![]() ![]() There is agreement that the season is too young to speculate about economic fallout. “Or people get in their cars and come up without a reservation, which we usually don’t see at the end of the Gunflint Trail especially.” “The last-minute bookings have seemed to come in,” Prom said. Prom said any wariness among travelers she sees is abating. “People are investing money in outdoor toys.” “The good news is canoe sales are way up,” he added. Still, reservations are down about 15%, and most cancellations have been the bigger trips planned by customers out of state who don’t want to fly. in Ely, said he’s also seen an uptick in regional customers. Steve Piragis,who owns Piragis Northwoods Co. He’s lost some far-flung paddlers, like a family from the Pacific Northwest that has returned the past 10 years, and had cancellations for late summer as the pandemic deepened and schedules upended. Most of the interest has been regional: visitors in the Midwest and within reasonable driving distance. That meant getting his staff of about 12 in place, too - more adjustments on the fly - to accommodate a surge when days earlier he wondered if he’d outfit a single canoe all summer. “Six days felt like six weeks,” he added. Zabokrtsky said phone and e-mail inquiries about preplanned trips and new trips came in a wave when the ban on overnight trips was lifted. It’s just like back to normal out there,” Prom said. “Especially when they are out there, they are so happy not to have to worry about masks and sanitizing. “Overall, everyone is just super happy to be out and about, and having some resemblance of normal. Still, Prom said the sanctuary found in Minnesota’s wild north has eclipsed any hang-ups about new procedures. This is all new terrain for Sue Prom and her husband, Mike, who have been in business since 1993. Voyageur Canoe Outfitters off the Gunflint Trail is using special antimicrobial mattresses in its bunkhouses that are easier to keep clean serving breakfast in a safer way limiting visits to its office to single groups and dotting the grounds with hand sanitizer stations. “The less time are on site, the less time we have COVID-19 issues with them, right? Going both directions,” Zabokrtsky said. Paddles, life jackets, canoe packs and more all go into a three-day quarantine after they’re treated by staff. ![]() ![]() Afterward the van’s “touchable spaces,” as Zabokrstsky called them, are disinfected. When a shuttle van is needed, travelers sit to the back, masked like the driver. Customers are encouraged to drive themselves to entry points, to be met by Ely Outfitting staff, keeping contact between everyone to a minimum. Normally jammed with cars, there now are few. Call or email an Ely, Minnesota outfitter and take home a real sense of accomplishment from your next wilderness canoeing vacation.Zabokrtsky said a telltale sign that the world is different is his long-term parking lot. If you want a wilderness vacation where you can relish the beauty and peacefulness of one of America’s most natural areas, escape the crowds and come to Ely. Fishing pressure is light on most lakes, and a short portage off the regular routes could put you into a lakes that are seldom visited or fished! Your outfitter can let you know what’s biting on what lake. For many, the BWCAW means quality wilderness fishing. Maybe you’ll see the northern lights from a campsite that was seemingly untouched when you landed your canoe. Imagine the view of a summer sunset across a remote Minnesota lake with the haunting cries of a loon serenading you to sleep each night. Combine the breathtaking beauty, wildlife, fishing and just plain fun of camping, and you’ll have memories of the canoe country to last a lifetime. A canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness can be one of the most rewarding and adventurous vacations you ever take. Just climb into your canoe and enjoy the scenery. They are biologists, historians and woods-wise guides whose knowledge and love of this area will add immensely to the pleasure you’ll have on your boundary waters canoe trip.Īn Ely, Minnesota outfitter will make your wilderness canoe trip worry-free by providing you with advice and specially designed lightweight food supplies and equipment. More than just canoe & camping gear renters, an outfitter is an outdoor recreation professional. Why use an outfitter for BWCAW canoe trips?Įly, Minnesota currently boasts 22 professional canoe trip outfitters. ![]()
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