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| Jorgens Lake campsite off the Cruiser Lake Trail. Photo courtesy of Voyageurs NPS. |
Indeed, many of the trails are portages or near campgrounds. Most are not day hikes.
Among the peninsula’s many trails, listed roughly west to east and secondarily north to south, are:
• Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail – The 1.2-miles round trip trail sits on the westernmost tip of peninsula separating Black Bay from Rainy Lake. It can be snowshoed in winter.
• Black Bay Ski Trails – These five stacked loops, stretching from 1 to 5 miles in length, take you through northern pine country to a scenic and active beaver pond. They continue the Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail; in winter, each can be reached via the Rainy Lake Ice Road.
• Gold Portage Trail – The short trail runs alongside the rapids-portion of the waterway connecting Black Bay and Kabetogama Lake.
• Locator Lake Trail – This 2-mile one-way trail takes you up and down a variety of hills and through forests and wetlands. It connects the northwest side of Kabetogama Lake to Locator Lake.
• Cranberry Creek Portage – Actually an unnamed trail, it’s a portage where Cranberry Creek narrows.
• War Club-Quill Lakes Portage – This route connects its namesake lakes. War Club Lake is west of Quill Lake.
• Quill-Loiten Lakes Portage – The portage runs between Quill and Loiten lakes; Quill is west of Loiten.
• Shoepack Lakes Portage – The trail connects Shoepack and Little Shoepack lakes; the former is northwest of the latter.
• Cruiser Lake Trail – The 9.5-miles one-way trail links several lakes – Jorgens, Quarter Line, Elk, Agnes, with spurs to Brown and Peary – boasts two accesses from southside at Lost Bay and an access on its north side at Anderson Bay on Rainy Lake. Two stacked loops run between and north of Elk and Agnes lakes. This trail crosses the peninsula up rocky cliffs and down into remote wetland areas. If you are hoping to spot some of the park's larger wildlife, this trail improves the odds of spotting a moose or hearing a wolf’s howl.
• Brown Lake Trail – The portage runs from Browns Bay on Rainy Lake to Brown Lake in the peninsula's interior.
• Peary Lake Portage – The short trail links Finger Bay on Rainy Lake to Peary Lake.
• Anderson Bay Overlook Trail – The short 1.75-miles loop is accessible from Anderson Bay on Rainy Lake, just past the Kempton Channel, or the north end of Cruiser Lake Trail. The trail takes you up a rocky cliff to a spectacular view of Rainy Lake. It can be snowshoed in winter.
• Beast Lake Trail – The route runs from Mica Bay on Namakan Lake for 0.25 miles to the south side of Beast Lake and for 2.5 miles to the Cruiser Lake Trail southeast of Brown Lake. This trail heads along a ridgetop; a steep climb at the beginning and at the end awaits the adventurous.
• Ryan Lake Portage – The trail connects Rainy Lake to Ryan Lake on the peninsula’s east side.
• Hoist Bay visitor destination – This 0.25-mile ranger-led tour of old logging camp and of a historic resort site sits on Namakan Lake’s Hoist Bay east of the Ash River area. The Hoist Bay boat tour leaves from Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center for the site. During the boat ride, watch for active eagle nests.
• Kettle Falls Historic District visitor destination – The ranger-led Kettle Falls Cruise makes a two-hour stopover here. Hikers can traipse around the historic site and walk to an overlook of the neighboring dam, as well as dine at a hotel or enjoy a picnic lunch. The site is on the Canadian border in the park’s northeast corner.
• Casareto Cabin visitor destination – The ranger-led Kettle Falls Cruise also spends two hours here, where you can traipse the historic site and dine at a hotel. The site is on the north side of Crane Lake in the park’s southeast corner.
• Little Trout Lake Portage – This short portage connects Grassy Bay on Sand Point Lake to Little Trout Lake.
Learn more about the park’s day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at Voyageurs National Park guidebook.
