Voyageurs National Park

Voyage to a place in between two countries, at the center of a continent in northern Minnesota. If you love water, thick forests and being in the middle of nowhere, this place marks the spot. With more than 218,000 acres of unspoiled wilderness, an outdoor Eden awaits in Minnesota's only National Park. If you want to camp on the actual grounds of the national park, you have to get a boat (or rent one) to get there.

Dominated by Rainy, Kabetogama, Sand Point and Namakan Lakes, Voyageurs National Park is a fisherman's haven. Catching your daily limit of walleye, smallmouth bass, and northern pike shouldn't be a problem. Keep your eyes open above the water to see loons and bald eagles, and tune your ears to hear the peal of wolves at night.

For an authentic experience, build a birchbark canoe and paddle between the United States and Canada with a boat laden with supplies to take to fur-trading outposts. That's where the park gets its name from — French fur traders, or voyageurs, who spent up to 16 hours a day paddling on the water.

If you're a landlubber, there are 28 miles of hiking trails in this 55-mile-long park. You can walk the entire loop of the Kab-Ash Trail System in a few days if you're hardy enough. During the summer, there are plenty of ranger-led programs that let you explore this majestic area. The real treat is in the early fall when leaves start to change colors. Every island is singing with hues of red, yellow and orange.