Parking and access
The lot is paved and includes a marked accessible parking space; the trail itself is uneven, with rocks, roots and short steep sections. Dogs can be leashed at the parking area but aren't allowed on the trail.
Overview
About Voyageurs Forest Overlook
Why stop
- A worthwhile stargazing stop close to the car.
Heads up
- Trees now screen the former daytime view.
Map
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Parking and access
2 active Voyageurs alerts
- ClosureDryweed Island-area sites closed for bear activitySeventeen campsites, houseboat sites, and a day-use site on Dryweed Island and nearby islands are closed through the end of October 2026 because of continued bear activity and unsafe bear-human…Official details
- CautionNavigation markers and buoys absent on park lakesUse caution while boating on Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sand Point Lakes because park hazard markers and secondary navigation aids have been removed, and most primary navigational buoys are also…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Voyageurs Tour Guide
Your drive to Voyageurs Forest Overlook, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Voyageurs National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Voyageurs Forest Overlook After Dark0:00 / 0:27
“You’re nearing Voyageurs Forest Overlook, a picnic stop that has more to offer after dark than its name might suggest. Growing trees screen the daytime view, so I’d skip it if you’re stopping only for a broad panorama.”
Plays as you drive up to Voyageurs Forest Overlook in the Parkwolf Voyageurs Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Hare's Winter Disguise
- Beaver Pond Overlook
- Ash River Campground and Landing
- A Loon Is Built to Dive
- 29 audio storiesacross Voyageurs’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Gray Wolf, Moose, Bald Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 19 trails, 49 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Voyageurs Forest Overlook
A picnic stop on Meadwood DriveVoyageurs Forest Overlook is a paved parking and picnic area on Meadwood Drive, the first…
Voyageurs Forest Overlook is a paved parking and picnic area on Meadwood Drive, the first parking area on the way to Ash River Visitor Center. Tables, grills and a vault toilet make it a handy break. Growing trees now screen the former daytime overlook; reports of a remaining water view are mixed, so don't count on a broad panorama.
Better after darkThis parking area is one of the park's recommended places to watch the night sky.
This parking area is one of the park's recommended places to watch the night sky. A clear night after moonset gives you the best chance; the northern lights are possible when conditions line up. It's a simple stargazing stop close to the car, especially if a picnic is already on your plans.
A brief forest loopThe separate 0.4-mile loop begins here and takes about 10–30 minutes.
The separate 0.4-mile loop begins here and takes about 10–30 minutes. Its narrow dirt path has rocks, roots, and several short steep climbs and descents; it's a modest leg-stretcher, not a dramatic viewpoint walk. Visitors often mention mosquitoes, and some warn the path can be slick after rain, so bring bug protection and watch your step.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Voyageurs
10 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
12 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
67 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
79 sightingsLoonMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
41 sightingsWhite PelicanMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
19 sightingsTrumpeter SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Voyageurs. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
