Experience Voyageurs National Park on a Budget

Visiting Voyageurs National Park for only a short time? Maybe you are passing through and only have a couple of hours to spend on Rainy Lake? Are you up visiting relatives and want to see the wildlife, hear the history, enjoy the scenic beauty, and walk the path of the historic French-Canadian Voyageurs? Have you lost too much money at Blackbear Casino or Fortune Bay on Lake Vermillion and must experience the splendor of Voyageurs National Park on a budget? Or maybe you are just a frugal traveler and want to get a good bang for your buck? Does any of this sound familiar? If so Voyageurs Outfitters 2-hour boat tour would be perfect for you…

Step on board our comfortable tour boat as we help you experience the beautiful waters of Voyageurs National Park on this two-hour tour. We will view historical site destinations and wild life that live in the park. Seeing loons, eagles, deer, bear, beaver, and a variety of ducks is not uncommon on one of our boat tours. Complimentary beverage service is provided as well as frequent stops at sites with full bathroom facilities. Costs include boat, captain, and fuel.
After booking your tour, all you need to do is meet our well-equipped tour boat, the “Yellow Jacket” at the dock at the Rainy Lake Visitor’s Center in Voyageurs National Park. 

All of our tour boats can accommodate up to six passengers and we provide light snacks and beverages at no charge. After a short pre-embarkation orientation, one of our experienced Coast Guard Credentialed Captains will take you into Voyageurs National Park on the pristine waters of Rainy Lake. Sit back, relax, enjoy a complimentary beverage, and take in all that this 2 hour get away has in store.
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We will give you a background leading back to the first people to use the waters of Voyageurs as their “water hiways”, the Laurel people whose history dates back the pre-historic time of the woodland era. The waterways were used by their descendants, the Anishinaabe or original people then the Ojibwe and Sioux. The next people to use the waterways were the first Europeans to arrive, the French-Canadian voyageurs. They observed the indigenous people transporting and trading goods, sometimes from as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. The Voyageurs adapted these routes to transport beaver pelts out of the interior of the continent to be brought to market in England to supply the ever-growing beaver felt hat industry. Europeans continued to use the waterways of Voyageurs National Park for logging, mining, and settling until the middle 20th century when talk of protecting the lands of Voyageurs started taking hold. Established on April 8th, 1975 the lands surrounding the waters officially became the protected areas that is now known as Voyageurs National Park. People still use the waterways to fish, recreate, and travel throughout Voyageurs National Park.
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Next, your Captain will tell you about the gold mining era and you will tour Rainy Lake City and take a hiking tour of Little American Island. Little American is known to be the only Gold mine in the area to actually turn a profit.
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Then, we will take you to see an active Eagle nest and see an abandoned gold mine shaft on Bushyhead Island. Bushyhead Island is named after Charles “Bushyhead” Johnson who mined and lived on the island. It is unknown if Mr. Johnson is named after the island or if it is the other way around.
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After that we will take you on a tour of the inside passage to Oveson’s historical fish camp. This is a great opportunity to view wildlife such as bear, deer, loons, ducks, otters, and a variety of furry woodland animals indigenous to Northern Minnesota.

One of the last stops will be at the “Golden Triangle”. An area known to be a hot spot for illegal activity during prohibition times. We will get off the boat here for you to explore a private island and take pictures at a scenic overlook. After answering any questions that you may have we will get back in the boat and we will deliver you safely back at the Rainy Lake Visitor’s Center. The entire tour takes about 2 hours and only costs $30 per person.
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So, if you are looking to save some money and some time the grand tour is for you. If you are interested in heading deeper into the park for more history, scenery, and chances to see birds and wildlife one of our longer tours is probably more suited to you. Call us to discuss your individual needs, we can accommodate most any. Your adventure is out there…