Moose Track Adventures, Ely

Stayed here on both ends of a trip into the boundary waters. Rustic cabins by lake were bright & inviting with comfortable rooms and well supplied kitchen - a great place to relax. Joan and Jim were excellent hosts and provided great recommendations on where to go canoeing and places to visit in town. Highly recommended as place to do your outfitting for a trip into boundary waters.

Joan & Jim at Moose Track are great folks and wonderful host. We stayed at the Kawishiwi River Cabin. It is a nice cabin just a few paddle strokes from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. We hit a tough week for fishing but the gang at Moose Track did all they could to help us out. I would recommend Moose Track Adventures.

Spending the night in a cozy cabin and then waking up to the spectacular sun rises cannot be beat. Jim and Joan are wonderful host and we are very thankful that they have shared their piece of paradise with us. Our 2 teenagers swam, canoed, used the paddle boat and even wanted to attempt fishing so we rented a motor boat. With no fishing skills, we turn to Jim for advice. A quick trip into town, where The Great Outdoors shop had the tackle Jim suggested picked out and waiting for us, and a map with locations Jim had marked, we were occupied for the day. We even caught fish! I can only imagine the fish we would have caught if we new what we were doing. Moose Track Adventures is a wonderful place to stay and the kids were making plans for our return visit before we even left.

This is a very clean, very quiet, small resort--which is exactly what we wanted. The owners, Jim and Joan, and their staff, Josh, were very easy to talk to and had loads of information and advice on the area lakes and fishing. There is direct access to the BWCA from Farm Lake itself, as well as easy drives to many other entry points for day trips, which is what we did. We had planned to bring our daughter and her friend (teenagers) with us, but that didn't work out so it was a peaceful getaway for my husband and I. Truthfully, the 2 bedroom cabin (Bearpaw) would have been a little cramped with 4 of us there. The cabin was remodeled recently, very comfortable, and had everything we needed for cooking. The view out the picture window across the lake was beautiful. We enjoyed fires in the evening and I enjoyed a couple swims in the lake (despite the cooler weather while we were there) when the water was glassy-calm. Very well-kept grounds. Despite being close to a paved road, it was extremely quiet at night since the Kawishiwi trail has mostly residential building along it, and eventually turns into gravel.

My family spent Aug 1-6, 2010 at Moose Track Adventures for our summer vacation based on recommendations from Trip Advisor. We have used Trip Advisor for recommendations on trips to Mexico, Puerto Rico, and various places across the U.S., and it has always been a good guide to use if you want to know what your are going to get with no surprises. We found Moose Track Adventures to be exactly as other reviews have said. This is a small resort with a lot of offerings if you are into outdoor activities such as boating, fishing, or canoe trips. They can outfit your week long adventure into the Boundary Waters or take you on a day trip of fishing. You will get to know the owners of the resort, and you will find that Jim and Joan are very accomodating to make your stay a great experience. During our stay we rented a boat, went fishing, went hiking, picked blueberries, and enjoyed relaxing and swimming by the lake. We did not hire a guide for fishing or a canoe trip, but are wishing we had. Our week went by too quickly, and we wanted to stay longer. This is not a big fancy resort with a lot of services, but if you want a nice, clean cabin to stay in at a reasonable price on a nice lake with access to the boundary waters, and a short drive from Ely, Moose Track Adventures is a great option.

Great location, awesome view from our cabin, knowledgable owners/staff, and good fishing. Because of the early ice out, the fishing this year was very different. Caught lots of fish on my fly rod, but had to work at it. Last year the fish practically fell into the boat they were so eager to bite. Owners are accommodating and treat you like family. My group caught 3 small mouth bass in the 5 # range and several 4 # fish - all on the fly rod. I would recommend sink tip lines or very heavy flies once the fish go deep. I am already counting the days till I will be able to return next year.

We had a great time at Moose Track Adventures in Ely, MN! We spent four nights in a two-bedroom cabin on Farm Lake. The hosts (Jim & Joan) are great people who have a beautiful business just on the edge of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area. Our cabin was clean, comfortable and well stocked with kitchen items. We had a view of the lake right from our kitchen table. The cabin had a deck with chairs, a fire pit, and a dock. It was great to sit out at night and watch the moon rise over the lake beside the warmth of a campfire, and listening to the call of the loons. This is a perfect getaway spot for a long weekend - or a full week. It's remote enough to feel like you are in the woods, but close enough to town to shop or dine. We used their guide service for a full-day fishing trip on Basswood Lake. Caught a 28" walleye, a few smaller walleyes, northerns, and bass. Josh, the guide was helpful and informative. We highly recommend him. We felt like we had a great experience at Moose Track and would happily recommend the place to others!

Our day fishing trip into Basswood Lake through Moose Track Adventures was perfect from the call to book the trip until we pulled away from the landing at Fall Lake with the fillets in the cooler. Jim and Joan run a top notch operation and our guide Josh worked hard to put us on fish along with being very friendly and professional. I would highly recommend them to anyone. Thanks for a great trip! Kevin - Central Minnesota

Just returned to NJ with my 18 year old son after three days of fishing with Jim at Moose Tracks. Although we were there in the "dog days" of mid-August and I hadn't set my expectations too high, Jim knew where and how to put us on to trophy-sized pike (as large as 41 inches, 22 lbs.) and smallmouth bass (20.5 in. 5 lbs.). We also fished a day with Josh, who works for Jim and Joan, who is also very friendly and knowledgeable about fishing in the area. In addition to his fishing knowledge, Jim is a smart, easy-going, likable, hardworking guy who is fun to hang out with. Although we did only day fishing trips portaging into Basswood Lake, Jim impressed me as some one who would be a terrific trip leader for multi-day Boundary Water canoe trips and has definitely piqued my interest in signing up for such a trip. Jim's wife Joan is also a real pleasure to talk to, very helpful with anything we needed, and works hard to keep the resort and cabins ultra-clean and running smoothly. From the first time I spoke with her on the telephone to inquire about the trip through to saying goodbye, Joan did her best to make everything easy for us (while managing to run the resort and raise two sweet kids at the same time). Jim and Joan were also very knowledgeable about the area and their recommendations were spot-on for things such as where to buy food for the cabin, where to eat in Ely, where to get fishing licenses, and any other thing we wanted to know. The newly-remodeled cabin we stayed in was as clean and comfortable as home in contrast to musty, dusty cabins we have been in elsewhere. It felt like heaven at the end of a long day of fishing to sit in the Adirondack chairs in front of the cabin, a few yards from the lake, and just gaze out at the beautiful lake. I couldn't have asked for a better place to take my son for a fishing vacation a few weeks before I drop him off at college for the first time. Last, a quick shout out for Maggie, Jim and Joan's beautiful, friendly and mellow golden retriever.

We stayed a week last year; loved it and booked a month this year; loved it booked 2 weeks next year. Joan and Jim are excellent hosts. Cabins are comfortable offering all necessities for housekeeping. Beautiful views. Boats and motors we used were excellent. Guide service was excellent. Smallmouth flyfishing at its best!! Don't miss the Wednesday fish fry.