Voyageurs National Park Camping Permits

PRIMITIVE CAMPSITES (Red Pine & Blueberry Ridge) are the only campsites that are located on the mainland and DO NOT require a boat to access. They are hike-in sites along the Kab-Ash Trail and are equipped only with fire rings and cleared areas for tents. Leave No Trace Principles apply in these areas. FRONTCOUNTRY CAMPSITES are located on the large lakes (Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, Sandpoint). You can boat directly to them from any park visitor center boat ramp. They offer fire rings, tent pads, picnic tables, bear lockers for safe food storage, and outdoor privies. Ten of the frontcountry sites throughout the park are available on a one-week booking window to accommodate short-term trip planners. BACKCOUNTRY CAMPSITES are located on the park's interior lakes and offer a more remote and secluded camping experience consisting of fire rings, tenting areas, an outdoor privy, a bear pole for safe food storage, and a canoe. These sites first require travel by private watercraft or local water taxi service to a remote trailhead and then hiking up to several miles to the backcountry lakes. All backcountry campsite reservations include the use of one canoe and an access code will be provided in your confirmation email. Some campsites can be hiked to directly while others require paddling after hiking. Canoes on backcountry lakes are provided by the park and remain stationed at these lakes. Personal watercrafts of any kind cannot be portaged into backcountry due to the threat of Aquatic Invasive Species . Chain of Lakes (Locator, War Club, Quill, and Loiten Lakes): Reservations at these sites automatically include one canoe because a canoe is required to reach them. In this area only, up to 2 additional canoes can be added on a first come, first served basis to any camping reservation. Shoepack & Little Shoepack Lakes: The campsites on these two lakes come reserved together (for the cost of one) because the one canoe on Little Shoepack is required to reach the campsite on Little Shoepack and/or the portage to Shoepack Lake. Shoepack Lake has its own separate canoe - please leave the canoes on their respective lakes. Ek, Agnes, Jorgens, Quarter Line, Cruiser, Brown, Peary, Oslo and Ryan Lakes: These backcountry campsites can be hiked to directly after boating to a trailhead and have one canoe located at each site. DAY USE BACKCOUNTRY CANOE RENTALS: The Chain of Lakes is the only backcountry area with an additional inventory of canoes that are available for single day use. Use of these canoes first requires travel by private watercraft or local water taxi service to the Locator trailhead and then hiking two miles to where the rental canoes are stationed. To reserve a day use canoe in the Chain of Lakes area, click on the Reserve Day Use button on this page to view availability. To use the canoe at any other backcountry site for day use, that campsite must be reserved for one overnight. DAY USE & VISITOR DESTINATION SITES: With 27 Day Use sites and 7 Visitor Destination sites, Voyageurs National Park has plenty of areas to enjoy for visitors who are out for a day trip on the lakes. Each Day Use site has picnic tables, fire rings and vault privies, while the Visitor Destination sites offer short trails with wayside exhibits, picnic areas and comfort stations. No reservations are required for Day Use or Destination sites. You can view a map of day use sites here . Keep Voyageurs National Park Wild for Future Generations: The Voyageurs Conservancy is the park's official nonprofit partner representing a community of people who care about the ongoing stewardship of Voyageurs National Park. VNPA works to fund projects and programs that will help sustain the park's waters, wild character, and visitor experience for generations to come. Become a member today , follow them on Facebook and Instagram , or sign up for their e-newsletter . Recreation From spring through fall, explore Voyageurs National Park on land by stopping in at a visitor center or hiking any of our 52 miles (84 km) of scenic hiking trails. To explore the vastness of the same lakes the Voyageurs and Ojibwe Indians once traversed, leave your car behind and explore park waters by kayak, canoe, sailboat, motorboat, houseboat or tour boat. Public boat launch ramps are available at park visitor centers, the Crane Lake ranger station and the two state forest campgrounds - Woodenfrog and Ash River. With scheduled programs and boat tours