- Estimated Cost: $40
- Deposit: $35
- Max Trip Size: 12 people
Let’s visit Bear Head Lake State Park over Labor Day weekend 2025! We’ll camp for five nights at the secluded group campsite with our own, private lake access.
Located just south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area near Ely, MN, the park shares a similar wilderness quality. The group camp is located on the shore of the east bay of Bear Head Lake and accommodates tents only. Hand pump for water. Vault toilet and bear-proof food lockers on site.
The park is roughly a 4-hour drive from the Twin Cities.
The trip size is limited due to the small parking area, which has maybe 8 spaces.
If you must drive solo, you may need to unload your vehicle at our campsite and then park your vehicle in an overflow lot.
The final cost for the trip will depend on the number of participants and how much firewood we use.
The site has a bear locker where we can store some food and coolers.
Things to do:
- Hiking: The park has 14 miles of hiking trails. Additional hiking is available at nearby Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park, especially if you are collecting Hiking Club passwords or State Park Passport stamps.
- Biking: The Mesabi Trail is now complete from the city of Tower to Ely. While you can bike to the trail from the park, you will need to take roads that are typically busy in the summer and no shoulder for bikers. A better option may be to drive to the Eagles Nest Town Hall and park a vehicle and get on the Mesabi Trail there.
- Paddling: We can put-in right at our private dock and stop for a break at the beach area. The boating speed limit on the lake is 10 mph, so the lake remains quite peaceful for non-motorized watercraft.
- Learning and exploring:
- International Wolf Center
- North American Bear Center
- Dorothy Moulter Museum
- Ely-Winton Historical Society
- Self-guided tours of Ely
- Soudan Underground Mine Tours – closed currently due to flooding, but may reopen
- Shopping: https://www.ely.org/things-to-do/shopping/
Meals will be on your own, but we can go out to Ely and have a potluck if people are interested.
We will use water jugs, wagons, and dishwashing supplies from the club’s gear locker.
You must be a member of Minnesota Rovers Outdoors Club to participate in overnight trips like this one.