Rainy Lake Facts

Rainy Lake and Rainy River offer a host of activities for outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year, from fishing and boating to snowmobiling and skiing. The following are some basic – and more obscure – facts about Rainy Lake and the surrounding area.

Lay of the Land
Rainy Lake and Rainy River establish part of the boundary between Minnesota and Ontario, Canada.

• Rainy Lake is approximately 360 square miles, with 1,850 miles of shoreline and more than 2,000 islands.
• Approximately 70 percent of Rainy Lake lies in Ontario, and 30 percent in Minnesota.
• The lake is divided into three areas; the North Arm, Red Gut Bay and the South Arm.

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​The People
The sister cities of International Falls, Minnesota, and Fort Frances, Ontario, are situated on either side of the of the Rainy River.

• The population of International Falls is approximately 6,000. Fort Frances, ON, is home to about 7,700 residents.
• Almost 240,000 people visited Voyageurs National Park (see below) in 2017.
• The first people to occupy the area around Rainy Lake arrived nearly 10,000 years ago during the Paleo-Indian Period.

The Park
Rainy Lake is home to Minnesota’s only National Park, Voyageurs, which was established in 1975.

• One third of the park’s area is water, most of it in Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sand Point lakes, which are linked by narrow waterways. 
• The Park maintains 46 boat-in camping sites on Rainy Lake in addition to hiking, skiing and snowmobile trails.
• The park is named for French-Canadian fur traders believed to be the first non-natives to travel through the region.

The History
Rainy Lake is a remnant of Lake Agassiz, which was formed as the glaciers retreated north during the last ice age 50,000 to 10,000 years ago.

• Rainy Lake rocks are from 2.5 to 3.6 billion years old.
• By 1800, Rainy Lake was the voyageurs' highway, linking the Great Lakes with outposts in the remote interior.
• Gold was discovered on Rainy Lake in 1893, spurring the growth of Rainy Lake City, which was a ghost town by 1898.

The Climate
If International Falls sounds familiar it’s most likely because of a national weather reports referring to the city as “The Icebox of the Nation.”

• The all-time record low for International Falls is -55F, set in January 1909.
• The highest monthly average temperature in International Falls for July is 65 degrees. The lowest monthly average temperature for January is 7 degrees.
• The air quality index in International Falls is 25 percent better than the national average, and the pollution index is 78 percent better than the national average.

​The Trivia
Impress your friends with these lesser-known facts:

• A mermaid statue built in the 1930s is located in Silver Island Narrows.
• Early French inhabitants gave the name Lac La Pluie (translated to Rainy Lake and Rainy River) because of the mist-like rain present at the falls where the lake flowed into the river.
• International Falls is home to several National Hockey League players, including Mike Curran, Richard Dougherty, Bob Mason (currently goalie coach for MN Wild), Gary Sampson, Neil Sheehy and Timothy Sheehy.  
• Frostbite Falls, the hometown of cartoon characters Rocky and Bullwinkle, was based on the real-life International Falls.
• After several years of legal battles, the United States Patent and Trademark Office officially registered the slogan “Icebox of the Nation” with International Falls on January 29, 2008.

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