We visited the Rainy Lake visitor center, and did the Grand Tour guided boat trip in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota.
Our boat:
A stop at Little American Island, a former mining area:
Mine:
Back on the boat:
There are a number of houseboats that people can rent; a fun way to explore the lake:
Exhibits handed around:
Bald eagle:
A houseboat docked:
Back at the visitor center, Jenn with her last passport page of parks in the contiguous 48 states:
Exhibits:
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 visited Isle Royale National Park in Michigan, journeying there and back on a small floatplane; much faster than a boat.
An interactive map of the Rock Harbor area is Isle Royale:
Float plane:
Isle Royale:
Lunch at the cafe:
Seating and harbor:
We did a hike on Stoll Trail:
A post-hike snack:
Loons:
Back to the float plane for the return journey:
We visited Indiana Dunes National Park in Indiana. Perhaps one of the least interesting parks we’ve visited… it really should have remained a National Lakeshore.
To be fair, we were recovering from Covid at the time, so weren’t feeling up for climbing dunes or even walking along the beach… which is pretty much all there is to do there.
Here’s a map of the park; click or tap for a larger edition:
Bison out front of the visitor center:
Flowchart of options:
Map:
Visitor center:
An art:
Beach access to Lake Michigan:
Century of Progress historic homes:
A dune:
Yawn.
We explored the USS Constitution, aka “Old Ironsides”, the oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy. It is operated by the Navy in partnership with Boston National Historical Park.
We visited the Boston National Historical Park in Massachusetts, and walked about half of the Freedom Trail.
An interactive map of our walking route:
Faneuil Hall:
The Freedom Trail:
Irish Famine Memorial:
Ironically a popular place to eat lunch:
Latin School memorial:
Graveyard:
Boston Common:
Massachusetts State House:
MLK sculpture:
Visitor info and the end (or start) of the Freedom Trail:
Back to Faneuil Hall:
We took a drive out to the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts.
Here’s an interactive map of our route:
Entering Cape Cod:
A small visitor center at a rest area:
Salt Pond Visitor Center:
Map:
Shells:
Other exhibits:
Pond:
Boat:
Highland Lighthouse:
Province Lands Visitor Center:
Three Sisters Lighthouses:
Nauset Light:
We drove to the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park in Maine, including the Rockefeller Welcome Center in historic Rockefeller Hall and Schoodic Point.
Here’s an interactive map of our route:
The welcome center in Schoodic Education and Research Center:
There’s only one part of Acadia National Park that requires a timed entry ticket, and that’s the Cadillac Mountain summit road. It is a popular place to visit, especially for dawn, as it is (for part of the year) the first place in the US to see the sunrise. We managed to snag one of the limited sunrise tickets, and got up at 3 AM to experience it.
Here’s an interactive map of our route:
We drove the west-side loop in Acadia National Park in Maine, including Carroll Family Homestead, the Seawall area, and the iconic Bass Harbor Head Light Station.
Here’s an interactive map of our route, with some alternative stops marked:
Southwest Harbor:
