Editing Ely, Minnesota (section)

==Parks and recreation==
There are many Minnesota wilderness hiking trails in the Ely area. Echo Trail (Saint Louis County Road 116), considered one of Minnesota's most scenic trails, is a former logging road that runs north and west out of Ely and provides the primary access to the lakes of the western BWCAW. The trail is a 72-mile (116-km) road on asphalt and gravel through the wilderness of the [[Superior National Forest]] and [[Kabetogama State Forest]].<ref>[http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=XFA118-016 The Echo Trail: Ely to Orr via St. Louis County Road 116 | Crane Lake Minnesota Scenic Byways | Trails.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Trezona Trail offers historic views of the old iron ore mining operations that first brought new immigrants to the area.

The [[Kekekabic Trail]], commonly called "The Kek", is a hiking trail that runs about 39 miles, beginning in Ely and ending at the [[Gunflint Trail]].

A paved biking trail, the Mesabi Trail, begins in Ely and stretches across the [[Mesabi Iron Range]] ending in [[Grand Rapids, Minnesota|Grand Rapids]], a distance of approximately 120 miles.<ref>{{cite web |title=MESABI TRAIL |url=https://ironrange.org/paved-mesabi-bike-trail/ |website=Mesabi Iron Range |access-date=December 12, 2021}}</ref>

In 2015, the [[Ely Marathon]] began, sending runners from the north side of Burntside Lake down the Echo Trail and into the city. It has become an annual event and grown to include several races. The marathon is known as the world's only marathon with a "canoe portage" category and holds the world record time for a marathon-length canoe [[portage]].

===Attractions===
[[Image:Burntside Lake BWCAW.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Burntside Lake, Ely, Minnesota]]

Ely is the largest "jumping off" town for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and a major one for [[Quetico Provincial Park]]. The BWCAW is renowned as a destination for canoeing and fishing on its many lakes, and is the nation's most-visited wilderness. With extensive outfitting and other services, Ely can credibly be claimed to do the most wilderness canoe outfitting of any town or city in the world.

[[File:Sigurd F. Olson Writing Shack interior.jpg|thumb|Sigurd F. Olson Writing Shack interior, Ely, Minnesota]]

Longtime Ely resident [[Sigurd F. Olson]] was instrumental in creating the BWCAW. A writer, [[environmentalism|environmentalist]], and advocate for the protection of [[wilderness]], he served for more than 30 years as a wilderness guide in the lakes and forests of the [[Boundary Waters|Quetico-Superior country]] of northern Minnesota and southwestern [[Ontario]]. He worked for the protection of the [[Boundary Waters]], helped draft the [[Wilderness Act]] of 1964, and helped establish [[Voyageurs National Park]] in northern Minnesota. He was known honorifically as ''the Bourgeois''—a term the [[Voyageurs|voyageur]]s used for trusted leaders.

=== Outfitters ===
Ely Minnesota is considered to be one of the main gateways to the American side of the BWCAW. Because of this it is estimated that 250,000 people visit Ely Minnesota a year to enter the backcountry [https://www.eduweb.com/schaller/IWC4.html#:~:text=The%20Ely%20Chamber%20of%20Commerce,this%20study%20range%20around%20160%2C000.&text=(This%20latter%20figure%2C%20however%2C,per%20year%20in%20the%20area.)]. To handle all of the people, Ely houses 20 outfitters. Outfitters are companies that provide gear and information for visitors because not everyone can afford or store their own gear, nor do they know all the information necessary. Some specialize in shorter day trips, some do weeks long, and some even provide guides.

===Camp Widjiwagan===
[[Image:Joe-seliga-400.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Joe Seliga in his Ely, Minnesota, workshop]]

[[Camp Widjiwagan]] is a wilderness camp for girls and boys on [[Burntside Lake]]. The camp is nationally recognized for its canoeing and backpacking programs; it also has an environmental education program, the Widjiwagan Outdoor Learning Program. During the summer it runs canoe and backpacking programs offered at several degrees of experience, with more advanced trips for experienced campers. Environmental education programs are held during the fall, winter and spring, with students studying wilderness survival, plant and tree identification, basic hiking skills, animal tracking, the night sky, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Master builder of wood-and-canvas canoes [[Joe Seliga]] lived in Ely and was an instructor at the camp. When he died in 2005, Camp Widjiwagan received his canoe form.

===Hegman Lake pictographs===
[[File:Hegman Lake Pictographs.jpg|thumb|Hegman Lake Pictographs]]
The [[Hegman Lake Pictograph]]s, within the BWCAW about 15 miles north of Ely, have been called "perhaps the most visited and photogenic pictograph within the State of Minnesota." On a large overlooking rock wall on North Hegman Lake, this ancient rock art is believed to have been created by the [[Ojibwe]]. The painting's meaning is uncertain. It appears to represent the Ojibwe meridian [[constellations]] visible in winter during the early evening. While some anthropologists believe the pictographs may have served as a guide for navigating in the deep woods during the winter hunting season, others see it as a visual representation of the connection between the spiritual and temporal worlds. In the summer the site can be reached only by canoe. In the winter, when the lakes are frozen, it can be reached by foot, with snowshoes if the snow is deep.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/travel/21snowshoeing.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|title = Trekking with Wolves|newspaper = The New York Times|date = February 17, 2010|last1 = Breining|first1 = Greg}}</ref>