Weekend Looking Good in Voyageurs National Park

​The forecast calls for a break in the little heat wave we’ve been having and the weekend should be very nice. There is a little potential for a thunderstorm, but it will likely be overnight. You should spend the days on Rainy Lake in Voyageurs National Park. If fishing is the plan, the change in weather will likely change the patterns. Lately walleye have been on the submerged structures and hitting on crawlers, the best bite has been in the morning. Crappie are being caught around the Rat Root River and west end of Black Bay.

There are great sites to visit on Rainy Lake, learn a little about the Gold Mine History on the Voyageurs National Park Boat Tours scheduled at 2pm—every day except Tuesday and Thursday. Tours depart from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. Canoe or Kayak to explore on your own. Boat over to Diamond Island and sprawl on the beach. Do a day trip and take in historic Kettle Falls. Stop in at any of the lakeside resorts and have some lunch on the deck. Head for International Falls City Beach and get a game of volleyball going. You get the idea.

No boat? How about biking or hiking the Rainy Lake Recreation Trail, the new connection to the Voyageurs National Park Rainy Lake Visitor Center is very nice. Take a scenic drive through the Rainy River valley on the Waters of the Dancing Sky Scenic Byway which starts at Sha Sha point on Rainy Lake and heads west on highway 11 ending at the North Dakota border. Head for the Ranier Park and put the horseshoe pits to use. Cross the border and visit Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. Stop at the museums in both Fort Frances and International Falls. There’s no shortage of things to do.