Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry Camps (Camp Hiawatha & Camp Vermilion)
Camp Hiawatha, 36944 Camp Hiawatha Rd, Deer River, MN 56636
About
Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry Camps (Camp Hiawatha & Camp Vermilion) offers traditional summer camp experiences, Christ-centered summer youth programs, and specialty camps that include options such as Family Camps, a Rendezvous camp for adults and their caregivers, and a Hockey Camp. The program also offers programmed day or weekend events, group retreat opportunities, and Christ-centered guided canoe trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness through its canoe base at Camp Vermilion. In addition to summer camps, the sites host retreats, weddings, and other programmed events.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Includes a three-week camping program and other summer camps and programmed day or weekend events
Since the late 1950s, the Christ-centered programs of Camp Hiawatha and Camp Vermilion have welcomed people from many places, and in 1990 the two camps merged to form Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry. Camp Hiawatha began its first full summer as a Bible camp in 1958, and in the 1980s it shifted to a model with a permanent camp director and college-aged staff running the summer program. Camp Vermilion’s site was purchased in 1959 by 44 Lutheran congregations, and since the early 1960s it has served as a canoe base for Christ-centered guided canoe trips into what is now known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. With newer facilities added in the 1970s and 1980s and the Voyageurs Lodge addition in the mid-2010s, Camp Vermilion developed into a year-round destination for small and larger groups.
Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry states that its mission is to provide opportunities for Christ-centered spiritual growth, leadership development, and outreach in what it calls God’s great northwoods. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is now owned by more than 80 congregations. Over the decades, both camps have developed roots in local communities, and earlier in their history the Bible camp programs were owned by 26 Lutheran congregations in the region and offered for youth and families. The organization reports that it seeks to educate itself and its community to sustain the lands it uses, and that it is actively researching the history of these lands and peoples, including both celebrated and painful parts, with the stated hope of better understanding shared history and moving forward together.
One staff member describes the setting as a place to see open water and what they call God’s creation. A camper describes camp as a place to slow down from the world and the city and take time for themselves and for God. A Canoe Country participant remembers getting to see what they describe as God’s untouched creation on a canoe trip.
Last updated July 25, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Includes a three-week camping program and other summer camps and programmed day or weekend events
Since the late 1950s, the Christ-centered programs of Camp Hiawatha and Camp Vermilion have welcomed people from many places, and in 1990 the two camps merged to form Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry. Camp Hiawatha began its first full summer as a Bible camp in 1958, and in the 1980s it shifted to a model with a permanent camp director and college-aged staff running the summer program. Camp Vermilion’s site was purchased in 1959 by 44 Lutheran congregations, and since the early 1960s it has served as a canoe base for Christ-centered guided canoe trips into what is now known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. With newer facilities added in the 1970s and 1980s and the Voyageurs Lodge addition in the mid-2010s, Camp Vermilion developed into a year-round destination for small and larger groups.
Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry states that its mission is to provide opportunities for Christ-centered spiritual growth, leadership development, and outreach in what it calls God’s great northwoods. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is now owned by more than 80 congregations. Over the decades, both camps have developed roots in local communities, and earlier in their history the Bible camp programs were owned by 26 Lutheran congregations in the region and offered for youth and families. The organization reports that it seeks to educate itself and its community to sustain the lands it uses, and that it is actively researching the history of these lands and peoples, including both celebrated and painful parts, with the stated hope of better understanding shared history and moving forward together.
One staff member describes the setting as a place to see open water and what they call God’s creation. A camper describes camp as a place to slow down from the world and the city and take time for themselves and for God. A Canoe Country participant remembers getting to see what they describe as God’s untouched creation on a canoe trip.
Last updated July 25, 2026.
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