Kabetogama, MN

It was 1972 when I got my first look at what I consider to be one of the prettiest “wilderness” areas on the planet; Lake Kabetogama in scenic Voyageurs National Park. It is about as far north into the state of Minnesota as one can get and still be in Minnesota.

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“Kab” is easily accessible from the Chicago area, although it was not always so. As late as the 1950’s, only a gravel road connected it with Duluth, Minnesota and it was an all-day trip from there.

At 25,000 acres, Kabetogama – one of a system of several connecting lakes – is gigantic by most standards. And it is dotted with hundreds of beautiful islands. Oddly, it is only one of some 30 glacier-filled rock basin lakes that fall within the boundaries of Voyageurs National Park. With its giant and ancient stands of pine trees, Pre-Cambrian era granite and basalt outcroppings, and breath-taking scenery and wildlife, it is immediately both wild and serene. The park was created in 1975 and offers outstanding opportunities for fishing, camping, boating, hiking and numerous other activities throughout the four seasons. Come visit an area that remains essentially the same as it was when the Voyageurs and fur traders populated it hundreds of years ago.