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Voyageurs National Park (3)
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Rainy Lake
The largest of lakes in Voyageurs National Park is Rainy Lake. Although not nearly comparable in size to the Great Lakes to the east, Rainy Lake is nevertheless a very large lake. It stretches from the western border of the Park near International Falls in an easterly direction north of the Kabetogama Peninsula.
Rainy Lake is about 60 miles long, and approximately 12 miles wide at its widest point. This provides an amazing 2500 miles of shoreline surrounding 350 square miles of water surface. If you are traveling across the lake by canoe it is possible to see further than you will be able to paddle in a day.
This very large lake is punctuated by more than 900 islands, mostly rocky and heavily forested.
Rainy Lake is quite long and it is oriented from northwest to southeast, which allows the prevailing summer winds to blow across the surface without impediment for as much as 35 miles. When the winds come up, as they usually do between 11 AM and 5 PM, the lake can get very choppy and rough. and in particular when a storm approaches, as can be seen below, it's a good idea to take cover in a sheltered area near the shore. Waves on the lake may sometime reach 2, 3, or even 4 feet, which can create some very serious problems for a small craft.
Thunderstorms are prone to move periodically through the area from approximately June through early August, creating very dangerous conditions on the lake. Black skies generally indicate approaching thunderstorms or cold fronts.
The U.S./Canada border runs though the center of the lake. Rainy Lake itself stretches nearly 20 miles into Canada. Documentation is necessary for the boater who wanders into these waters.
Fishing from a variety of watercraft is very popular in Rainy Lake.
Rainy Lake served as a principal waterway on the trade routes plied by the Voyageurs. Rainy Lake, in fact, was used by traders of many kinds over many years, including Indians, English, Grench, and Americans.
Rainy Lake and the other lakes in the park are frozen in the winter, when the low temperatures may average 12 below zero. When the lake is thoroughly frozen a 7 mile long road across the ice is opened on Rainy Lake.
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