Voyageurs National Park is one of the least-visited national parks in the United States. But it’s also Minnesota’s only national park, making it a must-visit spot for residents who want to explore Minnesota attractions. Visiting this remote park involves a lot of planning, but it is well worth it thanks to the beautiful wilderness you’ll get to explore. Aside from natural areas, there are also some human-made points of interest within the park. One happens to be Ellsworth Rock Gardens, a rock garden that started in the 1940s that is still impressive today. Read on below to learn more about this unusual work of art:
Ellsworth Rock Gardens is a special place hidden among the vast forests of Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. It is a beautiful, remote place that art and nature lovers alike will enjoy visiting.
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The rock garden is on the shores of Lake Kabetogama. Like most places in Voyageurs National Park, visitors can only reach it by boat. There is a place to dock boats. Once docked, visitors may take a self-guided tour around the garden.
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The garden was made by Jack Ellsworth starting in the 1940s. It’s situated on a natural rock outcrop, which Ellsworth sculpted and added to. He worked on it every summer for decades.
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Ellsworth added more than 60 terraced flower beds. He planted more than 13,000 lilies, making this one of the largest lily gardens in the state. Today, flowers still grow there.
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There are also many sculptures in the garden - more than 200, in fact. They range from sculpted animals to carefully balanced rocks. It’s absolutely fascinating to see what nature has done to these beautiful sculptures over the years.
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Work on the garden stopped in the 1960s, and Ellsworth passed away in the 1970s. The gardens were slowly overtaken by the forested surroundings until the National Park Service took over the area.
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Today, the gardens are carefully maintained and restored. This little piece of Minnesota’s vast wilderness is simply fascinating. Anyone who plans a visit to Voyageurs National Park should make a point to stop here!
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For more information about Ellsworth Rock Gardens, including history, location, and more, visit its page on the NPS website. And for more interesting stone sculptures in our state, check out our article about the rock sculptures in Arco, Minnesota.
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Address: Ellsworth Rock Gardens, Kabetogama, MN 56669, USA
