Tonight we are doing a sunset cruise to Kettle Falls in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. Along with our daughter, the 3 of us will continue to explore Voyageurs by water. Earlier today we did a Rainy Lake boat tour that was a lot of fun. You can read more about that here. But tonight, experience our 4-hour tour with us to Kettle Falls and back!
Planning a Sunset Cruise to Kettle Falls
If you’ve read our previous posts, you know we really want to go to Kettle Falls. Not only is it the only lodging facility in Voyageurs National Park, but it’s a popular place to visit. You can read more about it here: Kettle Falls – Voyageurs National Park (nps.gov). But we had issues finding a boat tour to get there.
After finding out the national park service boat tours don’t start until after our trip, we looked for alternate solutions. And we found a tour out of Rainy Lake, close to where we’re staying in International Falls. But it got cancelled the night before, and we were scrambling to find another way to get to Kettle Falls. However, I remembered a service a little further away out of Kabetogama Lake called Border Guide Service. After requesting a reservation through their website late last night, I woke up to find they have availability tonight! So, I called to confirm.
Captain Bill answered and was excited to tell me all about this tour. He told me we’d stop at Ellsworth Rock Gardens 1st, another popular location on Kabetogama Lake. And then we’d head to Kettle Falls with time to explore the hotel and dam there. On the way back we’d stop one more time at Stevens Resort, a favorite of a park ranger we talked to yesterday. It’s a 4-hour tour from 5:00-9:00PM, $150 per adult, half off for kids, and cash is preferred. And it departs from the Woodenfrog Campground boat ramp in Kabetogama. Super excited, I book the tour. For more information, see Kettle Falls Sunset Cruise Tour | Voyageurs National Park Tours | Border Guide Services.
Woodenfrog State Forest Campground
On the way to the Woodenfrog Campground, we turn off US-53 when we see the Lake Kabetogama Walleye. We took pictures with the leaping walleye yesterday, but Captain Bill recommended bringing water. So, we stop at the general store across the street. Though we already have some snacks packed, we each get ice cream and waters to go. From here it’s about 10 minutes, and we arrive at the Woodenfrog Campground before 4:30PM.
Captain Bill told us if we got here early, we should check out the bar at the Arrowhead Lodge next door. Though we have to walk around back to find the door. From their deck, we see some white pelicans on some logs in the water. These are the largest pelicans we’ve ever seen, much bigger than the ones we see in Florida.
Through the door is their resort check-in, and just past is the bar. We wait for a little bit for a bartender, and take turns using the restroom by the check-in. Eventually a bartender comes, but by this time, we’re ready to head back.
Back at the campground parking lot, we see others arriving. By the map we also see a sign for the Woodenfrog Refectory. On the National Register of Historic Places, this dining facility was built by the Civilian Conservations Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. We take the steps up to it, and quickly walk around it due to mosquitoes attacking us. This area is definitely interesting and if we had time we would explore the lodge and area more. But Captain Bill said to be at the “map” 10 minutes early, and that’s when we see his boat arrive.
Start of Sunset Cruise to Kettle Falls
There are some signs in the parking area and on one has a map. It’s here, a few minutes early, that Captain Bill starts our Sunset Cruise to Kettle Falls tour. He gives us an introduction to Voyageurs National Park including some history.
We find out his family is from here, and he has been on these lakes all his life. And he is very knowledgeable from the start. He also uses the map to point out the route we will be taking and the stops along the way. After some questions and answers, we walk down to the boat to a surprise.
Captain Bill’s boat is 5 days old and very nice. It seats up to 12, and there are 3 groups or 10 people total on this tour. Besides us, there’s another family of 3 with a boy about our daughter’s age. And there’s another family of 4 with 2 older boys. But the surprise guest is Captain Bill’s dog, an Irish setter named “Irish”. Our daughter wasn’t excited about another boat tour, but now she’s made a new friend. Departing around 5:15PM, we head straight across the lake arriving at Ellsworth Rock Gardens about 15 minutes later.
Ellsworth Rock Gardens
Jack Ellsworth, a building contractor from Chicago, spent his summers here with his wife. Starting in the 1940’s, Ellsworth built elaborate gardens over the next 20 years with over 13,000 lilies and other flowers. And he also created over 200 rock sculptures to accent his gardens. You can read more about them here: Ellsworth Rock Gardens (nps.gov).
Captain Bill can remember visiting Ellsworth and these gardens when he was little. But Ellsworth got ill in 1965 to never return. And though the park was created in 1975, they let the gardens go until 2000. That’s when some volunteers started cleaning them up over the next 20 summers. Today, there is a nice big dock welcoming tour boats and other tourists. And at the end of the dock is an informative sign with a map of the gardens.
We take the ramp up past some restrooms to an open lawn. And we have to walk across it to get to the entrance to the gardens. Though there doesn’t seem to be a navigable path, we climb up to the top. The gardens are still a bit overgrown and buggy, and there are no more lilies. But what remains are fascinating rock sculptures. And at the top of the hill is the Arrowhead.
The Arrowhead is still intact and one of Ellsworth’s largest sculptures. Though many sculptures are missing or were vandalized over the years. We can see the remains of a pond with a miniature chair sculpture and a tepee without the canvas.
From the top we are much higher than the lawn below, and we carefully navigate back down. After about 20 minutes at the gardens, we have to head back to the boat.
Heading to Kettle Falls
We learn we are heading downstream to Kettle Falls which explains the direction of the channel markers. Though we detour first to Lost Bay, where boaters can get lost on the way to Kettle Falls. However, there is a remote campground here that looks like a nice place to get lost.
We leave Lost Bay and head past the Ash River Visitor Center through the Kabetogama Narrows. Captain Bill stops the boat where we can see an eagle in a tree, and its nest nearby. And halfway to Kettle Falls, we enter Namakan Lake which has no road access. This means you can only see this remote park lake by boat.
Captain Bill takes us past Tar Pit Island, a place he explains where commercial fishing nets were mended. And then we continue past an island seeing an eagle close up. Namakan Lake has a lot of islands perfect for eagle habitat. And we see another nest before we see yet another eagle.
And then we head north toward Kettle Falls. Our daughter is loving petting Irish the whole time. While I move up to the open seat next to the captain, to ask him some questions. He points out that we’re heading into international waters. For this final stretch, to the left is the United States, and all the islands on our right are in Canada. I also find out he has done the boat tours for the national park. He is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about this area, and we’re glad we found him.
Kettle Falls
It’s just after 7:00PM when we arrive at Kettle Falls. As the boat is getting closer, we can see barricades across the water and the dam beyond. Kettle Falls is a bit of misnomer though, as there is no longer a waterfall here.
Between 1910 and 1914 the dam was built here replacing the small falls. Designed to provide power for paper mills, it’s still in operation today. Though Captain Bill says they’ve had a hard time keeping a dam keeper due to the remoteness, especially in winter. He also says we have about an hour here to explore, and recommends walking to the dam overlook first.
A dirt road starts from the boat ramp past a small trading post heading up through the woods. There’s no cars here, but the road is a bit buggy. Though it’s less than 5 minutes before it opens up to an area by the water. And here we see a sign pointing us to the direction of the short trail to the overlook.
The overlook itself looks brand new. We take the steps up, and see some going down the other side to the dam itself. However, this area is fenced and locked. But we can see back toward the barricades we saw when arriving.
Back up the stairs is a large wooden platform providing multiple signs and viewpoints below. Before the dam, the falls were an 8-foot drop between Namakan and Rainy Lakes. But today we can see views of the dam and the rapids below, and even Rainy Lake beyond. You can also look across the channel to see Canada to the south.
Dam Overlook to the Kettle Falls Hotel
After 5 minutes at the overlook, we head back down the trail to the water. On the way, we stop to smell some beautiful purple lilac flowers. Once down the trail, we head to a dock on the water’s edge. We realize now this is the basin for the rapids and part of Rainy Lake.
Leaving the dock, we can see the narrow road to the historic Kettle Falls Hotel. Like the other dirt road, this is well-maintained and cuts through the woods. And on the other side we can see the picturesque red and white hotel.
The Kettle Falls Hotel was constructed in 1913 during the time the dam was being built. And per Captain Bill, it started out with hourly rates. But since 1918, it has been known for its home cooking and hospitality. You can read more about it on their website at: Kettle Falls Hotel, Remote Historic Resort, MN, US/Canadian Border.
It’s around a 5-7 minute walk to the hotel. And once we make it, our daughter runs ahead to get inside away from the mosquitoes. But we stop to take a couple pictures underneath the entryway and sign for the hotel.
Inside the Kettle Falls Hotel
Once inside the exterior door is a screened-in porch and their restaurant to the right. Many people come to the Kettle Falls Hotel to eat lunch or dinner, but we had heard it could be slow. And we didn’t want to waste all of our time here in the dining room. So, we head straight through another door.
Inside is a table where Becky writes our names in their guest book. There’s a park ranger here, and behind her is a couple of bookcases with souvenirs and essentials for purchase. There’s also a sitting area with a couple of sofas and chairs. But, we want to check out the bar and get their signature drink.
Past this room is a door that leads past some restrooms to the bar. And once through the door, we can see the wooden floors slope down from left to right. There’s a few people already seated at the bar, but we find some open seats at the end. And we order 2 of their signature pink slushies and a root beer for our daughter.
We admire the sloping floors and some interesting wall decor while enjoying our drinks. There’s also a nice billiards table with red felt and a hand-carved pool stick. But we decide to take our drinks to the porch to relax. However after a few minutes, we need to get back to the boat by 8:00PM. So we get our slushies in to-go cups for the hike back.
Leaving the Kettle Falls Hotel
Captain Bill told us to take the trail past the volleyball court back to the boat. And we probably wouldn’t have noticed it if he had not told us about it. But once at the trailhead a sign points us to Namakan Lake. And it’s a nice gravel trail through the woods.
As soon as we can’t see the volleyball court any longer, the mosquitoes are on us. I can see them buzzing around Becky’s legs. It’s a shame because it’s a nice walk in the woods. And after a minute we encounter some steps.
The steps have a railing to help us climb up. And once up, the trail returns to being flat. Our daughter points out an old tree with holes in it possibly from woodpeckers. And a couple minutes later we can see the exit near some restrooms. We pass another white building with a red roof. And we head across the lawn back to the boat dock.
Arriving with over 5 minutes to spare, Captain Bill is waiting for us at the boat. Seeing what’s left of my pink drink, he tells me he used to bartend here too. We wait a few more minutes until everyone is back at the boat, and we leave for our last stop.
Kettle Falls to Stevens Island
While at Kettle Falls, the clouds had started to clear. And back in the boat, the Sun is really shining and starting to set. Becky heads to the front chair by the captain to get a better view.
We still have a little time before the Sun sets as we head back through Namakan Lake. Captain Bill is going back much faster, but still spots something even he doesn’t normally see.
While passing yet another island, he spots 2 eagles in the same tree! He slows the boat so we all can get a good look. I’m on the other side of the boat, but I can still clearly see both of them. A couple minutes later we arrive at our last stop on Stevens Island.
I.W. Stevens Resort
Ingvald Walter Stevens purchased this island in 1931 from a logging company that used it as a company retreat. Though the logging company preserved the towering red pine trees on the island. And within a few years, Stevens had built cabins by hand hosting guests at his “Pine Cove” resort. A sign at the end of the dock explains more about his “Life on the Lake”. But you can read more about it here: I.W. Stevens Resort – Voyageurs National Park (nps.gov).
It’s already after 8:20PM when we dock here, but we have 10-15 minutes to explore the island. To the right is a path to the 1st of the buildings here. The Pine Cove Log Cabin is one of the places Stevens would host guests at his 1-man resort. Climbing some stairs to the front porch, we see why this would be a great place to stay.
We can go inside the cabin, but there’s not much to see but an open room. But the views are amazing. After a few minutes, we head back to the path to Stevens Cottage. The door is open and inside are multiple rooms.
It’s a little dark inside but we can see some built-in cabinets and shelving. Stevens lived here until 1979 and his craftsmanship is still evident today. After stress-related health problems, he moved here following his doctor’s advice. And he lived here nearly 50 years and passed away at the age of 104.
There are some other buildings that remain on the island including a sauna. But after almost 15 minutes, we have to head back to the dock. Though the captain let Irish out on the island, and we follow him back to the boat.
Sunset Cruise from Kettle Falls
It’s getting late when we leave and this last part is truly the sunset cruise part of our tour. Once we start going, Irish decides to hang in the back with everybody. I think he wants to see the Sun setting, too.
Everyone on board is enjoying Irish being with us. And he’s being great allowing our daughter to get as many pets as she wants. Captain Bill just lets him hang out with us while he’s cruising even faster on the way back.
We’re heading West straight toward the Sun. And we’re going really fast and it gets a little bumpy. But we enjoy slowly seeing the Sun disappear. Then the sky becomes a pink glow right before we’re back where we started. We arrive back at Woodenfrog about 10 minutes after 9:00PM.
Once back to the dock, we settle with Captain Bill while our daughter pets Irish one more time. We give him the cash we got out earlier to pay him including a well-deserved tip. After a great day, we head back to International Falls.
Summary of our Sunset Cruise to Kettle Falls
Our sunset cruise to Kettle Falls was awesome. This small group tour started with a 15-minute introduction on land by Captain Bill. But we still had 4 hours on the tour including 3 different stops. The 1st stop was just across the lake at Ellsworth Rock Gardens. We enjoyed the rock sculptures and could’ve stayed longer. On the way to Kettle Falls we learned a lot, and we spotted many eagles. Then we had about an hour to explore Kettle Falls. And we got to hike to the dam and get a signature pink drink from the hotel bar. We then saw 2 eagles in the same tree on the way to Stevens Island. This was also a short stop that we enjoyed before heading back to the Sun setting. And if that wasn’t good enough, everyone enjoyed spending time with Irish.
We highly recommend the Kettle Falls sunset tour with Captain Bill and Irish! For more posts, click Voyageurs National Park.
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