There’s a reason people call Ely the End of the Road. Sitting in the northeastern corner of Minnesota, roughly 110 miles north of Duluth and about four hours from the Twin Cities, Ely is a small city of around 3,000 residents perched at the edge of one of the most spectacular wilderness areas in North America. It’s a town shaped by iron, transformed by wilderness, and defined by the particular grit and charm of a community that has remade itself more than once.
A Town Built on Iron
Long before the canoe outfitters arrived, Ely was mining country. The Ojibwe people inhabited the region for generations before European contact, and fur traders followed their routes through the interconnected lakes in the 1700s. In 1865, a gold rush brought prospectors flooding in — but the gold proved elusive. What miners found instead was iron, and that changed everything.
The Vermilion Iron Range was developed in the 1880s, and Ely — originally called Florence — grew up alongside it. The railroad arrived in 1888, connecting the town to Duluth’s ports, and the community was renamed for Arthur Ely, one of the railroad’s financial backers. Iron ore was discovered in 1883, and at its height, five underground mines operated simultaneously here. The Pioneer Mine, which ran from 1889 until 1967, was the flagship.
The workforce that powered those mines arrived from around the world — Finland, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Ireland, Poland, and beyond. They brought their languages, their foods, their traditions. The Finnish influence runs especially deep, visible today in the prevalence of saunas throughout the region. The Slavic communities contributed their own traditions, including a local tradition of serving Pelinkovac — a bitter cherry liqueur native to Croatia and Serbia — as a standard bar shot in town.
Over eight decades of operation, Ely’s mines produced more than 86 million long tons of iron ore. When the Pioneer Mine closed in 1967, a way of life ended. But the story wasn’t over.
The Wilderness Turns Everything Around
What transformed Ely from a declining mining town into one of Minnesota’s most beloved destinations was the wilderness on its doorstep. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, formally designated by Congress in 1964, protects more than one million acres of lakes, rivers, forests, and bogs along the U.S.-Canadian border. With nearly 20 entry points nearby, Ely became the natural gateway. Outfitters and lodges followed, and a new identity took shape — layered on top of the mining past, not replacing it.
The BWCAW spans more than 1,100 lakes and over a thousand miles of canoe routes. Wolves, moose, bears, loons, and eagles inhabit the forest. The night sky, free from light pollution, draws stargazers from across the region. It’s one of the most visited wilderness areas in the United States, and rules prohibiting motors and development ensure it remains genuinely remote.
Wildlife, History, and Culture
Two of Ely’s most celebrated attractions bring the region’s wild neighbors into town. The **International Wolf Center** offers live observation of a resident wolf pack alongside interactive exhibits on wolf behavior, ecology, and conservation history. Programs range from howling expeditions to winter tracking trips, making it one of the most immersive wildlife education facilities in the country.
Just down the road, the **North American Bear Center** provides a window into the lives of black bears, featuring live animals in a sprawling natural habitat and exhibits rooted in decades of original field research by biologist Lynn Rogers. The center has been instrumental in changing public understanding of bear behavior and the complex relationship between bears and humans.
The **Dorothy Molter Museum** tells the story of the legendary “Root Beer Lady,” the last non-indigenous resident permitted to live in the Boundary Waters. Dorothy Molter moved to Knife Lake in 1934 and spent more than fifty years there, brewing homemade root beer for passing canoeists from her island cabin until her death in 1986. Her original log cabins were disassembled and transported out of the wilderness by snowmobile, then rebuilt here in Ely, where visitors can tour them and explore the broader history of the Boundary Waters.
The **Ely-Winton History Museum** covers 12,000 years of local history through photographs, artifacts, and archival materials. And the **Ely Arts and Heritage Center** manages the historic Pioneer Mine buildings, offering guided mine tours — often led by descendants of the miners themselves — that bring an unusual personal depth to the industrial history of the region.
Downtown and Outdoors
Sheridan Street, Ely’s main corridor, rewards a long, slow stroll. **Piragis Northwoods Company** is the essential outfitter for Boundary Waters trips, stocking gear, maps, and expertise. **Wintergreen Northern Wear** produces high-quality expedition clothing right here in Ely — the same brand worn on polar expeditions by explorer Paul Schurke. **Jim Brandenburg Gallery** showcases the work of the renowned National Geographic photographer whose images of wolves and Minnesota wilderness have reached audiences worldwide.
The **Ely Folk School** offers classes in traditional crafts including birch bark canoe building, furniture making, and fiber arts — a living connection to the region’s heritage. The **Trezona Trail** winds past the former mine sites in town, circling Miners Lake (formed in the Pioneer Mine’s old pit) with interpretive signage that brings the mining era to life.
Hikers have excellent options nearby. The Bass Lake Trail leads to Dry Falls, where swimming is a warm-weather treat. Kawishiwi Falls is a short, rewarding hike to a scenic spot on the Kawishiwi River. And dozens of additional trails thread through the surrounding Superior National Forest.
Seasons and Events
Ely rewards visitors year-round. Summer is the peak of Boundary Waters season, with paddlers launching from entry points in every direction. The **Blueberry Arts Festival** in July draws artists and craftspeople from across the region. Fall brings spectacular color — birch and aspen turning gold against the dark pine — and prime conditions for the **Hawk Ridge migration** of raptors moving south.
Winter transforms Ely into something equally compelling. The **Ely Winter Festival** in February offers ice sculptures, dog sled races, and polar plunges. Dog sledding outfitters run guided trips throughout the season. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails cut through the surrounding forest. And the dark winter nights make Ely one of the best places in Minnesota to witness the northern lights.
Where to Eat and Drink
Insula Restaurant is widely regarded as Ely’s most distinctive dining experience — a chef-owned, locally sourced spot known for the northern pike sandwich, fresh walleye preparations, and a warm, unhurried atmosphere.
The Boathouse Brewpub is Ely’s only brewpub, pouring house-crafted beers including the signature Blonde Blueberry Lager alongside pub staples like walleye fish and chips.
Britton’s Cafe has fed generations of paddlers heading into the Boundary Waters. Opening at six in the morning and serving hearty breakfasts, it’s a rite of passage for BWCAW visitors.
Northern Grounds roasts single-origin coffee on-site and offers fifty wines by the glass — an unexpectedly sophisticated option in a small Northwoods town.
Stony Ridge Cafe delivers Ely’s best burgers with outdoor seating right on the shores of Shagawa Lake, making it one of the most pleasant lunch spots in the region.
For a special occasion dinner, **Burntside Lodge** — the oldest guest lodge in the area, welcoming guests since 1913 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places — serves a nightly-changing menu in a dining room overlooking Burntside Lake.
Where to Stay
Lodging options range from the full-service **Grand Ely Lodge** on Shagawa Lake to the historic log cabins of **Burntside Lodge**, where knotty pine walls, original furnishings, and no televisions keep guests firmly anchored in the Northwoods. Cabin resorts on Burntside Lake, White Iron Lake, Snowbank Lake, and Fall Lake offer quieter lakeside options across the surrounding forest. For those planning early morning BWCAW departures, several outfitters offer accommodations right at the entry points.