We stayed in the Sheridan House for two nights and did a morning canoe trip with Jake. As novices,…read morethis was a great and easy trip where you feel a little rugged for a measly city slicker. The location is about 9 minutes from town. He is very knowledgeable and adventurous. He had a lot of good stories, was a good teacher with paddling and was very chill. I would definitely organize another trip with them. Because we are novices and were in a three-person canoe, Jake did all of our brief portages. Safety was the highest priority. He was very mindful for us to not rush the experience.

My sister and I went on 2 half day canoe trips with them. Jake and Tommy were great guides! From…read moreour first contact with them the service was personalized and professional. Not only were our trips beautiful, safe, and fun, but they were educational as well. Jake was very informative about the flora, fauna, and history of the area. We learned a lot more than we expected to! I had high expectations for our trips and I am happy to say that my expectations were exceeded. I would highly recommend this outfitter to anyone looking to spend time in the Boundry waters!

Piragis bookstore was a great place to browse. Quiet, well lit with lots of interesting unknown and…read morealso known titles. Books seemed thoughtfully chosen; a good nature section and kids section. Will return!

Was in town, shopping for souvenirs. I probably should have purchased the hot sauce they were…read moreselling, but at $6 a bottle, I thought it was overpriced. I would have been thrilled if you could get all 3 bottles for a discount, but that wasn't happening. They have a ton of t shirts for sale here. We picked up one for Ely, MN for about $25. They have a men's side and a women's side. The women's side had a ton of apparel. I found a cute shirt and shorts on sale. The fitting room is right there by the stairwell. I love a good sale. These times were not for Ely, they were just hiking/camping brands of clothing, but that's ok. A lot of the women's stuff was fairly plain. The back of the store has restrooms, art, and camping/fishing supplies. The front of the store has weapons and shoes. In fact, the gal who makes the moccasins was right there in the store, putting them together in real time! It was so cool to see how she was manipulating the leather. We did not take the stairs up to the second level; it appeared to be more of a bookstore up there. Parking is on the street.

First of all, there's very little "Surplus" here, as during my recent visit, the merchandise looked…read moreall well stocked and new. The person at the counter subsequently informed me that the current owner kept the name when it was purchased from the previous occupant. Nonetheless, I found what I needed quickly, thought the price was reasonable, and was pleased both as I left, and subsequently when I put them to use. What did I buy? Knee high rubber boots. Our Moose Track Adventures canoe trip guide had a pair on that I admired, and since I needed a pair for an upcoming trip to the Peruvian Amazon, that was good enough for me. At the end of the Amazon trip, we were asked whether we wished to donate the boots. I liked the fit, comfort, and versatility of my LaCrosse boots so much that I declined in favor of my next Earthwatch adventure.

An excellent place to go for the basics when you're up north. Every time I'm in Ely, I swing by…read more Prices are generally better than your typical REI, etc. Not exactly what I would call "surplus" since most of the items seem to be new. The space is also pretty small, so it can seem cramped with other people in the store.

Five stars isn't enough for this crew. We fish with Craig at Lake Vermilion Fishing Guides just…read moreabout every year, and our Boundary Waters trips into Basswood are the ones we talk about all winter. From the first phone call he asks the right questions about what you want out of the day, then builds the whole trip around it. Getting into the BWCA on your own takes real planning, but Craig handles all of it, and once you're out there you've got world-class fishing with almost nobody around. He reads the water, adjusts constantly, and genuinely cares that everyone on board catches fish. He handles the big fish with real care too, quick photos and healthy releases. This is what a professional guide service should be. We're already planning next year's trip.

Doesn't get any better then, local and family owned…read more My cousin from Ely had previously bought a outfit for her grand baby and realized it was too small. We went in to exchange it and they could have not been more accommodating. She did not have the receipt and had removed the tags. They knew it was their product and were happy to make the swap for a larger size. As she made the swap, I browsed through the store with my other cousin. Oh my, the variety of merchandise was mind blowing. They had everything you'd need for a camping trip. They even sell camping packages for the boundary waters and when you check-in on Yelp they offer a 15% off coupon. If you're a fisher, they also offer live bait to help you catch that big fish. That way your "big fish" story will be truth instead of a made up one. My other cousin who was traveling with us, caught so much fish during our trip, that when we left Ely, we had to stop at Spirit to buy dry ice. When in Ely, I highly recommend that you shop, Spirit.

Just finished four nights fully outfitted by North country. Amazing company. John knows the BWCA…read morelike the back of his hand. The equipment was top notch and the foot provided was tasty. I will definitely repeat!

Can't imagine that any other place is more knowledgeable or accommodating when getting outfitted…read morefor a BWCA trip in this area. John has his operation extremely dialed and helped make our trip the best experience possible. I would highly recommend NCCO for planning a boundary waters excursion. Best parts: Help plan best route based on your desired experience and ability Personable Flexible Get a shower and a beer when you come out!

They picked up a permit here for the boundary waters since the Tofte Ranger station is closed on…read moreMonday and Tuesday. The staff was helpful. Friendly. They have a nice selection of gear plus they are a full outfitter as well, they have showers for when you get out of the boundary waters. This was our second year visiting this location.

Visiting the area while on a long nation wide rv journey. We've been to a lot of outdoor outfitters…read moreand these folks are great. Helpful, informative, friendly, great selection of a variety of gear, etc. Only suggestion I'd make is to move the snacks higher in front of the cash register area. My wiener dog almost stole a salami!

I couldn't be more impressed with Granite Gear and the incredible customer service I received from…read moreSidni. I had a special request for strap extensions for my Stowaway Seat Pack, and Sidni went above and beyond to make it happen. She was prompt, attentive, and had the extensions custom made exactly to my specifications--all at a very reasonable cost. What really stood out was how thoroughly Sidni managed the whole process. She followed up as soon as my order was complete, providing a detailed summary and tracking information, which made everything smooth and hassle-free. And of course, the Stowaway Seat Pack itself is fantastic. I absolutely love it--superb design and excellent quality. Granite Gear has earned a loyal customer, and I can't recommend them enough!

Fantastic products backed up by great customer support. Ronda was extremely helpful in making sure…read moremy order got to me in time for my trip. Thank you Ronda!

My husband and I spent our honeymoon up in Lutsen and came down for a little Christmas shopping…read more This store is amazing. It has everything you'd need for the outdoors, shoes, socks, clothes, and lots of gift options. We highly recommend it. The store owner even gift wrapped everything for us!

I wish I got the name of the guy who helped us! My family had the best shopping experience today…read moreall thanks to him. My dad forgot to bring warm clothes on our 2-day trip, and watersedge had a plethora of high quality and sustainable options for him to choose from. The guy helping us check out took his time and was very kind and patient. We will definitely stop back the next time we're in town!

My wife and I stop here every time we are on the north shore! Their staff are super friendly and…read morethere prices great!! Huge portions of great sandwiches at the Restaurant! Can't wait to go back next time we're up!! We have done the tour before the animals are fun. There are a lot of cool things to read about throughout the different buildings! Feeding the fish is probably my favorite part mostly because the fish know that you are going to feed them so they react to people coming by!

The 4 stars are not for the stereotypical souvenir outpost that fronts Tom's Logging Camp. That's…read moreonly where you need to go to pay for a ticket to enter Tom's Logging Camp, the 4-star attraction here. Tom's Logging Camp ($5 per person) is a self guided walk on a trail behind the souvenir shop. It's a peek into what an actual logging camp was like, something I assure you I'd never once in my life thought of before visiting here. It's kind of a fun little stroll. You peer into or walk through cabins that have handwritten explanations of what you're seeing. The signs explain everything from the equipment the loggers used to the food they ate, to the jobs of the cooks and the blacksmiths. It was here that I learned that the Finnish workers, when they arrived on Duluth's North Shore, were the hardest workers but they'd work only in camps with saunas. Tom's Logging Camp erected a sauna, naturally, because Tom wanted Finnish workers. I also learned that loggers were filthy and drank heavily: * In the bunkhouse, a top bunk was in demand as the bugs crawling on you would fall downward, preying instead on the inhabitant of the lower bunk; and * A special cabin has been erected here to let visitors emulate the experience of being a drunk logger. Everything leading to and inside that cabin is askew and somehow, it had me chuckling exactly as I'd imagine a drunk logger might. Boy, did I learn a lot of useless interesting stuff here! As you walk the trail you can purchase food to feed trout then goats and finally, llamas. So come to Tom's Logging Camp to have the fun experience of a llama eating out of your hand, being a faux-drunk, and learning a bit about life in a Minnesota logging camp.