Other Area Activities

Birds you might see in the Boundary Waters

Here is a list of twenty-four birds that you can find while paddling, portaging and camping in the BWCA. Take this list on your next trip and see how many your friends and family can identify. With a pair of binoculars and a field guide you can easily see many more.

Mallard, Common Merganser, Ruffed Grouse, Common Loon, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey
Bald Eagle, Spotted Sandpiper, Herring Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Gray Jay, Blue Jay
American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle

Hiking around the Ely Area

For those of you who like to wander the woods on designated trails, there are plenty of paths for you to follow. Some are easy day hikes while others might require that you are a regular hiker. 

Kawishiwi Falls:

Very short, family friendly trail to the beautiful falls that drop into Fall Lake. This is east out of town on the Fernberg Road, past the Garden Lake bridge, with the turn off on the left where you see the sign. It’s only about 5 miles from Ely.

Bass Lake Trail:

• Features: 5.6 miles around Bass Lake. Backpacking campsites. Historically and ecologically unique. Requires at least 4-6 hours.
• Location: On the Echo Trail – six miles north of Ely.
• Description: Bass and Low Lakes are located in a basin gouged out of pre-Cambrian rock. Prior to 1925 the two lakes were separated by a ridge of glacial gravel which acted as a natural dam. Logging operation led to the construction of a sluiceway to move logs through the gravel ridge – a drop of 60 feet. Seepage soon weakened the sluiceway as water moved through the gravel adjacent to the structure. The sluiceway and glacial ridge washed out in the spring of 1925 leaving a gorge over 250 feet wide. Bass Lake was lowered 55 feet in 10 hours, reduced to 1/2 its original size and two small lakes, Dry and Little Dry, became isolated in the old lake bed. Approximate 250 acres of land was then exposed and available to the establishment of pioneer plant species.

Angleworm Trail:

• Features: 14 mile trail, with 11 miles forming a loop around Angleworm, Home and Whiskey Jack lakes. 9 designated campsites.
• Location: 14 miles northwest of Ely on the Echo Trail.
• Description: Rugged trail through stands of red and white pine with many high ridges with scenic overlooks. Moose love to frequent the north end of the trail in the Home Lake area. Pink ladyslippers demurely display themselves along the trail in the spring.

Secret/Blackstone Trail:

• Features: Scenic Overlooks. Various types of terrain. 1 campsite Firegrate, tent area & latrine. Approximately 8 miles of trail.
• Location: 20 miles northeast of Ely off the Moose Lake Road (Cty Rd 183)
• Description: The moderate terrain trail, with a few steep hills, includes a loop around Blackstone Lake. The high vistas provide scenic views to low moist areas. The trail also winds across small waterfalls. Habitat for various species of wildlife are provided by trees and vegetation. The trail destination is a rock cliff overlooking Ennis Lake which is frequently used for rock rappelling and climbing. A back country campsite is located on Blackstone Lake

Trezona Trail:

• Features: Flat to rolling terrain. Historic mining pit and old mine shaft headframe. Great views.
• Location: 3 blocks north of Sheridan Street in Ely.
• Description: The trail is just over 5 miles in length and goes around Miners Lake, a former iron ore mining pit. History abounds in the area providing a glimpse into the economic lifeblood of the past. The south side of the trail is flat to gently rolling, following old railroad grades and mine haul roads. The north side of the trail is rolling to hilly, passing through white pine stands, residential areas, and the historic Pioneer Mine buildings and headframe.

Hidden Valley:

• Features: Rolling to hilly terrain. Birch and white pine stands.
• Location: 1 mile east of Ely on the Hidden Valley Road.
• Description: The trails pass through rolling hills, paper birch and pine stands and newly planted red and white pine plantations.

Snowbank Lake Trail:

• Features: Ledge rock outcroppings. Red and white pine stands. Hilly Terrain. BWCAW campsites. Scenic Overlooks.
• Location: 23 miles east of Ely with trailheads on the Snowbank Lake Road and on the Fernberg Trail.
• Description: The trail winds about 25 miles along the shorelines of Snowbank and Disappointment Lakes. Side trails spur off to Flash Lake on the west and to the Old Pines Loop on the east. The trails offer some of the most scenic hiking terrain in the area. Rock outcroppings, pine stands, shoreline bluffs and abundant wildlife mark the character of the trail.

Other Activities Available

• Biking
• Hiking
• Area Camping
• Blueberry Picking
• International Wolf Center
• Dorothy Molter Museum
• North American Bear Center
• Sustainable Ely
• Ely-Winton History Museum
• Blueberry Arts Festival
• Harvest Moon Festival
• Tuesday nights in summer - Farmer's Market and Tuesday Night Live
• Winter Activities
  • Ice Fishing
  • XC Skiing
  • Snowshoeing
  • Winter Camping
  • Winter Festival