I've done a run with Chilly Dogs in December 2021 and December 2025, and both were incredible! The…read moremost recent time we took our almost-6 year old and our 2.5 year old. The youngest fell asleep on me in the sled, he was so relaxed! Definitely beautiful scenery, great time meeting the dogs in the kennels before the trip. Jake and Jessica and their whole family do a really great job of sharing how the dogs live and train, and dispelling any myths about sled dogs and dogs in general. We travel to Ely often, so we will be back for years to come!

The family has been coming to Ely for the last 80 years for summer vacations. Today was our first…read moretime coming to Ely in the winter. What a wonderful experience chilly dogs gave us. They are extremely professional and give you a peek into a world we would have never been able to experience. Jake, his guides and family are wonderful. Big shout out to Lilly who was my guide on my sled was amazing. If you looking to have the winter experience of sled dogging use Chilly Dog Sled dogs with Jake his family and guides to take you. They explain how the experience will be and really listen to you. They are the experts listen to them on winter clothing and how to pilot your sled of dogs. The story of giving retired race dogs is amazing and what a great cause to support while enjoying the beautiful winter wonderland of MN.

Piragis bookstore was a great place to browse. Quiet, well lit with lots of interesting unknown and…read morealso known titles. Books seemed thoughtfully chosen; a good nature section and kids section. Will return!

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.

First of all, there's very little "Surplus" here, as during my recent visit, the merchandise looked…read moreall well stocked and new. The person at the counter subsequently informed me that the current owner kept the name when it was purchased from the previous occupant. Nonetheless, I found what I needed quickly, thought the price was reasonable, and was pleased both as I left, and subsequently when I put them to use. What did I buy? Knee high rubber boots. Our Moose Track Adventures canoe trip guide had a pair on that I admired, and since I needed a pair for an upcoming trip to the Peruvian Amazon, that was good enough for me. At the end of the Amazon trip, we were asked whether we wished to donate the boots. I liked the fit, comfort, and versatility of my LaCrosse boots so much that I declined in favor of my next Earthwatch adventure.

An excellent place to go for the basics when you're up north. Every time I'm in Ely, I swing by…read more Prices are generally better than your typical REI, etc. Not exactly what I would call "surplus" since most of the items seem to be new. The space is also pretty small, so it can seem cramped with other people in the store.

I don't have enough great things to say about Steve and Ginny and the rest of the crew at Spirit of…read morethe Wilderness. We were out on Knife Lake on Tuesday July 14 2026 (the day of the closure and evacuation of the wilderness). I had rented a one way Spot and picked up my permit from Spirit. Unfortunately with the device we had no one could communicate with us, but the crew at Spirit was tracking us and keeping everyone back home aware of our situation. After we got back into Ely, they even offered a bunkhouse for us to stay the night before heading home.

Five stars isn't enough for this crew. We fish with Craig at Lake Vermilion Fishing Guides just…read moreabout every year, and our Boundary Waters trips into Basswood are the ones we talk about all winter. From the first phone call he asks the right questions about what you want out of the day, then builds the whole trip around it. Getting into the BWCA on your own takes real planning, but Craig handles all of it, and once you're out there you've got world-class fishing with almost nobody around. He reads the water, adjusts constantly, and genuinely cares that everyone on board catches fish. He handles the big fish with real care too, quick photos and healthy releases. This is what a professional guide service should be. We're already planning next year's trip.

Can't imagine that any other place is more knowledgeable or accommodating when getting outfitted…read morefor a BWCA trip in this area. John has his operation extremely dialed and helped make our trip the best experience possible. I would highly recommend NCCO for planning a boundary waters excursion. Best parts: Help plan best route based on your desired experience and ability Personable Flexible Get a shower and a beer when you come out!

Just finished four nights fully outfitted by North country. Amazing company. John knows the BWCA…read morelike the back of his hand. The equipment was top notch and the foot provided was tasty. I will definitely repeat!

Stopped by and met Jeff and Sarah. Rented a couple of Trek bikes from them…read more First time trying an e-bike. Jeff was very knowledgeable about them. He knew his stuff, I could tell he had been wrenching on bikes for quite awhile. Asked a couple of questions and figured out we knew some of the long time bike people from the twin cities. Was fun to chat with him about Grand Performance and Dan Casebeer. Chatted with him about Walter Croll too. We both had custom bikes from Walter from his early years. Mine is number 17, Jeff's even earlier. The Trek bikes were pretty cool. Peddle assist, you had to actually peddle in order for the bike to help you. Hard tail would not be what I would order, but fun trying them out. Thank you Jeff & Sarah!

They picked up a permit here for the boundary waters since the Tofte Ranger station is closed on…read moreMonday and Tuesday. The staff was helpful. Friendly. They have a nice selection of gear plus they are a full outfitter as well, they have showers for when you get out of the boundary waters. This was our second year visiting this location.

I couldn't be more impressed with Granite Gear and the incredible customer service I received from…read moreSidni. I had a special request for strap extensions for my Stowaway Seat Pack, and Sidni went above and beyond to make it happen. She was prompt, attentive, and had the extensions custom made exactly to my specifications--all at a very reasonable cost. What really stood out was how thoroughly Sidni managed the whole process. She followed up as soon as my order was complete, providing a detailed summary and tracking information, which made everything smooth and hassle-free. And of course, the Stowaway Seat Pack itself is fantastic. I absolutely love it--superb design and excellent quality. Granite Gear has earned a loyal customer, and I can't recommend them enough!

Fantastic products backed up by great customer support. Ronda was extremely helpful in making sure…read moremy order got to me in time for my trip. Thank you Ronda!

My husband and I spent our honeymoon up in Lutsen and came down for a little Christmas shopping…read more This store is amazing. It has everything you'd need for the outdoors, shoes, socks, clothes, and lots of gift options. We highly recommend it. The store owner even gift wrapped everything for us!

I wish I got the name of the guy who helped us! My family had the best shopping experience today…read moreall thanks to him. My dad forgot to bring warm clothes on our 2-day trip, and watersedge had a plethora of high quality and sustainable options for him to choose from. The guy helping us check out took his time and was very kind and patient. We will definitely stop back the next time we're in town!

My wife and I stop here every time we are on the north shore! Their staff are super friendly and…read morethere prices great!! Huge portions of great sandwiches at the Restaurant! Can't wait to go back next time we're up!! We have done the tour before the animals are fun. There are a lot of cool things to read about throughout the different buildings! Feeding the fish is probably my favorite part mostly because the fish know that you are going to feed them so they react to people coming by!

The 4 stars are not for the stereotypical souvenir outpost that fronts Tom's Logging Camp. That's…read moreonly where you need to go to pay for a ticket to enter Tom's Logging Camp, the 4-star attraction here. Tom's Logging Camp ($5 per person) is a self guided walk on a trail behind the souvenir shop. It's a peek into what an actual logging camp was like, something I assure you I'd never once in my life thought of before visiting here. It's kind of a fun little stroll. You peer into or walk through cabins that have handwritten explanations of what you're seeing. The signs explain everything from the equipment the loggers used to the food they ate, to the jobs of the cooks and the blacksmiths. It was here that I learned that the Finnish workers, when they arrived on Duluth's North Shore, were the hardest workers but they'd work only in camps with saunas. Tom's Logging Camp erected a sauna, naturally, because Tom wanted Finnish workers. I also learned that loggers were filthy and drank heavily: * In the bunkhouse, a top bunk was in demand as the bugs crawling on you would fall downward, preying instead on the inhabitant of the lower bunk; and * A special cabin has been erected here to let visitors emulate the experience of being a drunk logger. Everything leading to and inside that cabin is askew and somehow, it had me chuckling exactly as I'd imagine a drunk logger might. Boy, did I learn a lot of useless interesting stuff here! As you walk the trail you can purchase food to feed trout then goats and finally, llamas. So come to Tom's Logging Camp to have the fun experience of a llama eating out of your hand, being a faux-drunk, and learning a bit about life in a Minnesota logging camp.

Great customer service! The canoes were in perfect condition and the people take pride in their…read morework here! Would definitely recommend to people coming to the boundary waters!

Cliff Wolds made our boundary waters trip the best trip ever! We had exactly what we needed and…read morePLENTY of food! They were so friendly and gave us advice that we were so thankful for! Cliffs is the way to go!