Eating & Sleeping

Kettle Falls Hotel

NPS

Eating

The only location to purchase food within Voyageurs National Park is at the Kettle Falls Hotel. Remotely located on the far eastern side of the Kabetogama Peninsula, it is approximately 15-miles from the nearest road and is only accessible by watercraft. The Kettle Falls Hotel has a restaurant that offers full sit-down meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If you are bringing your own food to the park, there are many Day Use facilities (locations with picnic tables) for you to enjoy a meal or snack. Many of the gateway communities surrounding the park offer convenience stores. Grocery stores are located in Orr and International Falls, Minnesota.

If you plan on bringing your own food to the park, please remember to pack-out what you pack-in. Garbage and unfinished food can disrupt ecosystems in the park. Bear-proof food lockers are available throughout the park campsites for storing food safely.

 

Sleeping

All campsites in Voyageurs are only accessible by watercraft, with the exception of two hike-in primitive campsites along the Kab-Ash Trail.

Lodging

There are many different ways to spend a night in Voyageurs National Park. The only in-park, concession-operated lodging available in the park is at Kettle Falls Hotel. Remotely located on the far eastern side of the Kabetogama Peninsula, it is approximately 15-miles from the nearest road and is only accessible by water.

If you do not have a watercraft of your own, you can arrange a shuttle service with your hotel reservation. For more information and booking, visit their website.

Camping

Voyageurs is a water-based National Park, so planning a camping trip here will require special considerations and pre-planning. Visit our main camping page for an explanation of the different types of camping you can experience in Voyageurs to help you narrow down which is right for you.

The park offers mostly frontcountry campsites on Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sand Point Lakes. Camping at these sites in Voyageurs National Park is only accessible by watercraft. These sites require a paid permit; reservations can be made online.

For those seeking a more rugged camping experience, backcountry camping is also available in the park. These sites are similar to frontcountry sites in that they are only accessible by water, they differ in that once you arrive by boat to a backcountry trailhead, visitors must then hike to their backcountry campsite destination. Backcountry camping reservations can be made online. Before heading out, check-out where to go and safety tips on the safety page.

If you are looking for a camping experience that incorporates hiking and backpacking without needing a boat or having to leave the mainland, check out our two primitive campsites located remotely along the Kab-Ash Trail.

If you are car camping or camper (RV) camping, there are public and private campgrounds located outside of Voyageurs National Park.

Houseboating

All houseboats, sailboats, and cabin cruisers (defined as registered vessels that contain sleeping facilities, cooking and food storage facilities, and a no-discharge toilet) require a permit for overnight stays in Voyageurs National Park. Permits can be aquired online. Learn more about Houseboating at Voyageurs on the Houseboating page.

Voyageurs National Park does not have houseboats available for rent but there are several commercial options in the gateway communities for those looking into this mode of exploring the park. Follow these links to view houseboat rental companies that serve the Rainy Lake district of the park and the Namakan district of the park (located in the Ash River area and beyond the southern end of the park at Crane Lake).

Gateway Communities

To learn more about other local accommodations in the gateway communites, visit the following websites offered through local convention and visitor bureaus:

• International Falls/Ranier
• Kabetogama Lake
• Ash River
• Crane Lake
• Orr/Pelican Lake
• Fort Frances, ONT (Canada)