Laketrails Base Camp

Voyager's Highway

With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the border between what would eventual become Minnesota and Canada was formed.  The border was initialy choosen in part due to the fact that this was the most easily traveled route from the great lakes to the interior of the vast canadian wilderness.  Over the years, the border has changed very little and is still considered to be one of the finest canoe routes in North America. 

This summer, Laketrails Base Camp will be following that route, starting on July 3rd, at Grand Portage, on Minnesota's North Shore. The trip starts with a short 9 mile portage, taking you from Lake Superior to the Pigeon River.  From there you will follow the border through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park, into Voyager's National Park and Rainy Lake.  From there you will follow the Rainy River to Lake of the Woods where you will arrive at Fort St. Charles, which incidently was the first of the major trading posts along the voyagers highway.  You will have the opportunity to camp at many famous campsites along the border, see magificent waterfalls, see historic sites mentioned in many early journals, and portage along the same trails that LaVerendre and others passed over centeries ago.

The trip will return to Laketrails Base Camp on July 22nd and join the festivities on the island before returning home.  You will need to have completed your Sophomore Year in High School to be eligible for this trip.  If you are interested, please contact Laketrails to find out more.

Sea Kayaking at Laketrials?

Sea Kayaking is one of the fastest growing aspects of water sports and is immensely popular with teenagers.  At the January 24, 2009  Board Meeting of Laketrails Base Camp, approval was granted to pursue starting a Sea Kayaking Program for this upcoming summer.  We need to know how many of you are interested in being part of the inaugural season of sea kayaking on Lake of the Woods.

Why offer Sea Kayaking at Laketrails.  First of all, we are in the best location in North America to offer this fun and exciting program.  We have thousands of miles of shoreline to explore and camp, without making a single portage!  Since we are a large inland lake, we also have warm water when kayak is"bottom up" on the lake. 

The program would run concurrently with our canoeing program, although those involved in the sea kayaking would be learning kayak specific skills on the first full day in camp.  On the second full day of camp, kayakers would head out into the vast waterways of Minnesota and Ontario and enjoy all of the beauty that Lake of the Woods has to offer.  Campers would return on either the 6th or 7th full day of camp, and join the canoe groups back on the island for the fun and festivities that Laketrials is known for, before departing for home.

If you are interested in learning more about this new program, please let us know.  We are trying to determine if we should launch this for the 2009 season, or if we should wait for 2010.