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Old 05-27-2009, 07:07 AM
 
2 posts, read 5,707 times
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Dear friends, excuse for my poor English.
My name is Alessandro. I'm an Italian attorney and I'm going to travel to the USA on August for vacation with my lovely girlfriend (she's a teacher).
I will arrive in Minneapolis on August 16th and return to Italy on August 25th.
Obviously it is impossibile to visit such a big State in such a brief period. My intention is to spend 3 days in Minneapolis and 5 days in the Northwoods.
After dreaming about the beauty of Minnesota by searching the web, my silly question is: do you think it's more "beautiful" (scenery, wildlife, lakes, variety of landscape etc.) the Grand Rapids area or the Ely area?
I like hicking and I love lakes but I have never paddled in my life.
Another stupid question: is it more scenic the Edge of the Wilderness Drive or the North Shore Scenic Drive? And what about the Gunflint Trail?
Thank you.
God bless America!
Alessandro
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Old 05-27-2009, 07:46 AM
 
Location: Bel Air, California
23,766 posts, read 29,039,039 times
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Alessandro, you've picked a good time to visit although you'll miss the Minnesota State Fair by two days at the end of August.

Plenty of things to do around the Twin Cities and "Up North" however. If you are set on doing a overnight(s) canoe trip I would concentrate your search out of Ely rather than Grand Rapids. Many outfitters in the area that can combine cabin rentals with complete outfitting services and haul you and your gear to a convenient starting location to the non-motorized area of the Boundary Waters.

The North Shore of Lake Superior would also be an option but with only five days I would pick one or the other. I highly recommend Superior Shores Resort & Lodge near Two Harbors for it's location and ambience. The Superior Hiking Trail follows the coast and they have a very reasonably priced van service that will pick you up at many locations along the trail and bring you back to your car/hotel/lodge. There is also an organized series of hotels/lodges that are spaced along the trail in a way that you can easily walk from one to the next for your overnight stays.

Good luck and maybe we'll see you along the trail this August.

sunrise at Superior Shores Lodge...


Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) near Gooseberry Falls State Park...

Last edited by Ghengis; 05-27-2009 at 08:01 AM..
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Old 05-27-2009, 12:16 PM
 
Location: Mahtomedi, MN
989 posts, read 2,960,967 times
Reputation: 329
Quote:
Originally Posted by MilanoItaly View Post
Dear friends, excuse for my poor English.
My name is Alessandro. I'm an Italian attorney and I'm going to travel to the USA on August for vacation with my lovely girlfriend (she's a teacher).
I will arrive in Minneapolis on August 16th and return to Italy on August 25th.
Obviously it is impossibile to visit such a big State in such a brief period. My intention is to spend 3 days in Minneapolis and 5 days in the Northwoods.
After dreaming about the beauty of Minnesota by searching the web, my silly question is: do you think it's more "beautiful" (scenery, wildlife, lakes, variety of landscape etc.) the Grand Rapids area or the Ely area?
I like hicking and I love lakes but I have never paddled in my life.
Another stupid question: is it more scenic the Edge of the Wilderness Drive or the North Shore Scenic Drive? And what about the Gunflint Trail?
Thank you.
God bless America!
Alessandro
Ely is really setup for visitors. Lot of things to do including paddle.

International Wolf Center and International Bear Center are worth checking out.

There are short day trips like going into Heggman Lake to see pictographs. Hiking trails, fishing guides can take you out for a day. Basswood lake is awesome if you can work that out. They have boat tours of Burntside which is one of my favorite lakes.

If you go to Ely, I would recommend the route through Duluth and up the North Shore of Superior to Highway 1. There are many places to stop along the way like the lighthouse at splitrock.

Ely is a destination and you never know who you might run into. It is visited by people from all over the US and beyond.

The period you are coming is perhaps the very best of the entire year.

Still very warm, water is good for swimming, and weather is ussualy very stable.

THere are some great books on Ely and the area in general. Sigaard Olson has some reflections books, Bob Cary has some adventure and tales type books and one of my favorites is "Down from Basswood" which covers some of the history of the area from a native american perspective.

I have spent time on the Gunflint trail and Grand Rapids as well. They are very nice areas too.

As far as a place to stay, there are great camping areas in all locations. You might be better off renting a cabin or staying at a lodge.

Burntside Lodge is not exactly cheap, but it is very historic and top notch. I would recommend it to anybody that can afford a $150-$300 a night. They have rental boats, canoes and a gorgeous dining room overlooking burntside. If you are looking for something more affordable, I would recommend Redrock on Jasper Lake whichs is about 20 miles out on the fernberg road.
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Old 05-27-2009, 10:19 PM
 
2,542 posts, read 6,913,603 times
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I agree with doing the Northshore drive and then over to Ely. My heart will always be in Ely--it is just a wonderful place to be. My top places to visit in Ely (townwise) would be Lisa's Second Floor Bookstore (in Piragis Northwoods Co.), Brandenburg Gallery, and the International Wolf Musuem (they are doing a remodel this year, but it is still open). Read some Sigurd Olson and then call up the Listening Point Foundation to see if you can have a tour of his "Listening Point." Do a day hike on the Bass Lake Trail or the Secret Blackstone Trail. Watch the float planes take off on Shagawa Lake or just take a drive around sunset looking for moose. I know a great place to go cliff jumping that is safe (I have seen some crazy cliff jumping around there too, but this is a sane 20-40 feet) that is pretty well know to locals, but I'm not willing to put down on the web.

And while you are at it, can you take me with? I was suppose to go back this summer, but another move has shoved it out until at least the fall.

Oh, Grand Marais is nice too--sandwiched between Lake Superior and the BWCAW. Have anyone mentioned Duluth yet? Heck, why bother with Minneapolis at all!
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Old 05-27-2009, 10:21 PM
 
2,542 posts, read 6,913,603 times
Reputation: 2635
Oh, another thought to highlight that votes Grand Rapids out: With Ely, you can easily see Lake Superior. As one of the two largest fresh water lakes in the world (depending on how you want to measure), it begs being seen since you are going to be right there!
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Old 05-27-2009, 11:29 PM
 
Location: AZ
1,465 posts, read 4,574,416 times
Reputation: 793
I just gotta say something off topic here, Alessandro: Your English is excellent. Quite possibly better than some people I knew from high school.

Other than that, I know nothing about Grand Rapids or Ely, but do know that Duluth in August is gorgeous. If you're gonna be coming up north, make a stop in Duluth! (Since you're going up 35 anyways. Don't just pass it! )
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Old 05-28-2009, 01:48 AM
 
2 posts, read 5,707 times
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Default many many thanks to all of you for your answers

Many many thanks for your immediate reply!
I have taken my decision: I will visit Ely and Duluth.
I know that this wonderful forum is dedicated to people whose problems are much more important than mine and I don't want to take advantage of your generosity. Unfortunately, it's impossibile to find a Minnesota travel guide in Italy (most of Italians are a little self-referred...).
I have one more question only: which is the difference (as to the scenery, above all) between the BWC Area and the Voyageurs National Park?
My impression is that Voyageurs Nat. Park is very remote, but...I like remote and secluded spots! I'd like to make the point that I live hicking but I have never paddled before.
If you have more suggestions about the Ely/Gunflint Trail/Superior Hicking Trail areas please write them down or, if you prefer, send me a direct message.
Ciao!
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Old 05-28-2009, 05:40 AM
 
Location: Bel Air, California
23,766 posts, read 29,039,039 times
Reputation: 37337
Superior Hiking Trail Association...

www(dot)shta(dot)org
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Old 05-28-2009, 06:27 AM
 
Location: Mahtomedi, MN
989 posts, read 2,960,967 times
Reputation: 329
Quote:
Originally Posted by MilanoItaly View Post
Many many thanks for your immediate reply!
I have taken my decision: I will visit Ely and Duluth.
I know that this wonderful forum is dedicated to people whose problems are much more important than mine and I don't want to take advantage of your generosity. Unfortunately, it's impossibile to find a Minnesota travel guide in Italy (most of Italians are a little self-referred...).
I have one more question only: which is the difference (as to the scenery, above all) between the BWC Area and the Voyageurs National Park?
My impression is that Voyageurs Nat. Park is very remote, but...I like remote and secluded spots! I'd like to make the point that I live hicking but I have never paddled before.
If you have more suggestions about the Ely/Gunflint Trail/Superior Hicking Trail areas please write them down or, if you prefer, send me a direct message.
Ciao!
Voyageurs National Park is perhaps a little more remote than Ely, but not much. Thing to be aware of is access is very limited without a boat. Unlike BWCA, motor boats are allowed. I believe you can rent boats, but these lakes are very rocky and dangerous if you don't know your way around. Be very careful if you go that route. Honestly, the BWCA has quite a few access points where you could take short paddles and scenery is similar. Voyageurs has a visitor center, but it is very small compared to other National Parks. I went there a few years back and was somewhat disappointed since I did not have a boat with me or the time to explore the water. You could get there from Ely by driving up the echo trail. You might get lucky and see a moose on Highway 1 or up the echo trail. I have seen them in both places, but more likely to see one from a canoe.

One other thing I will throw out there is Isle Royal. This is a large island and national park that is accessed via ferry from little marias. Takes a couple hours to get out there and it is primarily setup for backbacking. I saw a large number of moose out there and had one come into my camp one morning when I was drinking coffee. Incredible experiance. Isle Royal is in Michigan, but closest to Minnesota Shore of Superior.

If you are into fishing, August is a good time for a charter on Superior. King Salmon are the fish of choice, but you may also catch lake trout or Coho Salmon.
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Old 05-29-2009, 09:29 AM
 
Location: AZ
1,465 posts, read 4,574,416 times
Reputation: 793
I will leave some links to books from Amazon.com that definitely are affordable, and may come in handy if you do choose to purchase them. A lot of them you can buy used for VERY cheap ($.01 to $1)

Amazon.com: Moon Minnesota (Moon Handbooks): Tim Bewer: Books

Amazon.com: Mobil Travel Guide Northern Great Lakes, 2005: Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin (Mobil Travel Guides (Includes All 16 Regional Guides)): Mobil Travel Guide: Books

Those are the cheapest I could find. But they seems good enough, especially for the price.
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