Flooding earlier this month required sand bag brigades/NPS

After early summer flooding inundated many parts of Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, the waters are receding and more areas of the park are reopening to the public.

Park staff reported Wednesday evening that Namakan Lake is just a few inches above the "IJC all gates open stage," about a foot above the top of the high level of the rule curve; and Rainy Lake is approximately 3.5 feet above the IJC all gates open stage. One challenge the park is facing on Namakan Lake is the water level is back to the level of the decking on many of the park's docks, so crews have been busy replacing barrels to hold them down. This is why the "no wake" restriction remains.  

Heading into the 4th of July weekend, the park had the following items to share with visitors:

• The LE crew will be placing hazard markers on Namakan and they should be in place by Friday if conditions cooperate. Markers are not places on Rainy as of yet. Boaters will need to rely on personal knowledge, navigational charts, or GPS graphics to be informed of potential hazards. The best rule of thumb is if you are unfamiliar with the waters - go slow. As waters subside, we will be working on setting our typical aids to navigation that the park is responsible for. 

• Kettle Falls has opened overnight hotel accommodations, bar, and food service as of Wednesday. Villas, fuel sales, boat rentals and sales in the Trading Post are also open. Portage service is still closed. 

• The "No Wake" order remains in place park wide on areas that are 300 feet or closer to the shoreline. This order is to minimize the risk of damage to development along park shorelines and to minimize the potential of increased erosion due to human activity. The park has several docks, and other infrastructure, and we recognize there are several private property developments along the shore dealing with the highwater conditions. Everyone should be mindful of shoreline damage and respectful of property.

• Houseboating is allowed throughout the park on both the Rainy and Namakan Basins. All four houseboat companies (Rainy Lake Houseboats and Northernaire on Rainy; and Ebels and Voyagaire on Namakan) are operational. The park is directing houseboat visitors to the operator that they are renting from. Those operators are aware of the areas renters can be directed to for a positive houseboating experience. 

• Park staff are also letting visitors know that all resorts and other services provided in gateway communities are open and operational. The park is encouraging visitors to explore availability if they are interested in visiting the area. 

• Camping on Namakan is open and operational. Park staff has been assessing sites on a case-by-case basis and closing them once facilities (tent pads, core pads, bear lockers, latrines) become impacted by flood waters. You can find the most up to date list of closed campsites here. 

• The Rainy Lake boat launch at the visitor center is closed because it is overtopped by at least 8 inches of water. Camping on Rainy is closed because the launch site is closed, and park staff does not want to put additional pressure on the few launch sites available on Rainy.  

• Backcountry sites on the interior lakes of the Kabetogama Peninsula are closed, as are the hiking trails that access them. These may be opened soon once condition assessment can be made. 

• The park's tour boat operations are canceled until further notice. Park staff are advising visitors that there are commercial operators that can provide tour boat services. 

• Staff is letting visitors know that, even though the park is experiencing record flood waters, safe travel is still possible. It is not the NPS staff's responsibility to assume an individual’s skill level. As a result, staff can inform visitors of the conditions so that they can make informed decisions, but it is up to each person to determine their level of comfort. Overall, if weather conditions are good, there should be no problem with travel through the park for even a relatively new boat operator. 

• Finally, fireworks are not allowed in the park.