Voyageurs National Park Backcountry Camping, near International Falls, Minnesota, offers a unique camping experience that immerses you in nature. This spot is all about getting away from it all, with sites that require a boat or hike to access, ensuring a peaceful retreat surrounded by stunning views.

The campsites are primitive, which means you’ll need to come prepared. Visitors have highlighted the spacious tent pads and fire rings, perfect for cozy evenings under the stars. One camper mentioned, “The site was beautiful! Boated out to our own island with a dock provided.” Just remember, there’s no drinking water or electric hookups, so plan accordingly.

Wildlife is abundant here, with sightings of deer, otters, and even howling wolves adding to the adventure. Campers have enjoyed swimming and exploring the nearby waters, with some noting the refreshing lake water and opportunities for fishing. As one reviewer put it, “The views were stunning, and it was easy to get our boat in and out of a small cove behind our site.”

If you’re looking for a place to truly disconnect, this campground is a solid choice. Just be ready for a bit of planning, as some sites are more secluded than others, and you’ll want to stock up on supplies before heading out. Whether you’re paddling around or just soaking in the scenery, this spot is sure to leave a lasting impression.

BACKCOUNTRY CAMPSITES are located on the park's interior lakes and offer a more remote and secluded camping experience. They have fewer amenities, consisting of fire rings, an outdoor privy, and some have a bear pole for safe food storage. These sites first require travel by private watercraft or local water taxi service to a trailhead and then hiking up to several miles to the backcountry lakes. Some campsites can be hiked to directly while others require the use of a canoe after hiking which is provided by the park and remains stationed at these remote lakes.

Voyageurs National Park Backcountry Camping — Voyageurs National Park

Campers can find some of the best camping opportunities in Minnesota near the Canadian border in Voyageurs National Park. Camping in the park is limited to pitching a tent or staying in a rustic cabin. Campers who want a little luxury can stay in a 20th-century hotel by picturesque Kettle Falls. Campsites near Ellsworth Rock Gardens have views of the artist’s collection of abstract sculptures on the terraced outcrop. Campgrounds by the park’s three lakes are perfect for nature and water lovers. Fish from the bank or take a boat out to explore the various islands. RV campers will also find the necessary hookups and amenities to enjoy their time exploring the park and MN.

Voyageurs National Park

The Best Camping Near Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

Northern Minnesota camping is known for being one of the few remaining places in the US where you can enjoy the wilderness with absolutely no sounds of man-made machines and cities. Camping at Voyageurs National Park is one of those experiences. It's great BECAUSE all the camping is via boat.

water-access camping

Located about 12 miles from the Ash River Visitor Center put in, this beautiful little “front country” boat in site is my absolute favorite in Namakan Lake. Note: Get a detailed chart before attempting to navigate the lake, as the twists and turns and hundreds of islands can be quite confusing without one.

Beautiful view of the sunrise over Canada and surrounding islands, two camping pads (one tucked into the trees and the other right on the waterfront), firepit, picnic table, 2 bear boxes, and your own private toilet (bring your own TP!). Kayak/canoe landing area is protected from the main channel/wind, can accommodate multiple boats with ease, and is an easy “schlep” up the stairs to the campsite. We stayed here just 1 night, but would have loved to have stayed longer, though our timing was perfect to watch the full moon rise over the lake just after sunset – amazingly gorgeous and romantic while enjoying a campfire.

Fox Island Rocks!

Located about 5 miles from the Ash River Visitor Center put in, this beautiful little “front country” boat in site is located in Kabetogama Lake. Note: Get a detailed chart before attempting to navigate the lake, as the twists and turns and hundreds of islands can be quite confusing without a chart.

Beautiful view of surrounding islands, two camping pads (one tucked into the trees and the other next to the landing area), firepit, picnic table, 2 bear boxes, and your own private toilet (bring your own TP!). Kayak/canoe landing area is protected from the main channel/wind, can accommodate multiple boats with ease, and is an easy “schlep” to the campsite. We fell asleep to the sounds of multiple loons calling.

Many fisherman use Lost Bay, so the main channel was a bit busy during prime fishing time, but not too bothersome. This site is also a short paddle to the landing (can only accommodate a couple of kayaks though) for access to the inland lakes, but bring your bug spray and dress for ticks!! We found about 40 wood ticks on the 2 of us after a very short hike!

Lovely Lost Bay Island

Located about 1 mile from the Ash River Visitor Center put in, this beautiful little “front country” site is very private. Note: Get a detailed chart before attempting to navigate the lake, as the twists and turns and hundreds of islands can be quite confusing without a chart.

This campsite is located within a small lake of Kabetogama Lake, which feels like your own private domain, as most power boaters are trying to get out to fishing holes far away from the boat launch. If you don’t have a lot of time to paddle far from the visitor’s center, this could be a great location. This is a very forested site with a lot of protection from the wind, but the views are not as expansive as many of the other islands within the park. The site offers two camping pads (one tucked into the trees and the other right on the waterfront), picnic table, firepit, 2 bear boxes, and your own private toilet (bring your own TP!). The kayak/canoe landing area is a little tight, so multiple boats could be a challenge, though it is an easy “schlep” up the stairs to the campsite.

Lost Lake...Found!

Not the same as the BWCA but not bad at All! Gorgeous lakes and campsites, great for a weekend getaway.

Beautiful

Just returned from a week camping in Voyagers National Park. Camping at its finest! 4 large lakes encompass the park.Boating is allowed . The sites have picnic tables, fire rings, pit toilets and bear boxes to store your goods. Our site had a dock. Lots of granite rock outcropping make for beautiful scenery.You are truly in the wilderness. Bring a VHF marine radio in case of problems.

Scenic Voyagers 

Nothing is better then boating out to a campsite miles away! This was the third time being to voyageurs and nothing comes close to the camping here. If you can handle roughing it and have a boat this is the place to visit.

I love voyageurs

It is serene, beautiful, gorgeous, scenery, eagles, bear, it. real is tbe best end of the tril camping

Rustic, secluded, surrounded by water, great views, Great wild life . Rapid

After taking a water taxi to the trailhead, we hiked about seven or eight miles to reach our campsite: B3 on Brown Lake. After passing the B2 site, we were a little bummed to discover our site didn’t have a picnic table - but there’s a large rock and a few logs that worked just fine for seating. We were delighted to find a pit toilet and a bear pole as well. Don’t count on having cell-reception out here, but in all reality – who needs that when you’ve got miles and miles of beautiful views in all directions? Five stars from us!

Note: it’s very important that you reserve a water taxi, as the trailhead is not accessible any other way. It’s about a 10-15 minute boat ride to the trailhead on Cruiser Lake.

Brown Lake - Backcountry No. 3

We stayed here with four family and a total party of 16\. It has four camp pads, two picnic tables and one fire ring. Nice sand beach but a lot of leaches. We had a nice nice and would stay again.

Cutover Island Nice Campsite

A dock, a fire ring, two bear proof lockers- what more could you want? We had a great week, despite some rough weather (or maybe that added to the experience). We'll be back.

Camp sweet camp

Campsites only accessible by boat or canoe. Amazing place! Didn’t catch much fish but if you want to spend $50 kettle falls hotel can bring you over to rainy lake and back. Ridiculously peaceful! I loved it!

5 star camp site! On our own large island with about 2 other campsites.

This is a boat in site out of Ash River Visitor Center. North shore of the lake is Canada and the South shore of the lake is the US. Beautiful campsite with 4 huge tent pads, 4 bear lockers and a beautiful sandy beach. Plenty of room for 8-12 campers. Half of us were in hammocks which increased our livable space. Very secluded with ample views.

Namakan Lake

We stayed at site K29, Round Bear, in Voyageurs National Park. It was incredible. The views were stunning and it was easy to get our boat in and out of a small cove behind our site. There are two tent pads but we found a couple of other spots on nearby trails where you could set up a tent if you had a bigger group. My favorite feature of our site was a rock ledge that looked out over the water. We set up our chairs there and just hung out for awhile. The other nice part about this site is that it is very close to the Ash River Visitor Center (5 minute boat ride tops). This made it super easy to go back to our car for anything we might have forgotten. Highly recommend this site, especially for a group of 4-6 people!

Possibly my favorite campsite ever

A very unique park. All sites are boat in. Many houseboat sites for private and rented houseboats and many many family sites for tent camping. Sites are a mix of dock, beach, and rock access and are labeled on the Voyageur National Park Camping map. Sites are located on all lakes in the park: and a few back country too. Houseboat sites have tie off rings and are quiet large- they offer a fire ring and many have a picnic table. Tent sites have one or two tent pads and a fire ring and picnic table and a vault toilet usually. No electric. No water. Remember you can in fact camp anywhere you wish as long as you are 200 meters (I think) from another established site. 

Boat in  

Our campsite was beautiful! Boated out 17 mile out very own island with a dock provided. The camping pads made setting up the tents 10x easier and more organized. The lake water was refreshing and there were so many places to boat to for hiking, clift jumping, and especially fishing. Had an absolute blast!

Perfect campsites to reconnect with nature

PLAN AHEAD. This trip will likely take more planning than other trips you’ve taken. If you bring your own boat, you’ll have options. If you use a water taxi, you’d better have your supplies well-stocked and in order. The sites are primitive. My best advice is learn how to filter and treat water. Oh, and bring TP! This is likely the most isolated you’ll ever be camping. 

Northern Lights, Northern Skies

Spent 3 nights at Lost Bay campground on Kab Lake. We took a boat taxi in, which allowed us to pack pretty luxuriously. Spent the days bumming around, swimming and exploring the bay with our paddleboard (took a day trip to Ek lake, too). Our site was on a point which gave great views of the surrounding lake and kept the bugs at bay with the breeze. I loved the water access, however I think the site would be a bit treacherous for small christen as there were a lot of steep grades and dangerous fall potential near the lake. 

The wildlife was great. Lions could be heard calling at all hours. We saw plenty of turtles, deer, otter, grouse, leaping fish, and even some howling wolves.

My biggest annoyance was the motorized boat traffic. Not bad in the bay but there were a decent amount of fishermen out or people getting taxied through the bay to one of the two backcountry trailheads. The drone of motors could be heard off in the distance. If you are looking for BWCA solitude, you won’t quite get it here (albeit close and the backcountry would be a different story). I’d rate this experience as a less rigorous (logistically and physically) version of the BWCA, but also a less immersive/rich experience as well. Overall, great trip for what me and my friends were looking for.

Photos of Voyageurs National Park Backcountry Camping — Voyageurs National Park

Real photos from real campers