Parking
From Ash River Visitor Center, follow Meadwood Drive 0.9 mile south and park on the grass in front of the gate. This is a small informal pull-off, not a developed lot; leave the gate clear.
Overview
About Sullivan Bay Trail
Why go
- Easy walk to a rocky bay outlook with a picnic table.
- Exposed ancient volcanic rock adds something to notice along the route.
Heads up
- The grassy gate pull-off is small and easy to miss.
- Rocks and roots interrupt the otherwise easy track.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Voyageurs map
Full mapElevation1,135–1,230 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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 Sullivan Bay Trail, 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 trailhead
Beaver Pond Overlook0:00 / 0:23
“The Beaver Pond Overlook trailhead is ahead, with a four-tenths-of-a-mile round trip to a rocky ledge above the pond. Allow ten to thirty minutes, and expect stairs and sloped rock on the final climb.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Voyageurs Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ash River’s Lodge and Lake Overlook
- Voyageurs Forest Overlook After Dark
- A Hare's Winter Disguise
- Ash River Campground and Landing
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Sullivan Bay Trail
A short walk to the waterSullivan Bay Trail is a 1.
Sullivan Bay Trail is a 1.3-mile out-and-back from a gate on Meadwood Drive to a rocky point above the bay, then back the same way. The measured trail is about 0.65 mile each way; some published totals reach 1.5 miles, so leave a little slack. Allow about an hour for the mostly easy walk and a stop at the water. It is a good choice when you want a quick lake view without taking a boat.
Start at the gateThe trailhead is 0.9 mile south of Ash River Visitor Center on Meadwood Drive.
The trailhead is 0.9 mile south of Ash River Visitor Center on Meadwood Drive. Park on the grass before the gate and leave the gate clear. This is a small, informal pull-off rather than a developed parking lot, and the entrance can be easy to miss.
Through the forestThe route follows a wide old forest road through mixed conifer and deciduous woods.
The route follows a wide old forest road through mixed conifer and deciduous woods. The track is mostly grass with patches of dirt and a few short climbs and descents. Rocks and roots show up underfoot, so it is an easy walk but not a smooth paved path.
The rocky end of the trailThe payoff is an open rock point above Sullivan Bay, with forested shoreline across the water…
The payoff is an open rock point above Sullivan Bay, with forested shoreline across the water and a picnic table and fire ring at the end. Exposed rock is part of the appeal here: the park describes it as volcanic rock formed more than two billion years ago. The rocky point has a drop toward the lake, so keep children back from the edge.
Year-round accessThe park lists the trail for year-round use and snowshoeing in winter.
The park lists the trail for year-round use and snowshoeing in winter. Pets are not allowed on park trails because of disease risk to wolves. No reservation or activity fee is required, though a park entrance fee may apply.
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.
