Things to Do in Ely, Minnesota

This is why most people come. The BWCAW covers about 1.09 million acres of lakes and forest along 150 miles of the Canadian border, and it’s the most visited wilderness in the country. Ely’s outfitters rent canoes and gear, pack food and plan routes, and some send guides along.

★ Good to know From May 1 to September 30, overnight trips and motorized day trips need a quota permit from Recreation.gov, and each entry point has a limited number, so reserve early.

Biologists led by L. David Mech founded the center in 1985, and its Ely interpretive center opened in 1993. You watch the resident ambassador wolves through large windows as they play, eat and sleep. Educators introduce the pack in programs several times a day, and the Discover Wolves exhibit covers wolves in history and culture.

★ Good to know The center also runs howling trips, radio-tracking programs and other outings, so check its program calendar before you go.

This nonprofit opened in 2007 on Highway 169 just west of town. A wall of windows looks onto a 2.5-acre wooded enclosure with a pond and waterfalls where resident black bears live. Inside are exhibits, a theater and children’s activities, plus nature trails outside.

★ Good to know The center takes no state or federal funding, so admission and the gift shop keep it running; hours change by season, so check before you go.

Dorothy Molter lived for 56 years on Knife Lake inside the Boundary Waters and became known as the Root Beer Lady for the homemade root beer she served passing canoeists. After her death, her cabins were taken apart, moved to Ely by boat and rebuilt as this museum. Hundreds of paddles that visitors left her are on display.

★ Good to know The museum is seasonal and closes for the winter at the end of October; it still sells Dorothy’s Isle of Pines Root Beer.

The Pioneer Mine opened in 1889 and produced 41 million tons of ore, about 40 percent of the Vermilion Range’s output, before closing in 1967. Its A-shaft headframe still stands over Miner’s Lake on the north side of town. The Ely Arts & Heritage Center runs the mine museum in the old shaft house, where miners were lowered as deep as 1,700 feet.

★ Good to know Guided and self-guided tours run in summer only, and the center holds a Heritage Fest each August.

About 25 minutes west near Tower, Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park protects what’s called Minnesota’s oldest, deepest and richest iron mine. Mining started here in 1882 and ended in 1962, when crews were working 2,341 feet down. Tours take you underground, and trails lead to a banded iron formation and an overlook of the deepest pit.

★ Good to know Mine tours run on a reduced schedule outside summer, and GPS units misroute drivers, so follow the road signs to the mine instead.

This state park southwest of Ely has 23 miles of lakeshore, a beach, a fishing pier and hiking trails. The park office rents paddleboards and lends fishing rods. The Ely segment of the North Country Trail starts here and runs to Kawishiwi Falls.

★ Good to know With only an hour, the park staff suggest a paddleboard, the fishing pier or the short Beach Trail.

A short trail east of town in the Superior National Forest leads to Kawishiwi Falls, and the North Country Trail passes it on the way into Ely. The Kekekabic Trail, known as the Kek, starts in Ely and runs about 39 miles to the Gunflint Trail. The paved Mesabi Trail also starts here and runs about 120 miles across the Iron Range to Grand Rapids.

★ Good to know The Trezona Trail around Miner’s Lake is the easy in-town option, with views of the old mine workings.