This wooded and winding trail down to the falls offers beautiful photo opportunities. The path is relatively easy and can be extended to include the portage trail between Garden and Fall Lakes.

Features a popular 1.5 mile round-trip hiking trail that offers stunning views of the 70ft. drop Kawishiwi Falls/Fall Lake Dam. Approximately 5 miles from Ely, Minnesota off the Fernberg Road (Lake County #18).

The Historic Pillow Rock is an excellent example of an ellipsoidal lava flow said to be 2.7 billion years old with peculiar masses formed when dark lavas flowed under water. One of the few specimens of its kind in the world; the rock is an outcrop of Ely Greenstone, volcanic origin. Turn north on 13th Avenue and go 4 blocks. Signs will take you to Main Street where the rock is located.

This Minnesota State Park features the first, deepest, and richest underground iron ore mine in Minnesota. Tours of the mine lead visitors through the world of underground mining. The 1.5 hour guided tour (resuming in 2023) will take you 2,341 feet down and more than 100 years into our past.

There are several Minnesota wilderness hiking trails in the Ely area. The most popular trails include the Bass Lake Trail, the Angleworm Trail, Trezona Trail, Hidden Valley, Secret/Blackstone Trail and the Snowbank Lake Trail.

Bass Lake Trail features 5.6 miles around Bass Lake, with backpacking campsites. Historically and ecologically unique. Requires at least 4-6 hours. We highly recommend a hike to the Dry Falls!

The Ely Folk School encourages you to celebrate the heritage, art, traditions, culture, and crafts of the northern Minnesota wilderness with classes all summer, and themed weekend events (June through January) are held for guests with specific interests. ​

​Offering classes, workshops & events for folks of all ages, both on-site and virtual, with topics ranging from snowshoe weaving to homemade Slovenian Potica. 

The Dorothy Molter Museum is a seasonally operating, historic museum focusing on the life and legacy of Ely Area icon, Dorothy Molter.

Get a taste of how Dorothy lived as the last non-indigenous resident in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Tour the cabins, then enjoy s’mores around a campfire as you listen to stories about the life and times of Dorothy.

How does watching a wild black bear in his natural environment sound? Visit these incredible animals at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary and learn a lot about their life.

Generations of black bears still visit the former homestead, now designated as The Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary. The American Bear Association, a non-profit organization, was formed to manage the sanctuary in order to promote a better understanding of the black bear through education, observation and experience.

Did you know that the full moon in January is often referred to as the "bear moon"? Bear cubs are generally born in January. For this kind of information and more, visit the North American Bear Center located in Ely, MN.

The North American Bear Center is the only black bear and wildlife educational facility of its kind. Dedicated to replacing old myths with facts, it lets people learn from the bears themselves about bear behavior, ecology, and their relations with humans.