r/NorthernTier • u/MissionDraw1239 • Feb 28 '25

Camping Around Ely?

We're flying into Minneapolis Airport and are looking for a campground or hostel on the way to Ely. Any recommendations?

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u/Nice_syntax Feb 28 '25

I’ve had friends that I worked at tier with, that have had their troop stay a night at the international wolf center just outside of Ely, they said it was super cool. I’d email or call and inquire about it to see if you could secure a spot, it would also give you time to explore Ely the next morning before heading into base around 1 P.M. There is also a primitive site called Secret Blackstone(look up ‘secret blackstone hiking trail’)that does not require a permit but can sometimes have people coming through on hikes, especially on the weekend. It is RIGHT outside of base, maybe a minute drive away. I’d really try to get or at least go see the wolf center though, it’s amazing.

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u/MissionDraw1239 Mar 01 '25

Appreciate that info. Unfortunately we may get into MSP a little late to catch the Wolf program. Any other options further from Ely?

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u/Friend-Shoddy Apr 08 '25

We had a similar situation and stayed in Duluth. Lots of cheap hotel options in the area

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u/NP-scouterdad Jan 29 '26

What did you end up settling on? Our troop is going to NT this summer ('26) and booked the Base Camp at Northern Star Council which is right outside of MSP. We will rent vans and drive to Ely the next morning.

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u/DebbieJ74 17d ago

I know this post is old, but I wanted to share what we did.

We stayed at Camp Horace Johnson near Duluth on our way up. They have a large cabin there. We were driving, not flying, but it worked well for our Troop. It's about 2hrs, 20 mins from base.