Perhaps nothing so symbolizes Voyageurs National Park's enduring primitive character as the presence of its wolves. The park is in the heart of the only region in the continental United States where the eastern timber wolf survives. Their wariness and small numbers make it unlikely that you will see them during a visit, although you might see their tracks in winter. Wolves usually live in packs of two to twelve and often kill large animals such as deer and moose for food. To hear the wolf's lonesome howl on a moonlit night is a rare treat.
Winter is a force to be reckoned with here.
From spring thaw until freeze-up the voyageurs had six months at most to complete their travel. Their round trip between depots at Grand Portage or Fort William on Lake Superior and the subarctic interior of northwest Canada consumed four or five months. Summer is relatively short here, but winter need not be a time of inactivity. From late December until late March, life's pulse is slowed. Ski travel is often possible as snow blankets both land and lake.