Kettle Falls in Voyageurs National Park sits at the intersection of Rainy Lake and Namakan Lake along the border between the United States and Canada. There is a hotel, general store and marina. In 1978, the Kettle Falls Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Located at the end of Kabetogama Peninsula, this area is only accessible by boat or float plane. The area was once home to around 200 people, and some of the homes remain. Kettle Falls is now visited by about 40,000 people annually.
Sitting at the crossroads between these two northern lakes, the area has been important for fur trading, a gold rush, fishing and lumber over the years. There are a few short paths here for visitors to explore, but no long hiking trails.
Voyaguers National Park was established in 1975. The Kettle Falls Hotel is the only lodging inside the park. The park service acquired the hotel in 1976. It is operated by a park concessionaire.
Kettle Falls Dam
The dam was built by Minnesota and Ontario Paper Company in the early 1900s. It was used to provide power to the company’s paper mills. The dam is now owned by Boise Cascade.
At one time, millions of logs passed through a sluice from the Kettle Falls Dam daily. The area is still heavily forested.
The dam controls the flow of water north from Namakan Lake to Rainy Lake. The water from Rainy Lake will drain into the Rainy River, which flows west/northwest towards Lake of the Woods on its way toward Hudson Bay. Before the dam was built, there was a small waterfall of around 20 feet tall here.
The US Canada border runs through the center of the dam. Kettle Island, which sits across from the peninsula, is located in Canada. It is one of the few places in the United States where Canada lies to the south of it. The border follows the customery route of the voyageurs between the lakes during the early fur trade. Later travelers prefered a shorter portage using the Bear River.
The Kettle Falls Dam is also known as the International Dam. There is another dam on the other side of Kettle Island called the Squirrel Falls Dam. It is entirely within Canada and is also known as the Canada Dam.
There is a dock and marina above and below the dam now. A road facilitates portage between Rainy Lake and Namakan Lake. There is a viewing platform on the bluff above the dam. A short path provides access to it for visitors.
Kettle Falls Hotel
The hotel was built between 1910 and 1913 and currently offers park visitors lodging in a hotel room or villa. The hotel also offers boats, canoes, kayaks and round trip shuttle service from the Ash River Visitor Center on Kabetogama Lake.