We visited the Lake Kabetogama and Ash River visitor centers in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. Our last National Park in the contiguous US!
The Lake Kabetogama Visitor Center:
Jenn got her passport stamp:
Exhibits:
Ash River Visitor Center:
Lilies:
A short walk along Beaver Pond Overlook Trail:
We stayed at The Pines of Kabetogama Resort in Kabetogama, Minnesota. (Campground Reviews listing.)
Convenient to Voyageurs National Park, with a view over Kabetogama Lake. The northernmost place we have stayed.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Beautiful Voyageurs basecamp
We stayed here for a week while exploring Voyageurs NP. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, escorting us to the office and back to our coach at check-in, then guiding us to our site. The road up to the clifftop sites is a little sketchy (steep and narrow), especially in a big rig, but once you’re up there, the views are lovely. We were in site 11, which we’d hoped would have a view, but unfortunately, it was blocked by the occupants of the site downhill from us. Sites 18, 10, 8, and 7 would probably have better views. The concrete pad on our site was just long enough for our 40′ motorhome, but you do need to have good aim when backing up, as there are sharp drop-offs (of several inches) on all sides of the pad. Overall, this was a nice campground and we’d be happy to stay here again. We camped at The Pines of Kabetogama Resort in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
A peep of water when the adjacent site is empty:
Other sites:
Mini bathroom:
Pedestrian path down the hill:
Office:
We received lots of packages from Amazon, fetched up the hill in our folding wagon:
Marina:
A decent campground; the road to the top of the hill was rather sketchy, but the sites were decent. If we went back, we’d choose site #18, or 10, 8, or 7. We’re not likely to visit this area again, but if we did, we’d be happy to stay here again.
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 143 miles from Cloquet to Kabetogama, Minnesota.
We drove our coach 143 miles, about three hours of driving, from Cloquet to Kabetogama, Minnesota.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading north:
An interactive map, with potential stops pinned:
Paladin on the dash while leaving the campground:
A gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright:
Saunas for sale:
Route 33 North:
UFO and aliens:
Route 53 North:
“Dirty Dreams”:
Rest area:
Towards Route 37 West:
Route 53 North:
“Welcome to Orr”:
Lake Kabetogama:
Arriving at the Pines of Kabetogama Resort:
Dusty:
A steep single-lane road up the hill:
We stayed at Cloquet / Duluth KOA Journey in Cloquet, Minnesota. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A one-night stop on our way, so as usual we chose a KOA. Though I don’t remember requesting the 05:30 wake-up call from the train horn.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Fine for a short stay
This was a fairly standard KOA and was fine for one night. The trains do run at random times and use their horns at nearby crossings, so this is probably not the place to come for a relaxing vacation. All of the pull-through sites are buddy sites, which is our least favorite configuration, but fine for a very short stay. The site was long enough for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle without having to disconnect, but was pretty narrow side-to-side. Utilities worked well, and they provide garbage pickup from the site. We camped at Cloquet / Duluth KOA Journey in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site, with a nice weeping willow:
Driver-side to driver-side buddy sites, which is the best kind of buddy; nobody living next to us. And still pretty good spacing:
Other sites; a nice patio shelter on this site:
Yurt and cabin:
A reasonable place for a one-night stop. The train horn and buddy sites could be annoying for a longer stop.
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 235 miles from Hancock, Michigan to Cloquet, Minnesota.
We drove our coach 235 miles, about five hours of driving, from Hancock, Michigan to Cloquet, Minnesota.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading west:
An interactive map, with potential stops pinned:
Our coach leaving our site:
A campsite with tents, a boat, and a portable sauna; must be Finnish:
Drawbridge:
Roadworks:
45 South:
Enter Central Time Zone:
Ski Capital of the Midwest:
Rest area:
Wisconsin Welcomes You:
Highway:
Bad River:
Industry:
An interesting building in Ashland, Wisconsin:
Faceplanted Paladin:
Bridge over Saint Louis River:
Minnesota Welcomes You:
Train overpass:
Fuel stop:
Guided to our site:
We visited the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock, Michigan. Jenn has Finnish ancestry, so it was particularly interesting for her.
The adjoining North Wind Books store:
We took a scenic drive around the upper Keweenaw Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Here’s an interactive map of our route, heading counter/anti-clockwise (Jenn recently pointed out that I always write “anti-clockwise”, but “counter-clockwise” is the typical American form; my Kiwi roots showing again):
Lake Linden:
The beginning of US 41:
Copper Harbor:
Copper Harbor Overlook, with a view of Lake Superior:
Esrey Park overlook:
Eagle Harbor lighthouse:
Jacob’s Falls:
Keweenaw snow thermometer:
Quincy Mine Hoist:
