Yellow Trail Highlight & Voyageurs National Park Winter Ice and Trail Conditions Report - Feb. 25, 2015

Today’s snowmobile trail spotlight is the Yellow Trail, which extends from Ash River to Kettle Falls. A short ride from Ash River on the Green Trail over the Moose River Portage, the Yellow Trail begins. Sledding north on the trail brings the rider close to several past residences on Namakan Lake. Visitor Destination I.W. Stevens’ Pine Cove Resort preserves several structures from this notable Namakan Lake bachelor. The trail swings around the north side of Kubel Island where mail order bride Lydia Torrey lived for decades after her husband passed away in a drowning accident.

Just north of Kubel Island, the trail moves inland due to thin ice along the waterways. Thin ice is common in the areas of Old Dutch Bay and Blind Indian, Voyageurs and Squirrel Narrows, as well as near the Kettle Falls Dam. It is recommended to remain on the trail in these areas, and to always use caution whenever anyone suspects thin ice.

The Yellow Trail emerges briefly on Mica Bay, which passes Mica Island, where a short-lived mining operation, never profitable, extracted large sheets of Mica. As Mica is heat resistant and transparent in thin sheets, it was used in electrical conductors and woodstove windows until cheaper modern materials replaced it. The mines are now flooded and currently covered in snow.

After another ride through the forest, the Purple Trail junction awaits, which spurs to Rainy Lake. The Yellow Trail continues for a short distance and ends at the hibernating Kettle Falls Dam and Hotel. Winter solitude, quiet, and beauty grace the landscape. Be sure to spend some time at the overlook--if the sun should emerge, the view can be dramatic.

The Yellow Trail, 7.5 miles in length one-way, offers much to explore, from woodlands, wetlands, and wildlife to snapshots of past residents. Dress warm, prepare for the weather, and enjoy the trails within Voyageurs National Park.

The most up to date winter trail conditions are available on our website at www.nps.gov/voya.

All trails are open. Recent high winds have caused drifting. Use caution especially when off trail on large lake surfaces.

Snowmobile Trails

• International Falls to Kettle Falls (Purple Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Rainy Lake/Black Bay to Kabetogama Lake to Ash River (Green Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Ash River to Crane Lake (Green Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Chain of Lakes (Dashed Black Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Ash River to Kettle Falls (Yellow Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• East Namakan Lake to Sand Point Lake (Blue Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed

Ice Roads 

• Rainy Lake Ice Road - Open to Cranberry Bay and around Dryweed Island
• Kabetogama Lake Ice Road – Open

Ski Trails

• Echo Bay Ski Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• Black Bay Ski Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• Tilson Connector Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• KabAsh Trail – Open

Snowshoe Trails

• Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail – Open, not packed
• Blind Ash Bay Trail – Open, not packed
• Oberholtzer Trail – Open, not packed
• Sullivan Bay Trail – Open, not packed

Have fun out there! Remember:

“STAKED TRAILS MAKE SAFETY SENSE”

ORANGE IDENTIFIES HAZARDS

Oberholzer Trail Highlight; Voyageurs Winter Ice and Trail Conditions Report - Feb. 4, 2015

Grab a pair of snowshoes and experience the 2 mile round-trip Oberholtzer Trail. Visitors to the park often hike this trail in summer due to its convenient location - near the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. In winter, the ice and snow cover creates a completely different trail experience.

The Oberholtzer Trail was named after conservationist Ernest Oberholtzer, who lived not far from the doors of the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. Ober (as he was known) built his home on Mallard Island in 1915. Years earlier, Ober met an Ojibwe Indian guide - Billy Magee and became fast friends. They traveled, by canoe, thousands of miles throughout the area and into Ontario, Canada.

After years of travel with his Ojibwe companion, Ober realized the area should be set aside for all to enjoy and spearheaded a movement to stop dam development in the region. Oberholtzer’s persistence led to the passage of the Shipstead-Newton-Nolan Act in 1930. This legislation, based largely on Ober’s alternative plan for the region, prohibited the changing of water levels in the Superior National Forest. It was the first legislation ever passed by the U.S. Congress that mandated wilderness values on federal lands.

Ober and the many other conservationists, with whom he worked, were successful in setting aside nearly three million acres of wilderness known today as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Many of his fellow conservationists would later help establish Voyageurs National Park.

After enjoying the Oberholtzer Trail, if you need a little more adventure, snowshoe across landscapes under water spring, summer, and fall; trek across frozen wetlands, across lake ice, and around the nearby islands for a unique winter view. On Saturdays, starting February 7, join a ranger to explore these different frozen landscapes, the history the snow shrouds, and the wildlife that adapts, survives, and thrives, during northern Minnesota’s winters.

The park has a variety of snowshoes styles and snowshoe sizes for all ages to enjoy. They are free-of-charge (donations welcome) and can be checked-out at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center Wednesdays through Sundays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The most up to date winter trail conditions are available at www.nps.gov/voya.

Snowmobile Trails

Pressure ridges, places lake ice has buckled or heaved due to winds or currents, have developed both on and off designated snowmobile trails within Voyageurs National Park. Pressure ridges have settled down but will continue to be monitored. Slush conditions have gotten better with the lower temperatures but pockets of slush exist off the trails. Trails are rerouted as hazards are found, but visitors are encouraged to check each pressure ridge prior to crossing due to changing conditions.

• International Falls to Kettle Falls (Purple Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Rainy Lake/Black Bay to Kabetogama Lake to Ash River (Green Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Ash River to Crane Lake (Green Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Chain of Lakes (Dashed Black Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Ash River to Kettle Falls (Yellow Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• East Namakan Lake to Sand Point Lake (Blue Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed

Ice Roads

• Rainy Lake Ice Road – Open to Cranberry Bay and around Dryweed Island
• Kabetogama Lake Ice Road – Open

Ski Trails

• Echo Bay Ski Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• Black Bay Ski Trail – Open, packed, and tracked – Pine Loop rocky in places.
• Tilson Connector Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• KabAsh Trail – Open

Snowshoe Trails

• Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail – Open, not packed
• Blind Ash Bay Trail – Open, not packed
• Oberholtzer Trail – Open, not packed
• Sullivan Bay Trail – Open, not packed

Need to borrow cross-country skis or snowshoes? They're available at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.

“STAKED TRAILS MAKE SAFETY SENSE”

ORANGE IDENTIFIES HAZARDS

Voyageurs National Park Winter Ice and Trail Conditions Report - Jan. 21, 2015

Come out and drive to the end of the Rainy Lake Ice Road. For the first time in several years, ice conditions have allowed the ice road to extend all the way to the mouth of Cranberry Bay. From the Rainy Lake Visitor Center to the mouth of Cranberry Bay is seven miles, one-way. The road follows the purple snowmobile trail along Rainy Lake’s Inside Channel and meanders its way between the many islands. When returning from Cranberry Bay, make the loop around Dryweed Island, now complete.

Cranberry Bay is a great location to leave your vehicle and experience winter in the park. Have a snowmobile? You can pick up the purple trail a short distance from the Cranberry Bay parking lot. Like to ice fish? Search out an old hot spot for ice fishing, now more accessible than in past years.

Don’t have snowshoes or skis of your own? Borrow some for the day at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, free of charge, though donations are welcome. At the end of the Rainy Lake Ice Road at Cranberry Bay, snowshoe around the islands and north shore of the Kabetogama peninsula. As Rainy Lake slowly froze, waves splashing against north facing shoreline created intricate ice formations against the rocks and trees.

For a longer adventure, trek east across the mouth of the bay and visit the Harry Oveson Fish Camp (about two miles one-way from the Cranberry Bay parking lot). Bring a map and prepare for any weather. Built in 1959, this location preserves the commercial fishing legacy of the region, and visitors can wander amid Harry’s ice house, fish house and two-roomed home. Winter in a place like Harry Oveson Fish Camp reminds us of the people who worked the land, enjoyed the land, and called this place home across different seasons.

This winter, Cranberry Bay is one of many places open for all to experience. Whether by car, snowmobile, or snowshoe, get outside and search for that ray of winter sunshine which illuminates the snow-covered landscape in a whole new way.

The most up to date winter trail conditions are available at www.nps.gov/voya.

Snowmobile Trails

Pressure ridges, places lake ice has buckled or heaved due to winds or currents, have developed both on and off designated snowmobile trails within Voyageurs National Park. Pressure ridges can raise, lower, widen, and develop into open water or pockets of deep slush, sometimes becoming a hazard within a few hours. Snowmobilers have reported riding a smooth trail during the day only to find a raised ice ridge, deep slush, or other hazard along the same trail a few hours later. Trails are rerouted as hazards are found, but visitors are encouraged to check each pressure ridge prior to crossing due to changing conditions.

• International Falls to Kettle Falls (Purple Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Rainy Lake/Black Bay to Kabetogama Lake to Ash River (Green Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Ash River to Crane Lake (Green Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Chain of Lakes (Dashed Black Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• Ash River to Kettle Falls (Yellow Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed
• East Namakan Lake to Sand Point Lake (Blue Trail) – Open, staked, and groomed

Ice Roads

• Rainy Lake Ice Road – Open to Cranberry Bay and around Dryweed Island
• Kabetogama Lake Ice Road – Open

Ski Trails

• Echo Bay Ski Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• Black Bay Ski Trail – Open, packed, and tracked – Pine Loop rocky in places.
• Tilson Connector Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• KabAsh Trail – Open

Snowshoe Trails

• Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail – Open, not packed
• Blind Ash Bay Trail – Open, not packed
• Oberholtzer Trail – Open, not packed
• Sullivan Bay Trail – Open, not packed

“STAKED TRAILS MAKE SAFETY SENSE”

ORANGE IDENTIFIES HAZARDS

Voyageurs National Park Winter Ice & Trail Conditions Report - Jan. 7, 2014

Recent snowfall has allowed for good progress on opening trails throughout the park. Use caution off trail; ice ridges have been active, and high winds over the past few days have created snowdrifts, currently soft, on the lake surface. Some snowmobile trails still remain closed, but progress is moving quickly to open them as ice conditions allow. The Rainy Lake Ice Road is now open from the visitor center to Cranberry Bay, and around portions of Dryweed Island. The Kabetogama Lake Ice Road is now open from the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center Boat Launch to the Ash River Visitor Center Boat Launch. Ski trails are open, packed, and tracked. Snowshoe trails are open, but not packed.

Please remember the snowmobile speed limit within the park is 45 mph on frozen lake surfaces and 25 mph on all overland portages. Speed limit signs are posted at trailheads and portages. The speed limit for the ice road is 30 mph.

When ice fishing, please remember holes must be drilled at least 50 feet from ice roads and snowmobile trails.

The Rainy Lake Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. During business hours, the visitor center offers maps, information, and hot cocoa. Snowshoe and cross-country skis loans have started for the season.

The most up to date winter trail conditions are available at www.nps.gov/voya.

Snowmobile Trails

• International Falls to Kettle Falls (Purple Trail) – Closed
• Rainy Lake/Black Bay to Kabetogama Lake to Ash River (Green Trail) – Open and staked
• Ash River to Crane Lake (Green Trail) – Open and staked
• Chain of Lakes (Dashed Black Trail) – Closed
• Ash River to Kettle Falls (Yellow Trail) – Open and staked
• East Namakan Lake to Sand Point Lake (Blue Trail) – Closed

Ice Roads

• Rainy Lake Ice Road - Open to Cranberry Bay, and around portions of Dryweed Island
• Kabetogama Lake Ice Road - Open

Ski Trails

• Echo Bay Ski Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• Black Bay Ski Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• Tilson Connector Trail – Open, packed, and tracked
• KabAsh Trail – Open

Snowshoe Trails

• Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail – Open, not packed
• Blind Ash Bay Trail – Open, not packed
• Oberholtzer Trail – Open, not packed
• Sullivan Bay Trail – Open, not packed

“STAKED TRAILS MAKE SAFETY SENSE”

ORANGE IDENTIFIES HAZARDS