Today, we are visiting the Ash River and Kabetogama Lake areas in Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota. Along with our daughter the 3 of us are driving from Minneapolis to International Falls. And along the way we are stopping at both the Ash River and Kabetogama Lake Visitor Centers and more!
Planning Ash River and Kabetogama Lake areas
When I found out my annual work conference was in Minneapolis this year, I had to go. Not only is it in a state I haven’t been to before, but it’s also driving distance to Voyageurs National Park. So Becky and our daughter flew into Minneapolis on the last night of my conference to meet up with me. We got a rental car at the airport and today we’re driving to our next hotel in International Falls, Minnesota. The closest town to Voyageurs, International Falls is one of the coldest places in United States. And it’s supposed to be cloudy and cold today with a high of only 55 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s pretty cold for a June day, so we packed layers. For more information on this park, check out: Voyageurs National Park (nps.gov).
The drive from Minneapolis to International Falls is over 4.5 hours, but we’re planning stops along the way. The Ash River and Kabetogama Lake visitor centers are basically on the way into International Falls. So, it makes sense to check out these areas first. We always think it’s good to start at visitor centers to get information and firm up our plans. And there’s a few small hikes we can check out, too. Afterwards, we’ll check into our hotel in International Falls and then find dinner. With a full day planned, we are ready to explore our 1st new national park this year!
Driving to Ash River and Kabetogama Lake
The drive from Minneapolis to International Falls is over 4.5 hours without stops. But we are planning to stop at the Ash River and Kabetogama Lake visitor centers on the way. So we leave Minneapolis about 8:45AM and head north on I-35. After about an hour of driving, we make our 1st pit stop for gas near Rush City. And just off the highway we see a large statue from the parking lot. There are a lot of large statues around Minnesota, and many are of fish. And this one claims to be the World’s Largest Walleye, an almost 2,000 pound fish caught by Paul Bunyan.
The drive up I-35 continues past Duluth, and when we get to Cloquet, we have to exit onto MN-33 to get on US-53. We’re surprised that most of this drive is highway. And we stop again at another gas station off the highway that also has a convenience store. It is really nice and they have a lot of options, so we grab lunch to go.
Back on the road, it eventually turns into 2 lanes. And we make one more stop in the town of Orr. Here we see a giant bluegill fish statue welcoming us.
After another quick pic, we continue North on US-53 for 26 miles to the turnoff for Ash River Visitor Center. And about 8 miles later, we turn onto Mead Wood Road where we see the 1st Voyageurs National Park sign. So, we get out again for some more pics. And by the time we get to the actual visitor center, it’s already almost 2:00PM. But even with all the stops we made it in less than 5 hours and 15 minutes.
Ash River Visitor Center
After parking right up front, we take some steps up to the visitor center housed inside the historic Meadwood Lodge. In an old log cabin, The Ash River Visitor Center just opened for the summer.
Walking to the entrance door, we see multiple rosy maple moths on a window. These beautiful moths are easily identified by their vibrant pink and yellow colors. Once inside we are greeted by 2 park rangers at a table. And to the right is a small gift shop.
We see a sign to check out the Beaver Pond Overlook for five baby swans spotted near the pond. This is one of the short hikes we are interested in doing, so we talk to the rangers about it. They also recommend some other ponds nearby we can look for the swans.
We pass the gift shop promising our daughter we’ll let her get something at the next one. And we continue into a bigger room that has their passport stamp. Next to it is some information about this lodge built in 1935, which also had 7 cabins. Built as a secluded retreat for hunters and fisherman, it operated until the National Park Service acquired it in 1977. This bigger room also has a beautiful stone fireplace with some wicker furniture around it. In a smaller adjacent room, the 12 minute park film is showing. But instead of watching, we grab the junior ranger activity book and head outside.
Behind the Ash River Visitor Center
When we head outside, the girls find the restrooms in a separate building on our right. And I decide to walk around the lodge, I mean visitor center, to the back. There are 4 adirondack chairs here looking toward Kabetogama Lake, or known locally as just Kab Lake.
So the Ash River and Kabetogama Lake visitor centers are both on Kabetogama Lake. Though this visitor center is in the Ash River community. And when I get a closer look at Kab Lake, I see a boat and dock below. So, I head back to see the girls coming out of the restroom. And we head down a path to get a closer look of the lake.
I walk out on the dock with our daughter to get our 1st glimpse of what Voyageurs is all about. All of Kab Lake is in the park, and all we can see is pristine wilderness. The dock is in a small cove protected from the wind, so we walk out to the end. After the little bridge, it’s a floating dock secured by ropes to the shore. And at the end is their park service boat. When we turn around, we see a sign for Voyageurs National park letting boaters know they can dock here.
When we head back, we find Becky and walk out to the sign. It is cloudy and cold today, and very windy here. Some guys also exploring here offer to take our picture. Kab Lake looks really rough today, but the weather is supposed to be better tomorrow. We hope so, because we have a 6 hour boat tour planned tomorrow.
Kabetogama Lake Overlook Trail
We head back to the car and leave the visitor center for the Kabetogama Lake Overlook Trail. This short 0.4 mile round trip trail goes through a pine forest to a viewpoint. And once we leave the visitor center area, it’s just 2 minutes down the road. It’s the 1st parking area on the right. The trail has 2 starting points, the 1st has stairs. But at the end of the parking lot is a handicap accessible path. And after applying some bug spray, we take the stairs.
Once up the steps, we join the gravel trail through the woods. And even though we have bug spray on, mosquitoes are already buzzing around us. We had heard the bugs were bad, and I can see a dozen around Becky’s legs. The key is to keep moving. We pass a sign for the Blind Ash Bay Trail you can pick up from this trail. It’s a longer 2.9 mile round trip, but we continue to the overlook. And it’s not even 5 minutes before we make it to the overlook.
There’s a sign here that explains some of the history of the lake. And there’s a log bench which is good for taking pictures. Though we are at a higher point, Kab Lake is a distance away. It’s not a bad view, but we can’t sit long because of the mosquitoes. So, we head back to the car. The whole trail takes less than 10 minutes.
Looking for swans and the Beaver Pond Overlook Trail
Back in the car, we head down the road for 1/2 mile to the Sullivan Bay Trailhead and park. The rangers said the baby swans have been seen in a pond across the street. Next to the trailhead is a creek that heads out to Sullivan Bay that’s absolutely gorgeous.
Though across the street, it’s hard to even see the pond, much less some baby swans. So, we take the short drive to the Beaver Pond Overlook trailhead parking lot. This trail is another short 0.4 mile round trip hike to an overlook and back. But this time the view is of an active beaver pond. Hoping to see some wildlife besides bugs, we apply more bug spray and start the hike through more pine forest. And it only takes a few minutes to reach steps to the overlook.
Up the steps, we follow the railing to the overlook. There are some steep rocky areas on the way that make this trail interesting. The overlook itself is an open rocky area surrounded by more railing. And we’re at a good vantage point to see the beaver pond below.
Though some large trees obstruct the view of the pond, like the other overlook we have it to ourselves. The beaver pond looks like a secret spot hidden amongst all the trees. And right now the water is very calm with no movement at all. The bugs aren’t bad and this is a peaceful spot. After about 5 minutes we head back finishing the trail in about 12 minutes. Now we’re ready to leave Ash River and Kabetogama Lake is next.
Kabetogama Lake Walleye
From the overlook to the Kabetogama Lake visitor is about 20 minutes. But there’s 1 stop we have to do first. At the turn toward this visitor center is another large fish that I have to ride…
The Lake Kabetogama Walleye is right off the street with ample parking. And it has stairs, ladder and a saddle so you can get on or “ride” this giant fish. This is a fun photo stop and right across the street from a gas station and convenience store. After the quick stop it’s only 5 minutes to the visitor center.
Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center
Both the Ash River and Kabetogama Lake visitor centers close at 5:00PM. But we get here with over an hour to spare. And though both visitor centers are on Kab Lake, here you can easily see it on the way in.
Inside is another gift store, and park rangers behind a desk. And like traditional visitor centers, it also has many exhibits on local history and wildlife. There’s also a large window looking out at the lake, where rangers point out a river otter outside.
I can see the otter on the dock basking in the Sun in the distance. So after talking more with the rangers and checking out the exhibits, I decide to get a closer look. Outside at the shore, I have an unobstructed view of the napping otter. But after I take a few pictures it rolls over. And then he gets up and is gone in the water. I feel bad and hope I didn’t scare him away. So I decide to walk toward the boat launch, and on the way back I see it on the shore. But then it goes in the water again.
I go back inside to meet Becky and our daughter in the store. We allow her to buy a little bear stuffie with her saved money. And then we head back outside. And to our amazement, the otter is back on the shore just steps from the entrance. It does a little dance before jumping back in the water. And then we see it climb back up on the dock where it was earlier. There is 1 hiking trail in this area, but it’s almost 5:00PM and we still need to check-in at our hotel.
Check-In at International Falls
Once back on the road, it’s about 30 minutes to our hotel in International Falls. We picked the AmericInn by Wyndham for a few reasons. First off we have rewards points which will pay for our 3 night stay. But, this hotel is only 2 years old and has great reviews. It also has laundry facilities and a free hot breakfast. And it’s close to Rainy Lake, where we have a 6 hour boat tour to Kettle Falls tomorrow morning.
But while checking in, I get a call from Captain Tim advising our tour is cancelled due to the weather. Though it’s supposed to be sunny and warmer tomorrow, it’s supposed to be windy and rough. However, they are still running a shorter 2 hour tour around Rainy Lake in the morning. So, we decide to go ahead and book the 10:00AM tour tomorrow morning. But we hope to find another tour company to take us to Kettle Falls. It’s a popular destination in the park only accessible by boat. And after settling in our room, we decide to head out for dinner.
The Smothered Goose Dinner
Though we got a couple suggestions, we found the Smothered Goose online and thought their menu sounded good. BBQ, Burgers & Brews sounds perfect. It’s closer to Rainy Lake, but still less than 15 minutes away. You can read more about this restaurant here: Smothered Goose | Burgers BBQ and Brew | International Falls, MN.
Though their address is in International Falls, the restaurant is actually in the small border town of Ranier. It’s a nice drive, and the restaurant was easy to find. It looks like an old local restaurant from the outside with dirt lot parking. Inside is wood everywhere from walls to ceilings, complete with a bar and mostly booth tables. And when our server comes, we order a signature rhubarb cocktail, a local beer and a watermelon sweet tea.
However for food, I order a local dish I’ve been wanting before I knew they had it here. I’m talking about Northern caught Walleye. Yes, the same fish in the large statues we saw earlier today. It’s prepared with their secret breading and house specialty salt and vinegar fries. Our daughter orders the kids spaghetti and meatballs which she eats all the time. And Becky tries their Honkin’ Hank’s Mac and Cheese with a bacon sauce topped with pulled pork and a salad. The winner here was the walleye cooked perfectly. And the salt and vinegar fries were nice too. Service was good and we were in and out in just over an hour. We would definitely eat here again.
Tilson Creek Bogwalk
After dinner, it’s after 8:00PM and it’s nice out. So we decide to drive to the Thunderbird Lodge to see where our boat tour starts tomorrow morning. And on the way we pass the turn for the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, which we’ll also visit tomorrow. On the way back, we see lots of deer just off the road. And we make a stop at a place our hotel clerk said is a good place to spot moose. We’ve yet to see one, so we turn into the parking lot for the Tilson Creek Bogwalk.
Run by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the bogwalk is the first .75 miles of the larger Tilson Ski Trails. They’re used for cross-country skiing in the winter. Though the trails start from the bogwalk through some woods. Just around the 1st turn we see a deer cross the trail in front of us. But the mosquitoes are definitely out, so we move quickly through the woods before it opens up around another corner.
This section goes straight through a peat bog. This interesting landscape is similar to a marsh in that there is water. But the plants are very different including some scattered tamarack trees. At the halfway point we see something white by the trail near a resting spot. It looks like cotton and is actually a type of cotton grass.
We can see Tilson Creek in the distance and eventually the boardwalk continues into more woods. However, it eventually stops where the ski trails begin. So we turn around and go back the same way we came.
The bogwalk trail only takes us 23 minutes out and back.
Tilson Bay Boat Ramp and dock
Though we didn’t see a moose, once back we see a deer walking through the parking area. It’s probably the same one we saw earlier, and we follow it across the street to the boat ramp. On this side are stairs to the Tilson Bay Hiking Trail which looks even buggier. But there’s a path out to a dock.
This is a nice dock to check out Tilson Bay which leads out to Rainy Lake. We’re definitely looking forward to getting out on the lake tomorrow. But it’s almost 9:00PM and the Sun is starting to set behind the clouds. So, we head back across our street to our car, and drive back to our hotel.
Summary of Ash River and Kabetogama Lake in Voyageurs
Today we visited the Ash River and Kabetogama Lake areas on our way from Minneapolis to International Falls. And after we checked-in to our hotel, we even explored some of the Rainy Lake area. The Ash River is in a historic lodge where we got our 1st views of Kabetogama Lake. We also did some small hikes in the area which were buggy, but nice. The Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center was right on the water where we saw a river otter. It also had some nice exhibits we explored before heading to International Falls. After checking in to our hotel, we went out to dinner at the Smothered Goose. And afterwards we walked the Tilson Creek Bogwalk and out to the dock on Tilson Bay.
It was a long day, but our boat tour is not until 10:00AM tomorrow. The Ash River and Kabetogama Lake areas are just a small part of Voyageurs National Park. Most of the park is on the water, which is why we booked the boat tour around Rainy Lake. But before we go to bed, we put an inquiry into another boat company out of Kab Lake. We’ll be here for more 2 more days, and still hope to get a tour to Kettle Falls.
Look for our next post out on the waters of Rainy Lake and more. You can also check out more of our travels to national parks here!
Like what you read? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more!