Lodging Near The Boundary Waters

Ely is the gateway to the vast Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness bordering Minnesota and Canada, with its millions of acres of unspoiled wilderness, pristine lakes and rivers, and thousands of miles of trails through jaw-dropping old-growth forests.

Imagine setting your canoe on a lake that's clear enough to see all the way to the bottom. Paddling for days in a wilderness so vast you don't encounter another person or see any of the trappings of modern man — power lines, airplanes, cars.

Instead, you see towering pines, unspoiled rocky shorelines, vistas so beautiful they take your breath away. The only sounds you hear are the haunting cries of loons, the wind whispering through the pines, animals stealing softly through the forest, water gently lapping at the side of your canoe.

As darkness falls, watch the flickering flames of your campfire as millions of stars fill the inky black sky. You'll see why ancient peoples created stories about the constellations, and lying there, you might come up with some of your own. Later, the aurora borealis lights up the night with color dancing through the heavens and you fall asleep listening to the distant howling of wolves.

That's what awaits you in Ely. 

Click here to learn about Boundary Waters Canoe Area History.