All good things must come to an end…
This winter, an abundance of park visitors hit the trails to enjoy the exhilarating beauty of Voyageurs National Park. In January, alone, cross country ski trail usage increased by more than 700 percent! Due to the warming conditions, Voyageurs National Park has closed the ice road, sledding hill, and snowmobile trails for the season.
Voyageurs National Park is no longer recommending travel on frozen lake surfaces within the park. Due to the warming weather, ice conditions are deteriorating quickly. Standing water and large areas of slush are appearing on frozen lake surfaces.
Park trail markers and hazard signs will be removed this week. This year’s ice road and all snowmobile routes are closed, as well as the Sphunge Island sledding hill. Other winter recreation trails in Voyageurs National park are no longer being maintained.
Visitors are welcome to come and hike the Oberholtzer Trail, the Rainy Lake Recreation Trail, and other park trails as conditions permit. The Rainy Lake Visitor Center is open Friday through Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Park Headquarters is open Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Thank you to all Voyageurs National Park visitors for making this a safe and enjoyable winter season! Please enjoy some of our favorite winter memories from this season!
Gordy Lindgren
Becky Olson
Colin Willemsen
Jeff Johnson
Banner photo by Ben Driver
