Lake Activities

Camping, Canoeing, Hiking, Biking, Skiing, Snowmobiling and Ice Fishing

Located in northern St. Louis County, Minnesota, Kabetogama Lake lies within Voyageurs National Park. The entire lake (except for the southwest shore) is open to public use, including primitive camping; the National Park Service has established first-come, first-serve campsites around the lake. Each site has a picnic table, one or more level tent pads, a metal fire grate, and a primitive toilet. Some sites have bear-proof food lockers and mooring posts for boats/canoes.

Boat shuttle services are available into the Peninsula back-country trails. Located deep in the heart of the park, the Peninsula separates Kabetogama Lake from Rainy Lake, is accessible by boat and is traversed by two main hiking trails. The Locator Lake Trail near the west end of Kabetogama leads to one of over 20 remote lakes on the Peninsula. On the east end is the Cruiser Lake trail system. It consists of 21 miles of trails connecting several wilderness campsites between Lost Bay on Kabetogama and Anderson Bay on Rainy Lake. The Mica Bay Trail enters the Cruiser Lake system from the west end of Namakan. Travel the 25-mile Kab/Ash Hike/Bike/Ski Trail.

For more information on primitive camping in the Park, call the visitor center at (218) 875-2111.

Lake Profile

Size and Depth:
Kabetogama is approximately 25,760 acres in size with a maximum depth of 80 feet. Nearly 30% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less.

Water Source:
Drainage lake: The Ash River is the major tributary and enters the southeast side. There are also numerous secondary inlets. Most of the flow is easterly into Namakan Lake, but some water exits at Gold Portage on the northwest end. From Namakan Lake, the water flows northerly into Rainy Lake and eventually into Hudson Bay.

Shoreline:
The irregularly shaped lake is bordered by rocky, forested shorelines and has 200 plus islands. There are 131 miles of shoreline with large areas of bog dominating the southern and western bays. Private ownership of homes and resorts is limited to the southwestern side and along the Ash River.

Bottom:
Mainly bedrock and rubble in the shoreline zones. Mixtures of sand and gravel are common to depths of about 15 feet. Some of the bays have muck bottoms.

Featured Species:
Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Black Crappie

Other Species:
Rock Bass, Burbot, Whitefish, Lake Sturgeon,  Tullibee (Cisco), White Sucker