ash river visitor center

Helpful rangers at the visitor center and several good day hiking trails along the road to the visitor's center.

Blind Ash Bay Hiking Trail – A nice 3 mile round trip hike from the Ash River Visitor Center. There’s an overlook just .02 miles in but the real view is on the loop at the end of the trail before heading back. It’s a beautiful view above Kabetogama Lake. They have a nice bench there where you can sit and enjoy the view. And the plus for us was this was the first time we had Verizon cell service (two bars!)during our stay here on a houseboat. The trail is one-person wide, and has rocks and roots along the way. You will also have areas where the vegetation around you is knee to waist high as well as have to step over some fallen dead trees. A great hike!The park is beautiful by water (we rented a houseboat).

We had a good experience with the visitor center and the ease of which to launch our boat and "self register" our visit at the Voyageur's National park. When you are on the edge of the wilderness, its also nice to count on "clean facilities" for when mother nature calls... !

The Ash River Visitor Center is the central entry point for visiting Voyaguer's NP. The visitor center, a former hunting cabin, itself is small and contains a gift shop, some interpretative exhibits, and a place to view a video about the park. I enjoyed its rustic nature. But Ash River predominately is a jumping off point to explore the natural features of the park- namely the lakes and forests. You can start your explorations without a watercraft at this place because there are a few trails which are set on this side of the park. There are also 2 boat landings- 1 for canoes and 2 for boats. The parking was pretty crowded when I went but we did find a spot for long term parking while we set off on a canoe adventure on Namaken.There are a few campgrounds nearby which can accomadate an overnight stay- I stayed at the Chief Woodenfrog Campground just to the west of the Ash River area. There is also an Ash River campground to the east.Despite being named for the canoe traveling band of business people, the park seems to see more motorized boat traffic than paddlers. Still Ash River is a good starting point for paddlers as it is not situated in the thick of the big waters of Namakan or Kabetagoma or Rainy. But paddlers may find it difficult to secure a designated campsite as other reviewers have noted. The motor boaters have a huge advantage since they can traverse a greater distance in a shorter time. Still there are some non-disignated camp spots- you just need to look a little closer to shoreline and be a little more rugged. That is my only complaint about the park. But hey, the camping and entry were without cost. So think of it like a discounted BWCAW without portages.

Scenic area, but campsites are first come first serve. All sites were full on our visit. Ones needs to travel many miles between campsites. It was very frustrating spending the day just looking for an empty campsite. Again beautiful area, but it frustrating, hopefully the park service can come up with a better systemin the future.

Our boat tour was cancelled due to sequestration. I wish I had come to Ash River before the other areas of the park. There are several short trails with overlooks which are very nice. If you aren't going on a boat tour or don't have a your own boat, then this is your next best option.

It was fairly early in the morning when I rolled into the Ash River section of Voyageurs National Park. This is a sleepy area, and I started down the forest overlook trail but as the trail melted away and the bugs overcame my desire, I turned back. I did make it through the beaver pond overlook and that was worth the hike and the extra bug spray. While at the visitors center (which was closed) I did enjoy the lone island off in the distance, a beaver making some breakfast out of a birch tree and what I imagine the best of the Voyageurs park without having a boat. These are the rocky shorelines I would expect to see...

They have all types of maps and the staff is great. You can get all kinds of information about the area and the lake.

I brought my cousin there from Texas and he like the area so much we called about some property that was for sale close by.

The grounds were nicely kept, history documented well inside, and offered great lake views. The staff were helpful in planning our houseboat tour from Ebel's.

Center itself was closed-the very limited hours of operation was a disappointment-but the grounds to the lake were beautiful. Our only companion was a deer wandering down for a drink of water.

While I am sure that most people go to visitor centers to get brochures or an occasional gift from the gift shop- come to Ash River's Visitor Center to see one of the best views of Lake Kabetogama! The hikes are not long, but both bring you to amazing overlooks looking East and West on Lake Kabetogama. This is perfect for a windy day when going out in the boat isn't an option, or for a low-key part of your vacation.

The visitors center was really well kept with great restroom facilities and a garbage and recycling center. The boat launch was very large with multiple docks for mooring and close by trailer parking.

Our family likes to explore our area as much as we can and we find the staff wonderful here and the place is always as neat as a pin. Also it is very informative to learn about this area for visitors.

I'ts a small visiter center, but attractive and in a beautiful setting. A very nice nature trail nearby and nice boat launch ramp.