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BWCA - Need a place to sleep for ONE night... help!


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Heading out of entry point 30 on July 13th in the early AM... getting up to Ely late Thursday night, the 12th. Looking for a place to crash for a few hours before we head out in the morning.

Hotels are not cheap... just need a place for 6 guys to sleep from about 11pm until 4am.

Any ideas? Know of anyone we could call???

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Bearhead Lake State Park. one big tent that holds 6 for a night. 20 bucks a night plus 5 bucks for a vehicle pass. the casino there in Ely has reasonable prices from Sunday through Thursday [get a room with two beds and flip a coin for the floor with sleeping bags grin]. plus there are other campgrounds around Ely for one night. good luck.

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I usually go out of Grand Marais and just stay at one of the state parks along the way. Temperance River State Park is about 2 minutes from the Ranger Station where I pick up my permits so I can sleep until 6:30 pack up and be at the Ranger Station when they open.

Where are you getting your permit from? Maybe arrange to get it from an outfitter that has bunk houses so you can kill 2 birds with one stone.

If you are picking up the permit from a Ranger Station make sure to check the hours before you go. If you go up late on the 12th you'll be there after they close so you'll have to wait until they open on the 13th, which isn't until 7-7:30am I think. If you get it from an Outfitter they'll have more flexible hours.

If you do opt to camp out somewhere state park or otherwise I'd recommend bringing an extra set of tents and sleeping bags for people if possible. it allows you to not have to tear into your BWCA packs and then you don't need to be as careful packing stuff up so tight the next morning so it can save some time. Also if it happens to rain that night you don't have to worry about starting a trip with a wet tent that you had to stuff into your pack.

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Hotels are not cheap... just need a place for 6 guys to sleep from about 11pm until 4am.

yeah, what are you planning on doing at 4am? You'll have to check in at the ranger station.

I'd really just get a hotel for $80-90 or whatever, split 6 ways = $15. Enjoy that last shower and A/C before you head in.

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Going through an outfitter, just renting canoes from him and meeting him at the entry point in the am... gettin our permit from him late Thursday night.

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In that case, I'd ask him if he has a place for you to crash, or camp, or ideas.

I guess i was a little off on my hotel cost guess. Looks like the super8 in town is about 150 for that night. so, $25 a head.

I guess I'm used to going up a tuesday night and heading in wednesday through sunday.

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A lot of the outfitters have bunkhouses for between $20-25/person. That's usually the way I go.

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There are two hotels in Babbitt, Red Carpet and Alder Place Inn. Nothing fancy but I don't think the prices are outrageous. Babbitt is only 15 miles south of Ely.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Paddle Inn

Canoe on Inn

Budget Hotel should be under or around $80 a night.

Considering your only need a place for a few hours the Forest Service has a parking lot on the outside of Ely.

The parking lot at Tofte lake.

I think there is a rest stop or on the Fernberg.

Just park at your access at Lake One.

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Appreciate the help... decdided to go in a day earlier instead of finding a place to stay. The group decided one more day off of work wouldn't hurt anyone!

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Appreciate the help... decdided to go in a day earlier instead of finding a place to stay. The group decided one more day off of work wouldn't hurt anyone!

You guys are making the right choice. I've done the late night arrival and gone in with little sleep. It makes for a long day and those portages seem harder. It took a day or two for everyone to get their energy back.

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Well going up early caused us to lose our permit because there were no available permits for EP 30... so we switched it over to Wind Lake, our guide said we were good but found out he checked the wrong month and no permits were available... sooo we finally settled on EP 27 on Snowbank.

Plan is to head through Disappointment Lake and up to Jordan/Ima.

Has anyone made this trip before? Wondering how long it will take to get to Jordan...? There are 5 or 6 portages, 1 long one and the rest seem very short.

Any tips/advice... or a heads up on portages? fishing? campsites?

Thanks again for the help!

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Been through Ima but I go though Boot instead. Nice area and I like the portages.

Should take you half a day to get in if you don't lollygaggel to much.

Ima has lake trout and I'd expect them to be in around 50' of water by now but that could be more or less.

Hunting for and finding them could take up your whole trip.

Since your in a canoe, vertical jigging off breaks that flatten out or deep mid lake humps.

Carrying in a sounder is going to be well worth its weight to find those areas and of coarse spot lake trout. A lake map, granted the map won't in in great detail but it'll help. I'd also have a GPS to mark those areas when found.

You'll need jigs about 1 oz and more if you have any drift. Tip them with Gulp.

A heavy nylon bag or plastic sand bag with rocks for an anchor and 100' of parachute cord.

As for eyes, I'd be looking for them in the evening when they're on the feed as they come up shallow and onto the reefs and points. Work those areas over with jigs.

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