Items below are required; our safety page also shows camping supplies that can help make your trip safer and even more enjoyable.
Backcountry Permit - Printed and placed in clear box at campsite
Permits are available to print using your recreation.gov account no earlier than 5 days before your trip
One Personal Floation Device (PFD) for every individual using a boat or canoe
Key for Backcountry Canoe Rental (if needed and reserved)
Supplies for a bear hang (20+ feet of material to hang a bag)
Non-live bait and Fishing Permits(if fishing is part of your plans)
Backcountry Canoes
Where to Find Backcountry Canoes
The National Park Service provides canoes, rowboats, oars, and paddles in the Backcountry for public use on:
The Chain of Lakes (made up of Locator, War Club, Loiten, and Quill Lakes)
Ek Lake
Shoepack and Little Shoepack Lake
Brown Lake
Backcountry canoe on the shores of Ek Lake
NPS
Backcountry canoes are locked on racks at the ends of the trails leading to each of these lakes, and require a combination code to access. Beginning in 2022, backcountry canoe rentals will require a combination code to access. Visitors with valid permits will be provided with the combination code and instructions in their confirmation email and in the My Reservations section of your recreation.gov account. Be certain to print your permit within 5 days of your trip start date; it is required to have this with you and it will also contain the necessary code and instructions. Do not hike into the backcountry without this!
The Park Service only rents canoes for the Backcountry. If want to rent a canoe from the mainland for use on the larger lakes like Rainy or Kabetogama (instead of the Backcountry), check out our Local Area Businesses that provide rentals.
Backcountry canoes can be used in two ways: single-day use (also known as day rental) and associated with an overnight backcountry camping permit.
Invasive Spiny Water Fleas—which can harm fish habitats—inhabit Rainy, Kabetogama, Sand Point, Namakan, and Crane Lakes. However, they are not currently found in Voyageurs' Backcountry Lakes.
Minnesota DNR
Why the Park provides Backcountry Canoe Rentals
To prevent aquatic invasive species from spreading, visitors are not allowed to bring their own watercraft (e.g. boats, canoes, kayaks, tubes, floatplanes) into the park's Backcountry lakes.
Kabetogama, Sand Point, Namakan, Rainy, and Crane Lakes contain the invasive Spiny Water Flea. Using boats already staged in the Backcountry help prevent this detrimental species from spreading to fish habitats in the Backcountry.
Canoes for Backcountry Camping
When you purchase a Backcountry camping permit for the Chain of Lakes, Shoepack, and Little Shoepack, one backcountry canoe is automatically included in your permit so you can access the campsite.
Most sites only have one canoe. However, the Chain of Lakes has extra canoes and rowboats that can be added to your reservation. When you reserve a permit for a Backcountry campsite on the Chain of Lakes, the reservation website will ask if you wish to add boats before you finish your order. Simply select the number and types of additional watercraft you need for your group.
Beginning in 2022, backcountry canoe rentals will require a combination code to access. This information can be found in your confirmation email and in the Reservation Details section of your recreation.gov account. Be certain to print your permit within 5 days of your trip start date; it is required to have this with you and it will also contain the necessary code and instructions.
Canoe Safety and Rules in the Backcountry
In addition to following rules for Frontcountry campsites, Backcountry visitors must:
Rule or Regulation
Backcountry Camping
Day Use Canoe Rental
Use only the number of boats shown on your permit (no additional canoes). This ensures that other visitors can access their own reserved boats.
X
X
Print your official camping permit from your recreation.gov account within 5 days of your trip. It is required to have this with you while camping and will contain the combination code and instructions needed to access your backcountry canoe.
X
X
Bring 1 life jacket for each person in your Backcountry boat and wear it.
X
X
Use non-live bait only, if fishing
X
X
No pets allowed on Backcountry trails
X
X
Return the canoe to the same location you found it
X
X
You may check into your backcountry campsite no earlier than 12pm noon on your arrival day, and must depart no later than 11am on your day of departure. Be mindfull that the next visitor may be waiting for your canoe to be returned to the launch area.
X
Maximum stay is 7 days per year in the Backcountry
X
Bring a rope to hang your food from bears (bear poles are provided at each Backcountry campsite)
Other maps for trails, day use sites, etc. are available for free on our maps page, but National Geographic and Mackenzie charts are both strongly recommended for safe navigation to campsites.
There are several options available if you arrive at Voyageurs without a permit:
Call the reservation hotline at (877) 444-6777 and print permit at any open visitor center.
Make a reservation online using a mobile smart device at www.recreation.gov and print permit at any open visitor center.
If you need to print your permit, visit any open visitor center for assistance. Remember permits are not available to be printed more than 5 days from the start of your camping reservation.
Consider using camping and lodging opportunities on the mainland, near the boundary of the park for last minute and dispersed camping options.
Check-in for your first day at a Backcountry campsite begins at noon on the first day printed on your reservation. Visitors have 24 hours from their check-in time to set up at a site. Checkout is at 11am on the departure day. Be mindful that another visitor may be waiting for your canoe to be returned to the launch area.
Example: Donna has the Backcountry campsite on Locator Lake reserved, and her start day is July 3. She will camp overnight that evening, as well as July 4, and she will leave on July 5.
She will log into her recreation.gov account and print her official permit within 5 days of her trip start date. This will contain the combination code and instructions necessary to access her canoe.
Check-in for her campsite is at noon of July 3. If she cannot get to her campsite that day, she has 24 hours to do so.
Checkout is at 11am on July 5th.
Backcountry check-in and checkout times are different than Frontcountry rules. Check our Frontcountry camping page for check-in times at Frontcountry sites.