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What customers say about Spirit of the Wilderness
Recent reviews
These guys were amazing! The staff was incredibly friendly, helpful, and patient. As a first-time canoe renter, I really appreciated how much time they took to make sure I knew exactly what I was doing. They showed me how to paddle, lift, carry, load, and properly tie the canoe back onto my vehicle. They even strapped everything down for me and walked me through the process step by step. That kind of service was above and beyond.
The store itself has pretty much everything you need for an Ely or Boundary Waters trip—fishing gear, live bait, tackle, camping supplies, clothing, canoe gear, and more. Pricing was excellent too.
Highly recommended. Don’t second guess it—book with these guys and you won’t be disappointed. I’ll definitely be coming back!
Steve was incredibly helpful with tips and his knowledge about the Boundary Waters. He helped make the experience even more enjoyable due to my awareness of the landscape ahead of time.
Visited here on my way out of the BWCA, will be stopping before hand next time AND after. They have a little bit of everything here, and the staff seems very knowledgeable!
I don't have enough great things to say about Steve and Ginny and the rest of the crew at Spirit of the 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.
Great selections, wonderful service, and great location on the edge of town. This is a must stop on every trip to the BWCA.
Can’t express how awesome they are at Spirit. Our husbands were in the Boundary waters for 4 days and us girls needed 2 poles rigged back up because our lines snapped. 2 guys there (on different pole fixing occasions) helped us out. The pic attached is one of the helpful guys. We are soo grateful. THANK YOU!
Great place for bait
Reply from Spirit of the Wilderness
2026.05.16
Thanks for your business. Hope you had some luck fishing!
Cool place filled with all sort of cool stuff and equipment. The staff is super friendly and I really willing to help and give advice. They sell maps here and permits, too. Plenty of parking and they have public restrooms, too. They sell bait and it looks like there’s quite a wide variety. Five stars.
Frequently asked questions about Spirit of the Wilderness
How many reviews does Spirit of the Wilderness have?
Spirit of the Wilderness has 259 reviews on Trustindex, collected from Google, Tripadvisor and Trustindex.
What is Spirit of the Wilderness's average rating?
Spirit of the Wilderness is rated 4.8 out of 5 based on 259 reviews. 89% of reviewers gave five stars.
Are Spirit of the Wilderness reviews verified?
Trustindex moderates every review and verifies that it was collected from a real, active review platform before it is published.
How do I write a review for Spirit of the Wilderness?
Use the "Write a review" button on this page to share your own experience with Spirit of the Wilderness.