We did a full day tour in a small boat with six total customers. Our guide was Brent and he was…read moreextremely knowledgeable since he's grown up in the area and had all kinds of wonderfully crazy stories about his life here in Minnesota. The personal experience was exceptional. The small group made it an extremely personal and wonderful experience. It was a glorious day that we will never forget!

My husband and I did a tour with Captain Tim yesterday on the six hour Kettle Falls tour. Tim was…read morevery knowledgeable about the park and the area. He had a wonderful personality and as other people have said became our friend right away. I loved his sense of humor. It was a very nice boat and a top-notch operation. We would highly recommend this.

Outstanding Ice fishing trip. Snow machine ride to Hyppa's hot fishing hole. Warming tent set up…read moreand warm upon arrival, then we just got to it. Hyppa's also set up 3 tip up rigs outside our tents. Caught a 23" Walleye, many perch, etc. was a fun and active fishing day even thought about -15 outside. Tents were warm & relaxing. I'd recommend this service to anyone! "Jake can Rake in the fish".

Jake was the only guide in the Cook area of Lake Vermilion that was willing to take me out on a…read moreguided ice fishing trip. He told me he does enjoy ice fishing himself and had all the gear, but had never had anyone ask for a guided ice fishing trip before. Jake told me where to park and met me at the appointed time for a snowmobile ride out to his ice house which was heated and ready to start fishing when we got there. Sonar flashers enabled us to watch as fish swam up to meet our jigs. I had a great time! Jake turned out to be an exceptionally pleasant and very knowledgeable guide. We caught two nice northern pike, a pair of walleyes and had non-stop action with perch. The experience was everything I had imagined and more than I'd hoped for! Jake guides exclusively on Lake Vermilion and specializes in walleyes. He also enjoys fishing other species such as smallmouth bass, crappie, and northern pike.

Pehrson's has been around for over a century and is now owned and operated by the Hanson family,…read moreaugmented by their super-friendly and beautiful springer spaniels who always seem to be in the vicinity of the front desk looking for tummy rubs. The resort consists of almost 30 cabins of various sizes, plus a large "retreat home" down the shore that we haven't seen yet. The "log" cabins range from fairly cramped and rustic to much more modern and spacious. We've rented one of the larger cabins for two older couples set back from the lake the past few years and really enjoy it. Pehrson caters to family vacations and reunions, and a lot of the patrons we met have been coming there for decades. It is truly a fine lake summer experience, located in the southwest corner of sprawling Lake Vermilion. We've taken advantage of pontoon rentals; the pickleball court; 2+ mile hiking trail; the beach and swimming area with large floats the kids love to climb all over; a small but surprisingly well-equipped fitness room with a few cardio machines plus dumbbells, Swiss balls, bands, etc.; foosball, a pool table and ping pong tables at the Main Lodge; a great lakeside seating area to view spectacular sunsets; and charcoal barbeque grills (some of which are deteriorating). Yes, it is expensive -- especially compared to what you might pay at a nice Caribbean resort -- but the pricing looks competitive against other Northern resorts.

Top shelf staff, from the owners, Eric and Mary Hanson with Cayla Anderson, to the ever-helpful…read moreguides, dock workers and grounds crew. We must mention Walter, the Springer who greets the arriving guests with a total wag. This is a family-oriented resort with many activities for the kids, even including dock fishing that is all catch and release-a great ethic to teach. Watercraft of every sort is available and there is a nice sandy beach as well. And the fishing was terrific despite the 6" rainstorm that came in and flooded Cook. We will return.

YEAR AFTER YEAR...it keeps getting better!!!…read more I discovered the Vermillion Dam Lodge though a fishing guide and absolutely love it! Owner Ed and his right hand man Marty run an incredible operation accommodating hard core fishermen as myself, families and visitors from all over the world. They host fishing seminars and group events as well. The lake is one of the best small mouth bass, walleye and MUSKY fisheries on the planet. The rooms are very comfortable; everything on the property is tidy and well maintained. VDL is mobility challenged and dog friendly to top it off. World class fishing, friendly staff, gorgeous scenery with eagles literally flying overhead - WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE???

Twenty six family members descended on VDL on an August Saturday for a week stay. We had several…read morecabins of various sizes to meet the needs of grandparents and young cousins from 5 years on up. We had decided to have the resort provide dinner on our arrival after a long drive. It was delicious. The rest of the time we shared cooking details at one of the larger houses. Kitchens are pretty complete for most fare and the Lodge provides some special needs like large serving platters for big meals. We were blessed with mostly nice summer weather. We hired a variety of boats which got most of us out on the water several days. Boats were clean and well maintained. Climax day was two pontoon boats and a speedboat to pull tube rides. We didn't have many experienced fishermen or women. One couple hired a guide one morning which scored a bunch of delicious small walleye. But more important, our guide tried several spots in different parts of the lake and gave us a rewarding tour and understanding of the entire lakes system. For others there were two golf outings at different courses. A rainy day sent some to International Falls and a boat tour of Rainy lake. Others went the other direction to Ely and wildlife. So a modest drive provides some alternatives. But for the most part the resort provides a wide range of activities right on the lake and the property. A real bonus is the resort staff who were always friendly and helpful, a real reason to come back another time.

We had an absolutely awesome experience tonight…read more We started at the Duluth Huskies stadium (Wade Stadium) and enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of the field, locker room, and grounds, we were also treated to stories about the history of the team. The general manager was our tour guide... he was one of the friendliest and knowledgeable people I've ever met! The stadium and team are rich with history, even down to the bricks they used to erect the entrance to the field. Dave was our bus driver and tour guide for the night. After the stadium tour he took us to Bent Paddle where we were able to samples some brews and enjoy the atmosphere, what a cool place! Their beers are outstanding! The 14 degrees ESB is a GABF (Great American Beer Festival) winner! I would highly recommend trying it. There's an awesome BBQ joint that will deliver to the tasting room too! We ended the night back at the stadium with a Huskies' baseball game. The won in walkoff fashion! It was a great game! We are looking foreword to another tour. I would highly recommend a tour with Duluth Experience.

Hi - This review is…read morea little late, but I am still thinking about the amazing tour I went on last summer, so I knew I had to sit down and write a review. I was in Duluth for my brother's wedding and didn't know anything about the city or the area. I was with my then-boyfriend and we knew it was a beautiful area, but wasn't sure the best way to experience it all. That is when I booked us on the Scenic North Shore Bicycle Tour. It was by far the best thing we did in Duluth (minus watching my brother get married,ha) and we were raving about it to all the weddings guests all weekend. The guys running the show were great to talk to and they clearly thought of everything. If you are traveling to Duluth and want to really have the best tour guides, book with them.

I don't have enough great things to say about Steve and Ginny and the rest of the crew at Spirit of…read morethe Wilderness. We were out on Knife Lake on Tuesday July 14 2026 (the day of the closure and evacuation of the wilderness). I had rented a one way Spot and picked up my permit from Spirit. Unfortunately with the device we had no one could communicate with us, but the crew at Spirit was tracking us and keeping everyone back home aware of our situation. After we got back into Ely, they even offered a bunkhouse for us to stay the night before heading home.

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.

I love visiting Voyageurs National Park, but I usually found it difficult working with the local…read morebusinesses to rent boats/pontoons. But not this time! Michael and Emily were super responsive to my many questions and I felt their pontoon rental and gas prices were fair for the area. They even accommodated us when we wanted to return the pontoon earlier than planned. We just had such a great time and got too tired to spend another day on the lake. The pontoon we rented was perfect for our large group. It was a 2008, so it didn't have Bluetooth speakers (we just brought our own portable speakers. It was equipped with a live well and a GPS fish finder system for our fishermen. Canopy withstood the strong winds during a storm. Comfortable seating too. They even let us park 2 of our vehicles at their lot during our rental, which made loading and unloading so much easier. Great service, great pontoon rental, A+!

Voyageurs Adventures has been my "go to" place for questions about fishing, the services near the…read morePark and about the Park itself. Wade has been helpful with ideas and information. He's been a guide for a long time and knows in-depth information and is very easy to talk to with questions and for information.

From the owner: We are your guide to fishing, kayaking, camping, or boat tours on Lake Kabetogama or Voyageurs…read moreNational Park. Northern Minnesota's water-based National Park we can help you explore this beautiful area with over 400 islands and 100,000 acres of water!

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.

Best way to describe our experience is this way. Awesome comfortable place to stay...we love the…read morescenery and the resorts rustic flavor....very accommodating and friendly staff . Can't say enough good about them. We loved seeing Willie, their dog. Always looked for Willie when we came to the office and even talked about him on the way home. This is truly a superb Minnesota Resort. A place to enjoy the evenings and mornings sitting in the screened in porch, listening to the waves and the boats going by. A wonderful Minnesota Resort Tradition you won't want to miss. Take our word for it you won't be disappointed. Gary and Deb Korsgaden

This place is great. I've known of this resort since I've been coming up here 30 years. This place…read moreis family owned and now owned by the original owners daughter and son. Not luxury but great for a family used to holiday inn accommodations. They have a fantastic beach, cabins, volleyball court, boats and a store. I think it's well worth the money