As a gateway community for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), folks flock to the small town of Ely year-round, but the town truly comes alive during the colder months, making it a premier winter destination in Minnesota.

Ely is located near the Canadian border. It’s surrounded by the Superior National Forest, as well as pristine North Woods lakes and rivers.
Visit Ely/Facebook
The area’s many recreational opportunities are a huge draw for winter sports enthusiasts.
Folks who live in and visit the community embrace winter with gusto.
Ely Winter Festival
Ely is surrounded by miles and miles of trails for both snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.
Ely Chamber of Commerce
The region’s lakes are chock full of walleye, smallmouth bass, lake trout, northern pike, and perch - all of which lure anglers out onto the ice.
Ely Chamber of Commerce
Fat biking is popular way to explore Ely in the wintertime.
Flickr/Jeff Moser
And with as much snowfall as the North Woods get, snowshoes are a necessity.
Flickr/Rebecca Siegel

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Especially when you’re hiking or camping in the Boundary Waters.
Superior National Forest/Facebook
Winter is also an ideal time to see some of Minnesota’s most elusive wildlife, like moose, wolves, and lynx.
Superior National Forest/Facebook
The snow cover and lack of foliage help to make the animals more visible.
Ely is one of the country’s hotspots for dogsledding. Every winter, spectators are treated to some of the area’s finest teams and mushers at the WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog Race.
WolfTrack Classic/Facebook
You can also try your hand at mushing, yourself, with one of the area’s many dogsledding guides.
Then visit the International Wolf Center to get up close and personal with the sled dogs’ ancestors.
International Wolf Center/Ely
Each year, the town demonstrates just how much it loves winter at the Ely Winter Festival.
Ely Winter Festival/Facebook
If you’re lucky, your visit could be capped off with the aurora borealis dancing above a frozen lake.
Flickr/Heikki Holstila
With its far-north location, Ely is a prime spot for seeing the northern lights, and winter is the best season to do so.

When you live in Minnesota, winter’s a part of life, and a visit to Ely will help you appreciate just how wonderful the season can be. While you’re in the area, be sure to visit the Bavarian-themed town of Biwabik, which is less than an hour from Ely and home to Giant’s Ridge Ski Resort.

Have you visited Ely in the wintertime? What other Minnesota towns come alive during the winter season?

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Ely, MN 55731, USA