High Waters Causing Problems For Visitors At Voyageurs National Park

Published Date

June 20, 2014

You wouldn't think a park based around lakes would have problems with water, but at Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota officials are telling visitors they're traveling at their own risk this week following heavy rains.

"All docks within Voyageurs National Park are submerged, extremely slippery, and some campsites have water encroaching on them," Tawnya Schoewe, the park's chief of interpretation, said Friday. "Floating debris and additional rock hazards can be found throughout the four main lakes in the park."

To address the high water, the park issued the following advisories:

* The park will enforce the No Wake Zone established by St. Louis County. It states: no person shall operate a watercraft at a speed greater than a slow-no wake within 600 feet of the existing shoreline on Lake Kabetogama beginning at, and including, Tom Codd Bay and continuing east to, and including, Duck Bay. Minnesota Rule 6110.3700 defines “slow-no wake” as: “operation of a watercraft at the slowest possible speed necessary to maintain steerage and in no case greater than 5 mph.”

* Due to hazardous conditions, park personnel have closed a total of 34 campsites on the park’s new reservation system through July 31, 2014. Four sites not on the reservation system have also been posted as closed. The closed sites are as follows:

Backcountry

All campsites

All day use canoes

Frontcountry

Kabetogma Lake

Bald Rock (K1)

Peterson Point (K25)

Kabetogama Lake Group Campsite (K54)

Echo Island (K41) – closed, not on the reservation system

Pine Point (K45) – closed, not on the reservation system

Namakan Lake

Day Marker 23 (N5)

Voyageurs Narrows (N41)

Sand Point Lake

Browns Bay View (S3)

King Pin (S10)

Burnt Island (S4)

Granite Cliff South (S7) – closed, not on the reservation system

Houseboat Island West (S9) – closed, not on the reservation system

Rainy Lake

Lyle Mine Island (R93)

Dryweed Island (R11)

Loon Bay (R63)

Saginaw Bay (R22)

Kempton Entrance East (R91)

Shelland Island (R106)

Sunrise Point (R26)

Rainy Lake Group Campsite (R74)

Kawawia Island (R16)

Virgin Island South (R27)

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Submitted by justinh on June 20, 2014 - 3:46pm.

NPS canceled my backcountry permit. The conditions sound pretty bad.

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