If you’re heading up Voyaguers National Park, you’ll learn that the best way to see the park is by water, because over 40% of the park is water! There are three large lakes within the park: Rainy Lake, Crane Lake, and Kabetogama Lake. I personally have explored various parts of this park by land and water, but by far the best way to see it is on the water. Which is why you’re going to want to rent a house boat to experience it! It’s like camping with luxury, you get all the fixings of a cabin but you can move to a new view everyday (or not)! Let’s get into the details of renting a house boat on Rainy Lake and check out the guide on renting a house boat on Rainy Lake!
Who do I rent through?
*I partnered with Rainy Lake House Boats for social media posts but not blog posts, all opinions and experiences are my own.*
Personally, my family and I rented with Rainy Lake House Boats. Rainy Lake House Boats has been a family owned company since 1917. Fun Fact, Laura’s great-great-grandfather purchased Kettle Falls Hotel in 1918 for 4 barrels of whiskey and $1000. Their family operated the hotel for 85 years before purchasing Rainy Lake Houseboats. Kettle Falls is a really neat historical site, bar, and restaurant, you can boat to while exploring Rainy Lake, but we’ll get into the fun stops later. A huge reason this company makes boating on Rainy Lake so easy is they’re so willing to help. From start to finish: unloading your car, Mooring at your first site, explaining the ins and outs of the boat, and of course, being contactable throughout the stay! During your entire trip, they can help as little or as much as you need with your house boat. You can tell the family and workers take pride in the family business and love it!
Where do you stay?
Voyaguers National Park has an interactive map that lets you find the spots you’re able to moor onto for the night with pictures, and even some for day use and tent camping. Here’s the one for house boat spots! Part of the challenge and the fun is that you may get to the spot you were planning on, and someone may already be there. So, it’s a good idea to always have 3 spots in mind within close distance. There’s no reservations for campsites, except for a large site that needs to be reserved far in advance. You should be mindful of the types of land that you are docking onto for the night. There’s a mix between rock and sand, we found it easier and safer for us to dock onto the sand landings. Even though, one of our favorite sites was Harrison Bay which was a rocky landing. They are all safe for you to moor for the night, and as we drove, the more comfortable we got with the houseboat. Before your trip, you can also ask them for suggestions on which sites they’d recommend.
I recommend starting furthest away from Rainy Lake House Boats base, and making your way back over your trip timeline (depending on how long you have). It’s important to note that the house boat doesn’t go over 7 mph (if I remember correctly), so to get from Rainy Lake House Boat base to kettles falls (the furthest spot most people visit) is 5 hours! When looking for a site to stay in, there really isn’t a bad spot on the lake, but always be mindful of the direction the wind is coming in!
The spots we ended up staying on our trip were:
- Harrison Bay SW
- Hitchcock Bay Central
- Garret Point
Spots we wanted to stay but didn’t:
- Blueberry Island East
- Olson Bay North
- Diamond Island
- Kempten Enterance
- Fish Net Point
Additionally, you should download the Navionics boating app onto your phone. That way you have maps when using the small boat, and in case of emergencies. Navionics has a free trial, so don’t download it until you’re there, and remember to cancel it after. The House Boat does come with paper maps, as well as digital maps that will bring you to the locations you want. The digital map is extremely user friendly. In short, you look on the map located on the iPad, for the house boat location you want to go to (they are book marked in there), and you hold down onto the location and it’ll show you the exact route you will take. It will talk about depth, and give you warnings of shallow depth or rocky terrain along the route. Boating experience isn’t required, but helpful if you have some!
Don’t forget to register through recreation.gov your house boat dates, here!
How long of a trip should I take?
I would suggest as long as you can go! We did a 5 day, 4 night trip and we didn’t get to see/do all the things we wanted to. Sometimes the weather gets in the way of your plans, so it’s important to be prepared to not be able to cross off some things on your list, if the weather’s bad. If I could do it all over again, I’d choose a week-long adventure to give yourself ample time to experience all the lake has to offer, and have some flexibility for weather. We had lots of rain and Canadian smoke haze from wildfires, but it didn’t stop our adventure. Even when the weather is rainy, windy, etc. you can stay sheltered and comfortable within the cabin.
Pro tip: bring some games or a good book for bad weather days.
What should I pack?
Packing for this trip could include so many things so, I did create a free packing list guide for everything to bring that isn’t included from clothes to cooking! It may seem like overkill, but remember you’re out on the water without many resources, so you’re going to want any and everything to tackle what may come your way! I did mention some things that they do have such as plates, but I recommend some throw away plates/silverware to make the trip easier! I’ll discuss things in this section what they have included in the boat. You can find more information on what’s included on the boat or not, here.
This list is based on our stay on the Minnitaki Boat, which sleeps 2-4 people! So, what’s included?
- Kitchen: fridge, microwave, coffee maker, oven, 4 burner stove, toaster, sink, filtered and unfiltered water spouts, pots, pans, silverware, small coffee cups, glasses, bowls, plates
- Living room & dinning area: fold out couch, 4 chair table
- Bedrooms: you can bring your own linen or pay $12 a bed which came with sheets, 2 blankets, 1 large towel, 2 washcloths, and 1 medium towel.
- Deck: 4 chair table, grill, trash can and recycle, and two large coolers.
- Bathroom: shower, toilet, sink, mirror, toilet paper, shampoo
Some things you can buy/rent on site there: ice, wood bundles, bait like leeches and minnows, fishing poles, and linen.
Is there electricity and water?
Yes, throughout the entire boat, you do have electricity and running water. They will do a walk through explaining the ins and outs of the house boat which will give you all the tools to make the house boat function! There are switches to turn on water pumps to get running water, and there is a generator that you must turn on/off at appropriate times. You’ll even have to do some maintenance. Yes, you have to check the oil levels every morning on the back of the boat, and add a bottle of oil if it’s below the line. Don’t worry, they will walk you through it, and feel free to record them so you can watch later when the time comes to do the chores. That’s what I did!
How will I stay safe out there?
During your whole visit, you need to stay communicating with base. When you leave a site, and when you dock back up to a site, you call into base via the radio and communicate your location. If you have any issues, you can communicate with base via the radio, and they will verbally help you out or send someone to assist at your boat. There is also an emergency line open to the National Park if you need something after hours. Something to be mindful of, the further away you get from base, the less phone service you do have. To some people, that’s the goal and to others having no service could be nerve wrecking!
What are some sights to see on Rainy Lake?
You’re going to want to rent a small boat (with motor) if you plan to do any of these stops. The house boat is too big to access some spots safely, and you wanna keep your favorite camp spots. I explained it to a friend like this, treat your house boat like your cabin, and your small boat like your car. Take the side boat to explore around the islands near you, find a fishing spot or just a sunset cruise!
Some can’t miss spots on Rainy Lake are:
- Kettle Falls Hotel: restaurant, bar, and hotel with a unique history, only accessible by boat and snowmobile
- Blueberry picking on various islands
- Anderson Bay Loop: hiking trail with incredible views
- Harry Oveson Fish Camp: historic spot on Rainy Lake and Harry’s legacy!
- Northern Lights and Star Gazing- not a specific site on the lake, but keep an eye on the skies and use the Aurora app to track if visible!
I hope this guide gave you the information you need to make your Rainy Lake House Boat adventure in Minnesota’s only National Park, Voyageurs! This is a vacation you talk about for years or continue to do every year! This is such a unique way to explore the national park, and it’s memorable for everyone involved. You can book the boats for family, friends, bachelor parties or really any event! Have sun and stay safe out there!!
