Waters of the Dancing Sky Scenic Byway

Waters of the Dancing Sky is a roughly 229-mile Minnesota scenic byway along the state's northern border, Minnesota's northernmost scenic drive. It runs from Voyageurs National Park near International Falls west toward the North Dakota line, following the Rainy River from International Falls to Baudette, then continues through fields of lady's slippers and wildflowers before linking to the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail west of Warroad, passing world-class fishing water on Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River along the way. Zippel Bay State Park offers one of the region's longest sandy beaches, and the byway's far-northern latitude and near-total absence of light pollution give it its name: the "Dancing Sky" refers to the aurora borealis, visible here more often than almost anywhere else in Minnesota. Small towns along the route serve anglers, boaters, and birders drawn to the area's lakes and river corridors. It's a drive built around a night sky as much as a daytime landscape.

• ~229 miles along Minnesota's northern border
• follows the Rainy River, International Falls to Baudette
• Lake of the Woods world-class fishing
• Zippel Bay State Park beach
• named for frequent aurora borealis sightings