Yesterday was our last full day at Voyageurs NP. I treated myself to a private tour by boat from Larry’s water taxi service. Like other destinations in the park, the Rock Gardens have to be visited by boat. Larry told me it was an experience unlike anything else, and he was right. These sculptures take up a terraced hill and were all made with hand tools in the 1960’s. In its heyday there were tens of thousands of lilies that also beautified the terrace. The Park is trying to restore it to its former glory, but they have limited resources to get it done.

The boat ride continued and Larry showed me an eagle’s nest that was close enough for a picture! Because Voyageurs is such a healthy ecosystem, eagles here have twin hatchlings that both survive, unlike what is typical elsewhere. Same is true for black bears here; one bear momma had 4 cubs that all survived. Wolves are also in the park.

Larry explained a bit of the unique geology of the area – these huge lakes were carved out by the glaciers as they passed by, leaving rocks churned up that are some of the oldest on the planet – 2 billion years old. And he mentioned that all the trees and grass – all the living plants on the 200+ islands in Kabetogama Lake survive with no soil, only 6 inches of needles and moss lie on top of the rocks. A straight-line wind storm blew through last year, and it toppled over some mature trees, leaving the roots visible, along with that scant 6 inches they were anchored in.

Voyageurs is a park that’s meant to be experienced from the water. It is one of the least visited parks, and is meant to allow one to step back in time and have a unique opportunity to camp on an island of one’s own. It’s also an international dark sky park, where the northern lights can be seen when the conditions are right.

I can’t help feeling that I missed out on a bit of this park, camping as we did on the mainland, and missing the dark night sky. (It was not very clear because of the Canadian wildfire smog.) And although Ray won’t want to return (he hated the mosquitoes, flies and ticks, although they weren’t bad while we were there), I may have to come back and stake out my own island one day and experience more of what Voyageurs has to offer. I certainly gained a deeper appreciation of the history and the nature of Voyageurs NP.