This Is The Best Lake Town In Minnesota

By Taylor Linzinmeir

May 20, 2022

Lake at sunset. Silhouettes of ducks on the water surface.
Photo: Getty Images

As the summer approaches, people are itching to get away from their day-to-day. And what better way than feeling warm sand beneath your feet and sticking your toes in some refreshing water — that probably isn't inhabited by sharks.

If that all sounds good to you, might we suggest taking a trip to Minnesota's best lake town? Thrillist named Ely, Minnesota, as the stuff of vacation dreams. Here's what they had to say about it:

A mere 12 miles from Canada, Ely is the gateway to the lake-strewn Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness—a nearly Delaware-sized wilderness preserve, the country’s largest east of the Rockies. This “lake district” is actually an inland sea with wooded islands seemingly arranged for the canoeing camper’s convenience. It’s an endless medley of interconnected streams, lakes, and waterfalls landscaped by cliffs, ridges, ancient Native American rock art, 1,200-year-old cedars, and soaring white pines. Overhead flights are banned, and motorboats are outlawed. Life’s complications disappear as you dip a canteen over the side of your canoe and take a swig. Ely’s hilly main drag of earthy shops, restaurants, and outfitters is lost in the deep woods, literally at the end of the road. Folks opt to wear mukluks (locally manufactured moose-hide boots) and baseball caps.
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