Dryweed Island Area Closed at Voyageurs After Bear Encounters

If you're mapping out a water route through Voyageurs National Park, a whole area just dropped off your list of possible stops. Around Dryweed Island, all of the campsites, houseboat sites, and day use areas are currently closed to the public. The reason is bear-human interactions the park considers dangerous, and it would rather cut off access than let things get worse.

The closure doesn't stop at the island itself. It covers a whole string of nearby sites you might have picked out to catch your breath between crossings: Breakwater Cove, Harrison Bay and its east end (Harrison Bay E), Makinen Point, Mio Beach, Stones Point, Loon Cove, Rock Shelf, Lyle Mine Island, and Tango Channel. That's a lot of stopping points to cross off your plan right now.

In practice, two things are off the table. You can't spend the night at these sites anymore, whether that's a pitched tent or a houseboat moored until morning. And you can't stop for a daytime picnic either. So the park has shut down both overnight stays and quick daytime breaks, keeping visitors and animals apart until the tension eases.

For you, this is mostly a logistics problem. In a park where you get around almost entirely by water, every overnight site matters, and losing a whole area means rethinking the distances between stops. Book somewhere else ahead of time, and make sure a backup plan stays within reach before you cast off.

We'd suggest checking the closure status right before you leave, since this kind of restriction shifts with the bears' behavior. You'll find the bigger picture, the access points, and our tips for planning your visit in our guide to Voyageurs National Park, worth keeping handy to adjust your route if something comes up.