I hit a rock while driving my boat on Eagles Nest Lake. I put the spare prop on, but didn't put on…read morea bushing. Needless to say, I screwed up my spare prop and lower unit gear housing. Thinking my trip was over, I was driving on SR 169 going to another lake, when I noticed their sign by the side of the road. I turned around to have them check the damage and see if they could make the repair. John came out and reviewed the damage. If I were to continue running the boat, more damage would be done. He checked to see if they had the part to fix the lower unit, and prop. They did, but couldn't get to it until after lunch. We went back to our resort and a couple hours later, Gretchen called and sent a text message telling me my boat was fixed! Great service, nice people, saved our vacation!

From the owner: Aronson Boat Works was established in 1914 and has proudly been family-owned since. We are a full…read moreservice marina on beautiful Lake Vermilion offering sales, service, and storage. We also have a gas dock that is open to the public. Another hidden gem we have is the Mailboat. With that we deliver mail to patrons on the lake and also provide Mailboat excursions (Mon-Sat, June 1 - Labor Day).

Doesn't get any better then, local and family owned…read more My cousin from Ely had previously bought a outfit for her grand baby and realized it was too small. We went in to exchange it and they could have not been more accommodating. She did not have the receipt and had removed the tags. They knew it was their product and were happy to make the swap for a larger size. As she made the swap, I browsed through the store with my other cousin. Oh my, the variety of merchandise was mind blowing. They had everything you'd need for a camping trip. They even sell camping packages for the boundary waters and when you check-in on Yelp they offer a 15% off coupon. If you're a fisher, they also offer live bait to help you catch that big fish. That way your "big fish" story will be truth instead of a made up one. My other cousin who was traveling with us, caught so much fish during our trip, that when we left Ely, we had to stop at Spirit to buy dry ice. When in Ely, I highly recommend that you shop, Spirit.

Best outfitter in Ely. Knowledgeable friendly staff. Would recommend them especially for people…read morenew to the BWCA.

Ely Outfitting Company should be your only choice for any Boundary Waters Canoe Area adventure…read more I recently booked a fully outfitted, professionally guided trip through EOC, and every aspect was exceptional. The gear was top-of-the-line, well-maintained, and spotlessly clean--tents, sleeping bags, pillows, all of it! The food was plentiful, delicious, and offered a surprising variety for a backcountry trip. What truly sets EOC apart, though, is the people. Amy in the office was kind, responsive, and efficient--before, during, and after our trip. The outfitting team that got us set up and checked us in afterward was equally friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. And then there's our guide, Dave Freeman. I expected a skilled and experienced leader when I heard he was a National Geographic Explorer of the Year--but that title alone doesn't capture how perfect he was for our family. This trip was a memorial journey to honor our dad, and we had some very specific hopes for the experience. Dave truly listened and helped us make every part of it meaningful. He kept us safe, made it fun, and became part of our family along the way... even if he does cheat at Uno. Ely Outfitting Company--and especially Dave Freeman--are the absolute best in the BWCA. I wouldn't go with anyone else.

We rented a canoe from here just for a day trip. We had never portaged a canoe before or tied one…read moredown to the car. The staff were so friendly and helpful. They went through every piece of information making sure we knew where we were going to helping us practice portaging. We had a blast out on the water and when we came back we immediately had several friendly staff asking us all about our short trip and helping get all the equipment put away. Would highly recommend!

Ashley & Pete saved the day when the Apostle Islands Kayak canceled on us only after we showed up…read morefor our kayak tour of Devil's Island and was not able to reschedule us for the remaining three days of our trip. We joined another couple that day (cutting the price in half) for a glorious private speed boat tour of Bear and Devil's Island. We didn't have to navigate the challenging waves with kayaks, were able to cover much ground in significantly less time and were still able to get an intimate tour of the best sea caves as Pete deftly navigated the vessel in and out of the caves. We wound up having a much better tour and saved enough money to pay for the previous nights dinner in the process. HIGHLY RECOMMENED!!!

A big thank you to Ashley and Captain Pete. This was our first time up in the Bayfield / Madeline…read moreIsland area and there is much to see and do. Ashley helped recommend a list of islands and lighthouses to visit and Captain Pete made our time on the water / islands a blast. Thank you!!

We booked a 2 hour sailing tour for 3. Unfortunately, there was little wind and a rain storm were…read morecoming. We still had a fantastic time. There was great communication from Mark and Katya. They told us they would let us know about the weather and called before the trip to let us know there was little wind and it would be safe to go swimming. There wasn't much wind, but our group had an awesome time jumping off the sailboat and swimming. I would highly recommend a sailing tour with Amicus! It's fun, safe, and very affordable. The best you'll find around!

We loved our sail! And this comment coming from non-sailors! Mark gave a great overview of the…read moreseaworthiness and safety of the boat and, at our own comfort level, got us involved in both learning about and actually doing the sailing. After a lifetime of car trips up the North Shore it was incredible to get the perspective on the landscape from out on the lake. We learned so much about Lake Superior and the Great Lakes while enjoying the world apart feeling of being aboard a wind powered sail boat. We'll be back! Thank you!

Was in town, shopping for souvenirs. I probably should have purchased the hot sauce they were…read moreselling, but at $6 a bottle, I thought it was overpriced. I would have been thrilled if you could get all 3 bottles for a discount, but that wasn't happening. They have a ton of t shirts for sale here. We picked up one for Ely, MN for about $25. They have a men's side and a women's side. The women's side had a ton of apparel. I found a cute shirt and shorts on sale. The fitting room is right there by the stairwell. I love a good sale. These times were not for Ely, they were just hiking/camping brands of clothing, but that's ok. A lot of the women's stuff was fairly plain. The back of the store has restrooms, art, and camping/fishing supplies. The front of the store has weapons and shoes. In fact, the gal who makes the moccasins was right there in the store, putting them together in real time! It was so cool to see how she was manipulating the leather. We did not take the stairs up to the second level; it appeared to be more of a bookstore up there. Parking is on the street.

A have to stop at shop while in Ely, wonderful quality items, candles, clothing, gifts, outdoor…read moregear, books and SO much more! Today I bought a new life jacket, very nicely made , happy with my purchase!

Anderson provided canoes, a tent, bait, and some sleeping bags/pads for our group and a dropoff in…read moreLac la Croix. From initial communication to pickup at Nina Moose exit they were helpful. This time we spent the night prior to the trip across the street in the spacious cabin at Pine Ridge Motel. We were able to spread out and make sure everything fit in our packs. Nice attention to detail both inside and outside of cabin (grill, chairs, deck, landscaping).

My fishing group has used Anderson's for our Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) trips for several…read moreyears. Mark does everything he can to exceed your expectations. The fishing in the BWCA is excellent.

It was our first time staying in a houseboat and our experience with Ebel company was great. We…read morefelt comfortable working with Katy, Justin, Justin's wife, Dennis and Garvin. Our family has been in some national parks but the whole family all agrees that this trip to Voyageurs National Park on is one of the best. The main reasons are that we stayed on Ebel's houseboat, did motorboating, kayaking and some camping. Before this trip, we didn't know much about operating boat. But Dannis explained everything in details and went extra mile helping us on our first day. On the 3rd day something unexpected happened and we needed urgent help. Justin and Katie responded quickly and efficiently solved the problem. They truly care about their customers and we really appreciated their help. We highly recommend Ebel.

This was our second adventure spending a week traversing Voyageurs National Park on a houseboat…read morefrom Ebel's and we have only positive things to say!! They are so welcoming, friendly, and go above and beyond to help!! We had a flat tire on our boat trailer about 6 miles away from them and they went above and beyond to help us!! The houseboats are truly the adventure of a lifetime. Talk about having all of the amenities in the middle of nowhere...there is truly nothing quite like it. We had the vista series this trip and it was amazing! We loved the solarium front of the boat and the hot tub on the upper deck! Thank you to Katie, Justin, Heather, and the rest of the Ebel's crew for a great time!

Tracy is absolutely the best resort operator on Kabetogama. We stopped by the other day and she…read morehad staff detailing the stainless steel grills (that had sear stations)!!! We toured many of the cabins and we were very impressed. By far, Northern Lights has the nicest and most luxurious cabins in Voyageurs National Park.

Northern Lights Resort is great--we rented a kayak there during a trip to Voyageurs National Park,…read moreand the staff was helpful and friendly and made it so easy. We weren't able to start out until the afternoon and still had plenty of time to kayak around the nearby island. Great trip, wonderful service, lovely scenery!