Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
crowds. Camping then becomes a wonderfully remote experience: just you, the howling
wolves, the moose who's nuzzling the tent and the aurora borealis' greenish light filling
the night sky. Beginners are welcome, and everyone can get set up with gear from local
lodges and outfitters.
tion fee $6)
are required for overnight stays. Day permits, though free, are also required;
get them at BWCAW entry-point kiosks or ranger stations. Call
Superior National
website has a useful trip planning guide. Try to plan ahead, as permits are quota restric-
ted and sometimes run out.
northeast of the Iron Range area, which has accommodations, restaurants and scores of
adult/child $9.50/5.50; 10am-5pm daily mid-May-mid-Oct, Fri & Sat only mid-Oct-mid-May)
offers intriguing exhibits and wolf-viewing trips. Across the highway from the center,
Kawishiwi Ranger Station
( 218-365-7600; 1393 Hwy 169; 8am-4:30pm May-Sep)
provides expert BWCAW camping and canoeing details, trip suggestions and required
permits.
In winter, Ely gets mushy - it's a renowned dogsledding town. Outfitters such as
Win-
tergreen Dogsled Lodge
(
218-365-6022;
www.dogsledding.com
;
4hr tour $125)
offer nu-
merous packages.
Iron Range District
An area of red-tinged scrubby hills rather than mountains, Minnesota's Iron Range Dis-
trict consists of the Mesabi and Vermilion Ranges, running north and south of Hwy 169
from roughly Grand Rapids northeast to Ely. Iron was discovered here in the 1850s, and
at one time more than three-quarters of the nation's iron ore was extracted from these
vast open-pit mines. Visitors can see working mines and the terrain's raw, sparse beauty
all along Hwy 169.
In
Calumet
, a perfect introduction is the
Hill Annex Mine State Park
( 218-247-7215;
www.dnr.state.mn.us/hill_annex
; 880 Gary St; tours adult/child $10/6; 12:30pm & 3pm Fri &
Sat)
, with its open-pit tours and exhibit center. Tours are held in summertime only, on
Friday and Saturday; there's also a fossil tour both days at 10am.
An even bigger pit sprawls in
Hibbing
, where a must-see
viewpoint
( 9am-5pm mid-
May-mid-Sep)
north of town overlooks the 3-mile Hull-Rust Mahoning Mine. Bob
Dylan lived at 2425 E 7th Ave as a boy and teenager; the
Hibbing Public Library
(
