Weather and Climate
Voyageurs National Park has a warm summer continental climate (Köppen Dfb), which means it has short, mild summers followed by long winters. Spring, and more especially autumn, are short, mild transition seasons.
The air is temperate during June, July, and August when periods of mild weather prevail. Average summer highs are 70 °F to 80 °F, and average summer lows are 50 °F to 60 °F. Average winter highs are 15 °F to 25 °F, and average winter lows are -5 °F to 5 °F. Generally, July is the warmest month, and January is the coldest. Average annual precipitation in Voyageurs National Park averages 25-28 inches, with the greatest amount of precipitation tending to occur during the summer. The first measurable snowfall occurs in late October, and the last in late April or early May. Average snowfall ranges 55-70 inches, but is highly variable. (Average snowfall appears greater than average precipitation because snow is less dense than water, making a given mass of snow occupy a greater volume than the same mass of liquid precipitation, and precipitation is measured in only liquid form.) The frost-free season averages 120 days from June to mid-September, and in the winter, the lakes are typically frozen from around mid-November through mid-April. The ice may freeze to two feet thick. However, ice up and ice out vary each year. |
Clothing and Gear
Weather conditions in Voyageurs National Park can be extremely variable, so it is important to always be prepared for a range of temperatures and conditions while visiting the park. It is also important for visitors to plan their trip and check the immediate weather forecast a few days before they come. Current lake conditions and short-term weather forecasts may also be obtained at the visitor centers.
In the warm summer, visitors can wear lighter clothes. T-shirts and shorts are appropriate. Visitors who plan on camping at the park at night, when temperatures are lower, should bring sweat shirts and warm sleeping bags or other bedding. Visitors who may plan on swimming should also bring swimming gear, such as swim trunks and swim suits. In summer, storms can rise quickly, so visitors should bring rain gear: rain boots, raincoats, rain pants, and/or umbrellas. Visitors should pack warm, dry clothing in case of such an event, especially if they are planning on backcountry camping, in which campers may be far from outside assistance. Visitors with water-logged clothing may be at risk of hypothermia in cooler weather. Summer temperatures have been known both to reach nearly 100 °F and to drop down below freezing. So, it is important that visitors pack extra clothes and supplies. On such hot summer days, visitors are at risk of dehydration and sun burn. Visitors should bring water and sunblock.
In the winter, it is important that visitors dress appropriately to the cold weather and snowfall. Visitors should pack with insulated boats, warm gloves or mittens, snow pants, warm socks, sweaters, long underwear, and winter coats or parkas. Hand warmers and toe warmers are recommended. In the winter, low temperatures and wind can combine to create conditions of extreme cold. On occasion temperatures can persist below 0 °F for a period of a few days and have even been known to dip below -40 °F. In such conditions, it is important that visitors maintain body heat. Visitors should pack extra clothes in preparation for such conditions of extreme cold.
The safety of snowmobilers at the park is also important. Snowmobile injuries and fatalities are higher than those caused by on road motor vehicle traffic. Losing control of a snowmobile could easily cause extensive damage, injury, or death. For safety, snowmobilers should bring and wear helmets. Generally, DOT (Department of Transportation)-approved helmets are safer than others. Snowmobilers should also practice safe riding and avoid dangerous riding.
Visitors need to stay especially aware of travel conditions in the winter, as hazardous conditions can arise from thin ice, slippery roads, high winds, and/or heavy snowfall. Visitors should use caution at all times while traveling on the ice, but they need to use extreme caution during the late fall and early spring when ice conditions can be unstable.
In the spring and fall, when temperatures are mild, visitors to Voyageurs National Park should wear warm clothes, such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and sweaters, jackets, or fleeces. In spring and fall, there is the potential for early or late (respectively) blizzards. So, visitors should pack with winter clothes. Storms may also rise during spring and fall, so visitors should pack with rain gear and dry clothing.
In the warm summer, visitors can wear lighter clothes. T-shirts and shorts are appropriate. Visitors who plan on camping at the park at night, when temperatures are lower, should bring sweat shirts and warm sleeping bags or other bedding. Visitors who may plan on swimming should also bring swimming gear, such as swim trunks and swim suits. In summer, storms can rise quickly, so visitors should bring rain gear: rain boots, raincoats, rain pants, and/or umbrellas. Visitors should pack warm, dry clothing in case of such an event, especially if they are planning on backcountry camping, in which campers may be far from outside assistance. Visitors with water-logged clothing may be at risk of hypothermia in cooler weather. Summer temperatures have been known both to reach nearly 100 °F and to drop down below freezing. So, it is important that visitors pack extra clothes and supplies. On such hot summer days, visitors are at risk of dehydration and sun burn. Visitors should bring water and sunblock.
In the winter, it is important that visitors dress appropriately to the cold weather and snowfall. Visitors should pack with insulated boats, warm gloves or mittens, snow pants, warm socks, sweaters, long underwear, and winter coats or parkas. Hand warmers and toe warmers are recommended. In the winter, low temperatures and wind can combine to create conditions of extreme cold. On occasion temperatures can persist below 0 °F for a period of a few days and have even been known to dip below -40 °F. In such conditions, it is important that visitors maintain body heat. Visitors should pack extra clothes in preparation for such conditions of extreme cold.
The safety of snowmobilers at the park is also important. Snowmobile injuries and fatalities are higher than those caused by on road motor vehicle traffic. Losing control of a snowmobile could easily cause extensive damage, injury, or death. For safety, snowmobilers should bring and wear helmets. Generally, DOT (Department of Transportation)-approved helmets are safer than others. Snowmobilers should also practice safe riding and avoid dangerous riding.
Visitors need to stay especially aware of travel conditions in the winter, as hazardous conditions can arise from thin ice, slippery roads, high winds, and/or heavy snowfall. Visitors should use caution at all times while traveling on the ice, but they need to use extreme caution during the late fall and early spring when ice conditions can be unstable.
In the spring and fall, when temperatures are mild, visitors to Voyageurs National Park should wear warm clothes, such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and sweaters, jackets, or fleeces. In spring and fall, there is the potential for early or late (respectively) blizzards. So, visitors should pack with winter clothes. Storms may also rise during spring and fall, so visitors should pack with rain gear and dry clothing.
Seasonal Activities
Voyageurs is a host to both summer and winter activities. What each season has to offer is different than the others. Primary access to the park and campsites is by watercraft in the summer and snowmobile in the winter. Visitors should go in the winter in January and February for snowmobiling and ice fishing, when the ice is thickest and there is the most snowfall. Wildflowers bloom in late spring in June. The best time to view eagles is from May to September, when they are most active. Fall colors are most vibrant in the early fall in mid-September. The boating season at Voyageurs typically runs from mid-spring through mid-fall, when the lakes ice over until the following season. The best time of the year for wildlife viewing is from mid-spring through early fall. During these months, the park is both a waypoint and an endpoint for a number of migratory birds, and the summer months are when much of the non-migratory wildlife is most visible and active. However, winter in Voyageurs also presents its own unique wildlife viewing opportunities. Though many animals either migrate or enter a state of dormancy to avoid the harsh elements of north woods winters, the presence of others, such as wolves, lynx, snowshoe hare, and deer, can become somewhat easier to discern by the many distinct tracks left in the snow.