Spent the weekend in cabin 15 with 4 other couples... It was great that all 5 couples could have…read moretheir own bedroom. And, with 3 bathrooms, you never needed to wait too long for access. Kitchen is well equipped and there is plenty of room for relaxing... Bring a book and some board games... Or better yet, get outside because there is no TV. And, Mitchell Lake allows a direct access point to the Taconite Trail for snowmobile enthusiasts.

Stayed in cabin 15 in the winter…read more Very nice place to stay with couples. Plenty of room. They plowed a road on the lake for us. Everything was top notch. We had 2 refrigerators in the cabin. They have a crock pot. Plenty of silverware, just a very nice place. Very happy, would be happy to stay here again. Would like to try the summer. Awesome awesome awesome.

We have stayed at Deer Ridge Resort a number of times, and most recently stayed for a whole month…read morein July. Owner Chad Davis is a great guy. The cabins themselves are very nice, and they operate year round, which is a great option. Each cabin is owned by individuals, but the resort maintains them and rents them out, and individual owners can designate when they want to stay. Since they are owned by individuals, some of the items in the cabins can vary. For example, kitchen dishes and utensils: some have everything you need, others have more basic. The beds are comfortable. And they have Roku TV and WiFi available. There are a lot of extras like a playground for kids, kayaks, canoes, and other equipment you can use if you are staying, or pontoons available to rent. There is not always office staff available in office, but usually you can get ahold of them, if there is a problem. The lake view from the cabins is beautiful any time of year. Definitely would consider staying again.

We loved this resort! We rented out the 2 level club house. It had a full size kitchen. It also had…read morea private bathroom in it. The location was perfect. Right on the lake. They offer free Non-motorized boat rentals. Such as kayaks, Stand panels, canoes, paddleboats. They also have their own little store where you can buy firewood and the concession stand we can get small snacks. The location is perfect it's only a few minutes to town. You could pretty much bike there if you bring your bike. Or walk there will probably take you about a half an hour to an hour. It's also right across the street from a really cool waterfall which is only a 3 1/2 mile hike to the falls. I definitely recommend this place and me and my boyfriend will definitely be going back.

Manager of dock was indifferent to some boat issues we encountered. Cabin had a rusty dishwasher…read moreand a chimney that didn't work. No more catering/kitchen service on the island or pizza delivery. The old days were better days. The new ownership has taken away the car/boat ride as well.

There is no better resort in the boundary waters. These guys are absolutely awesome. They are so…read morewelcoming and helpful. We took a fishing charter with joe and he put us right on a ton of walleye. We came back and Michael clean our fish for us cooked it up with the Ludlow secret fish fry recipe. If you're looking to fish ask for Joe or Hays, if you're looking for someone who out service above all else, ask for Michael.

We have been coming here all the way from AZ for over a decade,great fishing on a beautiful lake…read more Best part is the owners who make you feel like family and always super helpful. Love this place it's our family's happy place

We do an annual guys fishing trip and try a new lake every couple years. Spring Bay Resort was the…read morebest we've been to in years. We had a group of 10 guys and stayed in Reece's Lakeside Cabin. The cabin was a good size and included bath towels, hand towels, wash clothes, etc. Previous resorts we've been to didn't include these. In addition, having a washer, dryer, and dishwasher was helpful. The best part of the resort is the customer service provided by the entire staff. Whenever we needed something, they were quick to help. We were met at the dock after one fishing session by Dennis who was just out there to see if we needed help with anything. The easy access to bait and fishing knowledge of the lake was helpful in making our trip more enjoyable. Oh yeah and we caught a lot of fish!

went Official camping for my first time this year and we drove 4hrs north to Ely and stayed at the…read moreFall Lake Campground. I'm giving this place a full 5 stars even though I have little basis for comparison. The bathrooms and showers were amazingly clean and new. the sites do not have electricity but our site was huge, we put 3 large tents up and could have fit a 4th. We also had private lake access. The lake access was rocky and very slippery! So it wasn't much for swimming but it meant we had a great canoe launch right at our site. We also rented a canoe @ $20 a day it was a nice deal. The campground has a full playground, center store and office where you can get forgotten necessities and a sandy boat launch. There is a swimming beach on the grounds but it may be a short walk. The site was $17 a night and they have nice elevated fire pits with a built in grill grate. The site is also on the edge of the boundary waters which means no motorized boats (to an extent) lots of quiet and plenty of wild life! We got close to lots of turtles, ground animals and lots of bald eagles!. The scenery was amazing, the sky is incredibly clear for star gazing at it's best. And for being so far north the lake was quite temperate and excellent for swimming and boating. I highly recommend this camp site for newbies like me and the other, more experienced campers, were also impressed.

We stayed here before we hit the BWCA the next day. Our group was nice and large!…read more While it was a little confusing on where to find our campground, once we found the office everything made sense. The gates were closed for us (not locked) for the Campground area we were reserved for. The campsite was very clean and plenty of space for the tents. The paths are paved to go from place to place...i.e. the bathrooms. The bathrooms themselves were very clean. One has a code to enter on it to get in because of it's close vicinity to the boat landing, which is understandable. The only thing I had a rough time finding was the dumpster. it is kind of hidden. All in all, I would definitely stay here again.

This is a hidden gem in Ely, MN. Stayed 3 nights. With 3 nights the owners let me canoe for a day…read morein BWCA nearby. Dropping and picking up canoe for the afternoon with directions, map and lifevest. I Enjoyed an afternoon canoeing with my dog. The Inn was clean and conveniently located downtown Ely and walkable to all the shops, restaurants and park. My stay included complimentary coffee and bakery item at Northern Grounds coffee and wine bar a block away. Both the coffee and muffin/scones were pretty amazing! There was a common kitchen with refrigerator, sitting room with fireplace. Coffee and tea available 24/7. I really appreciated them making me and my little dog feel so welcome and taken care of. My room was spotlessly clean with plenty of towels and a handmade soap. No need to bring much all the toiletries were there including a hairdryer. Outside seating was available on the deck. The other guests were friendly and pretty respectful of quiet hours so I slept well. Should I return to ELY, MN again I will stay at THE STAY INN and will recommend to anyone headed to the area.

Nice clean rooms, excellent bed, living area and kitchen are clean and kozy and wrap around deck on…read morehalf the house. Had dinner on the deck, very relaxing.

September 2025, spent a week in cabin 10. Rented a cabin with boat and motor. The staff and…read morefacility were truly exceptional. Cabin and boat were all ready for us when we arrived and staff members gave us really great advise as to where we should fish. My Wife has a heart condition and we are both getting older, so was very nice for us to stay in a nice and clean cabin, and only have a short walk to the dock with our boat all ready for us. Did ok fishing and went home with our limit at the end of the week, plus eating several meals of fish while we were there. The only minor issues were the well water had a bad smell which is common in northern Minnesota, so we drank bottled water, and the boat motor was a little under powered , but worked fine without issue... Overall wonderful experience. Due to age and health we may never be able to vacation in the northland again, thank you for making our last trip so nice and memorable.

Soooo friendly. These folks are doing very good work. Step foot on the grounds and you can feel…read morethe positivity and sense of duty and honor. Very good people.

This was our 3rd year at the resort. The first two years were good. It is a beautiful lake and…read moreresort and the people running the resort treated us well. This year was a different story. The service was not anything like what my wife and myself had experienced in the past. The problem we had was 2-fold. One was the dock boy services that were a huge letdown compared to the precedent that was set in prior years. The resort somehow lost about 1/3rd of the fish that we brought in to be cleaned! For example we would bring in 20 fish, but only had 15 returned to us. Where did they go? One time one of the dock boys forgot to clean our fish at all! Supposedly they later cleaned the fish that were still alive, but I did not receive any of the fish. On 2 or 3 occasions, they forgot to return our landing net to the boat. There is more I could list, but you get the gist of it. The other issue I have is management's reaction to the problem. They said they were sorry, but there was nothing they could do. All we got were excuses. The manager told me the big thing that the Life of Resort has over other resorts is the services they provide. Well, on this occasion, he admitted, they fell short on those services. The bottom line is that the cost at being at the resort this year did not match the services that were supposed to be rendered. I told the manager I would be reviewing them, but I would give them time to respond. An apology is all well and good, but as a business owner myself, I would have dealt with an issue like this in a much different way. By truly fixing issues with customers, you can gain loyal customers for life! It feels like it is all about the money and they got that from me. I told the manager we would not return in the future and apparently they are ok with this. In the past, I would give this resort 5 out of 5 stars. This year's experience at the resort, I only give them a 2 out of 5 stars.

Went here twice. The first time was my first experience at the lake, and I was hooked. Prices are…read morefair and the owners are friendly. Great place overall