Day Trips

Day trips take campers to nearby educational and recreation spots. We pack up lunch to go fishing, kayaking, sailing, exploring or hiking for the day. Most campers visit the International Wolf Center in Ely and the underground iron ore mine in Tower Soudan. On rock climbing day trips to Wolf Ridge Environmental Center campers scale rock walls supervised by trained instructors. On day trips campers explore nearby area points of interest with a group of other campers. Northern Minnesota has lots to offer. The following are just some of sites we visit each summer.

Rock Climbing
Rock Climbing is our most popular day trip. We drive campers south almost to Lake Superior where Wolf Ridge Environmental Center has a simulated 30-foot rock climbing wall complete with a stuffed mountain goat. Instructors are trained to help every camper climb the wall, regardless of his experience.

International Wolf Center
Right here in Ely is the only center in the world for the study and preservation of the timber wolf. Campers will learn how wolves survive on an exclusive diet of deer or moose, how they hunt and interact. Through a window campers can observe wild alpha male and female wolves communicating with members of their pack. See how these clever canines survive the harsh Minnesota winter and maintain their place atop the north woods food chain.

Tower Soudan Underground Mine
The Cadillac of all iron mines, Tower Soudan touts being the "deepest, oldest and richest" of all northern Minnesota mines. Campers will ride 2500 feet down the shaft for a tour of this underground mine that was closed in 1962. Minnesota provided much of the iron for United States industry and war machine the last century.