Visit the Ethno-botanical Garden

Take a self-guided tour of the Ethno-botanical garden

NPS

The garden is open year-round, allowing visitors to experience the native plants unique to each season in Voyageurs National Park.  

Spring breathes new life into the garden as serviceberry and pin cherry blossoms awaken to warmer days. The heat of summer brings a rainbow of colors. From fragrant sweet fern to tasty raspberries and blueberries, this season is sure to awaken your senses. As autumn arrives, golden yellow birch and aspen, mixed with reddish brown oak, and vibrant red maples, produce a spectacular viewing experience. At winter’s peak, snow covered pines, firs, and cedars provide excellent shelter for wildlife, as hardy shrubs of red-osier dogwood surface through a blanket of snow. 

Details

Activity

Self-Guided Tours - Walking

You may begin your journey at either entrance. Plant markers are scattered throughout the garden displaying the common name, Ojibwe name, and traditional use of each plant.  

As the glaciers retreated some 10,000 years ago, so began the return of plant life to this region. Small ground plants eventually gave way to taller shrubs and trees, creating the diverse landscape you witness today.  

This site has not always retained its natural beauty. In the 1990s, during dredging for the boat basin, invasive reed canary grass was transported to this location. Due to this plant’s prolific roots and early growing season, reed canary grass stole resources from vulnerable native plants, transforming this once bountiful site into a barren field. Take this and place it up in the first section.  

Lower Bench  

Today, with the help of park staff, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and volunteers, invasive plants have been replaced with native plants. Many of the garden plants, such as wild rose, grew from native seeds collected throughout the park and grown in the park’s greenhouse. Although humans began the restoration process, nature will continue altering the garden. 

Ojibwe Camp  

Ojibwe have an intimate relationship with Mother Nature, traveling at her pace, season to season, year after year, taking advantage of available resources. The camp takes you back to a time when meals were cooked over an open fire and survival depended on what Mother Earth provided. 

Freshly picked herbs were hung to dry on the drying rack along with fish, venison, and hides. Fish nets were also stretched, dried, and repaired on similar racks.  

The lodge was often referred to as a waaginogaan (wa-gin-o-gaun). These homes were fashioned from nature’s building supplies: young, flexible birch poles tied together with basswood roots for the frame and layered birch bark used for siding. For the Ojibwe, a central fire ring served as a communal cooking and gathering location hosting meals and ceremonies. Here they often gave thanks to their creator for providing the resources they needed.  

Upper Bench  

Depending on the time of year, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries flourish throughout the park. During the 1930s, berries were a common commercial product for the Ojibwe people. They often picked and sold the berries to markets throughout the Midwest.  

Today visitors may pick up to one gallon of berries per day, per person, within the park for personal consumption.  

Unimproved Trail  

As you follow the rock cairns, vegetation thins and rock becomes more prominent. Thousands of years ago, a glacier scoured the landscape and scraped away all prior soil and plants. Erosion from this glacier created the foundation for the ecological community you see today. In many places, only a few inches of topsoil sustains the vegetation within the park.  

Plants in Our Lives  

Perhaps today a tall pine gave you shade, the sweet smell of roses enhanced your walk, or beautiful wildflowers added color to your photos. Many of the native plants you discovered while on your journey through the garden play a significant role in your daily life, from the food you eat to the air you breathe. As you return to your community, explore the native plants in your own backyard.  

Pets Allowed

Yes

Activity Fee

No

Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.

Location

Near the Rainy Lake Visitor Center

The garden is located between the Rainy Lake Visitor Center and the boat launch

Reservations

No

Season

Year Round

Accessibility Information

The flat, gravel trail is 4 feet wide.