Blog Posts

Spring Hiking in Voyageurs National Park

5/7/2018

Although most of Voyageurs National Park trails are maintained throughout the year, becoming snowshoe and cross-country ski attractions during the winter months, Spring is perhaps the best time for a hike through the forest. Delicate, lime-colored leaves are just beginning to appear, pairs of mating geese can be seen – and heard – over nearby lakes, and cool breezes keep temperatures mild.

All you need is a comfortable pair of shoes, drinking water and a map in order to immerse yourself in nature and witness the emergence of a new season. And, with a variety of trails to choose from, hikers can easily find one that suits their individual skill levels, from 20-minute jaunts to hours-long adventures.

Drive-to Trails
Voyageurs is known for its acres of water (84,000) and miles (more than 600) of undeveloped shoreline. But that doesn’t mean you need a boat to explore and enjoy the park, which features close to a dozen land-accessible trails.

Echo Bay Trail is an easy hike, located three miles from the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center off Country Road 122. The 2.5-mile loop passes through lowlands and rocky outcrops and includes a great blue heron rookery.
Blind Ash Bay Trail is a moderately difficult narrow, winding trail accessible at the Kabetogama Lake Overlook near the Ash River Visitor Center. The 2.5-mile loop boasts spectacular scenery and is open for snowshoeing in the winter.
Kab-Ash Trail is the longest and most strenuous, this 28-mile system of trails connects the Kabetogama and Ash River communities. Four trailheads make it possible to hike sections of this trail or the whole trail for an in depth view of the park.

ADA Accessible
In addition to providing varying degrees of difficulty and lengths, park trails also provide the opportunity for people with disabilities to experience Voyageurs’ singular scenery.

The Ethno-botanical Garden Trail features an Ojibwe Indian camp and native plant garden that invite visitors to consider what life was like for the area’s native people.
The first ¼ mile of the Oberholtzer Trail is wheelchair accessible and, located just outside the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, is a showcase for the park’s diversity of forest and wetlands found in the park.
The Rainy Lake Recreation Trail is a wide, paved path that welcomes runners, walkers and bicyclists. Leading from highway 71 to the entrance of Rainy Lake Visitor Center the 1.75-miles include benches for taking a breather while taking in the views of Rainy Lake.

Trails with Views
Make time in your trip to the Ask River Visitor Center to enjoy theses little-known gems:

The Beaver Pond Overlook is the second trailhead on the left, where a short uphill hike is rewarded with an overhead view of an abandoned beaver pond. Lucky – and quiet – hikers may also see large wildlife like bear and moose here.
Take the third pullout on the left to access the Kabetogama Lake Overlook, an easy .2-mile hike that leads to a west-facing view of the lake.

Before you begin a journey on any of the park’s trails, be sure to pick up a map at one of the visitor centers.

Interested in hiking at Voyageurs National Park? Let us know in the comments below!

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Rainy Lake Birding Challenge

5/4/2018

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Looking for a challenge? A birding challenge? We invite you spot these birds in the Rainy Lake area. Comment below with the bird(s) you found, and the approximate location of the sighting.

DUCKS, GEESE & SWANS
❑ Snow Goose
❑ Canada Goose
❑ Trumpeter Swan
❑ Tundra Swan
❑ Wood Duck
❑ Gadwall
❑ American Wigeon
❑ American Black Duck
❑ Mallard
❑ Blue-winged Teal
❑ Northern Shoveler
❑ Northern Pintail
❑ Green-winged Teal
❑ Canvasback
❑ Redhead
❑ Ring-necked Duck
❑ Greater Scaup
❑ Lesser Scaup
❑ Surf Scoter
❑ White-winged Scoter
❑ Black Scoter
❑ Long-tailed Duck
❑ Bufflehead
❑ Common Goldeneye
❑ Hooded Merganser
❑ Common Merganser
❑ Red-breasted Merganser
❑ Ruddy Duck
GROUSE
❑ Ruffed Grouse
❑ Spruce Grouse
❑ Sharp-tailed Grouse
LOONS
❑ Common Loon
❑ Red-throated Loon
GREBES
❑ Pied-billed Grebe
❑ Horned Grebe
❑ Red-necked Grebe
❑ Western Grebe
PELICANS
❑ American White Pelican
CORMORANTS
❑ Double-crested
Cormorant
HERONS, BITTERNS
❑ American Bittern
❑ Great Blue Heron

VULTURES, HAWKS
& EAGLES
❑ Turkey Vulture
❑ Osprey
❑ Bald Eagle
❑ Northern Harrier
❑ Sharp-shinned Hawk
❑ Cooper's Hawk
❑ Northern Goshawk
❑ Broad-winged Hawk
❑ Red-tailed Hawk
❑ Rough-legged Hawk
❑ Golden Eagle
FALCONS
❑ American Kestrel
❑ Merlin
❑ Peregrine Falcon
❑ Gyrfalcon
RAILS & COOTS
❑ Yellow Rail
❑ Virginia Rail
❑ Sora
❑ American Coot
CRANES
❑ Sandhill Crane
PLOVERS
❑ Black-bellied Plover
❑ American Golden-plover
❑ Semipalmated Plover
❑ Piping Plover
❑ Killdeer
SANDPIPERS & ALLIES
❑ Greater Yellowlegs
❑ Lesser Yellowlegs
❑ Solitary Sandpiper
❑ Willet
❑ Spotted Sandpiper
❑ Upland Sanpiper
❑ Whimbrel
❑ Hudsonian Godwit
❑ Marbled Godwit
❑ Ruddy Turnstone
❑ Sanderling
❑Semipalmated Sandpiper
❑ Western Sandpiper
❑ Least Sandpiper
❑ White-rumped Sandpiper
❑ Baird's Sandpiper
❑ Pectoral Sandpiper
❑ Dunlin
❑ Long-billed Dowitcher
❑ Wilson's Snipe

❑ American Woodcock
❑ Wilson's Phalarope
GULLS & TERNS
❑ Franklin's Gull
❑ Bonaparte's Gull
❑ Ring-billed Gull
❑ Herring Gull
❑ Caspian Tern
❑ Common Tern
❑ Black Tern
PIGEONS & DOVES
❑ Rock Pigeon
❑ Mourning Dove
CUCKOOS
❑ Black-billed Cuckoo
❑ Yellow-billed Cuckoo
OWLS
❑ Great Horned Owl
❑ Snowy Owl
❑ Northern Hawk Owl
❑ Barred Owl
❑ Great Gray Owl
❑ Long-eared Owl
❑ Short-eared Owl
❑ Boreal Owl
❑ Northern Saw-whet Owl
GOATSUCKERS
❑ Common Nighthawk
❑ Whip-poor-will
SWIFTS
❑ Chimney Swift
HUMMINGBIRDS
❑ Ruby-throated
Hummingbird
❑ Rufous Hummingbird
KINGFISHERS
❑ Belted Kingfisher
WOODPECKERS
❑ Red-headed Woodpecker
❑ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
❑ Downy Woodpecker
❑ Hairy Woodpecker
❑ Three-toed Woodpecker
❑ Black-backed
Woodpecker
❑ Northern Flicker
❑ Pileated Woodpecker
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
❑ Olive-sided Flycatcher
❑ Eastern Wood-pewee

❑ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
❑ Alder Flycatcher
❑ Least Flycatcher
❑ Eastern Phoebe
❑ Great Crested Flycatcher
❑ Eastern Kingbird
SHRIKES
❑ Northern Shrike
VIREOS
❑ Blue-headed Vireo
❑ Warbling Vireo
❑ Philadelphia Vireo
❑ Red-eyed Vireo
JAYS & CROWS
❑ Gray Jay
❑ Blue Jay
❑ Black-billed Magpie
❑ American Crow
❑ Common Raven
LARKS
❑ Horned Lark
SWALLOWS
❑ Purple Martin
❑ Tree Swallow
❑ Northern Rough-winged
Swallow
❑ Bank Swallow
❑ Cliff Swallow
❑ Barn Swallow
CHICKADEES
❑ Black-capped Chickadee
❑ Boreal Chickadee
NUTHATCHES
❑ Red-breasted Nuthatch
❑ White-breasted Nuthatch
CREEPERS
❑ Brown Creeper
WRENS
❑ House Wren
❑ Winter Wren
❑ Sedge Wren
❑ Marsh Wren
KINGLETS
❑ Golden-crowned Kinglet
❑ Ruby-crowned Kinglet
THRUSHES
❑ Eastern Bluebird
❑ Townsend's Solitaire
❑ Veery
❑ Gray-cheeked Thrush

❑ Swainson's Thrush
❑ Hermit Thrush
❑ Wood Thrush
❑ American Robin
❑ Varied Thrush
MOCKINGBIRDS &
THRASHERS
❑ Gray Catbird
❑ Northern Mockingbird
❑ Brown Thrasher
STARLINGS
❑ European Starling
PIPITS
❑ American Pipit
WAXWINGS
❑ Bohemian Waxwing
❑ Cedar Waxwing
WOOD-WARBLERS
❑ Golden-winged Warbler
❑ Tennessee Warbler
❑ Orange-crowned Warbler
❑ Nashville Warbler
❑ Northern Parula
❑ Yellow Warbler
❑ Chestnut-sided Warbler
❑ Magnolia Warbler
❑ Cape May Warbler
❑ Black-throated
Blue Warbler
❑ Yellow-rumped Warbler
❑ Black-throated
Green Warbler
❑ Blackburnian Warbler
❑ Pine Warbler
❑ Palm Warbler
❑ Bay-breasted Warbler
❑ Blackpoll Warbler
❑ Black-and-white Warbler
❑ American Redstart
❑ Ovenbird
❑ Northern Waterthrush
❑ Connecticut Warbler
❑ Mourning Warbler
❑ Common Yellowthroat
❑ Wilson's Warbler
❑ Canada Warbler
TANAGERS
❑ Scarlet Tanager
SPARROWS & ALLIES
❑ Eastern Towhee

❑ American Tree Sparrow
❑ Chipping Sparrow
❑ Clay-colored Sparrow
❑ Vesper Sparrow
❑ Savannah Sparrow
❑ Le Conte's Sparrow
❑ Fox Sparrow
❑ Song Sparrow
❑ Lincoln's Sparrow
❑ Swamp Sparrow
❑ White-throated Sparrow
❑ Harris' Sparrow
❑ White-crowned Sparrow
❑ Dark-eyed Junco
❑ Lapland Longspur
❑ Snow Bunting
CARDINALS & ALLIES
❑ Rose-breasted Grosbeak
❑ Indigo Bunting
BLACKBIRDS
❑ Bobolink
❑ Red-winged Blackbird
❑ Eastern Meadowlark
❑ Western Meadowlark
❑ Yellow-headed Blackbird
❑ Rusty Blackbird
❑ Brewer's Blackbird
❑ Common Grackle
❑ Brown-headed Cowbird
❑ Baltimore Oriole
FINCHES
❑ Pine Grosbeak
❑ Purple Finch
❑ Red Crossbill
❑ White-winged Crossbill
❑ Common Redpoll
❑ Hoary Redpoll
❑ Pine Siskin
❑ American Goldfinch
❑ Evening Grosbeak
OLD WORLD SPARROWS
❑ House Sparrow

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Sturgeon Tag Season Closing

5/4/2018

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The short spring sturgeon tag season closes after this weekend. Anglers have been hitting Rainy River in search of a keeper. The slot is 45-50 inches and a trophy fish must be over 75 inches. Those are pretty big fish.
Kuttes Landing is a popular access for sturgeon as it is just above the confluence of the Little Fork river, which is a sturgeon hot spot. The photo is from Kuttes Landing, which is roughly where US 71 meets MN 11.
The Ron Hall access in International Falls is just below the dam, and that too is a sturgeon hot spot.
Fishing for sturgeon can be as simple as dropping a strong circle hook and leader baited with a few worms and a minnow upstream from a deeper area. Use a fairly heavy roll sinker to keep the rig in place. The sturgeon will be lured upstream from the deeper holes where they tend to congregate.
If you'd rather learn the tips and tricks from a pro, check the guide services listed here: https://www.rainylake.org/guides--outfitter-services.html
Migratory birds are all arriving to begin their nesting processes and some trees are starting to show buds. We have excellent weather forecast for the weekend. Hiking trails around Rainy Lake go through varied habitats and you will spot some wildlife.

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Spring Hiking in Voyageurs National Park

Rainy Lake Birding Challenge

Sturgeon Tag Season Closing

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