Best Places to Stay Near Our Top Outdoor Destinations If You Don't Want to Camp

Big Lake Lodge is made up of 15 cabins that range from studios to five bedrooms. Nestled in the Superior National Forest, it claims to be the most remote drive-in resort in Northern Minnesota, but don’t worry — these fully equipped cabins have Wi-Fi. 

The resort will outfit you with a canoe and its accessories and even drop you off at one of several nearby BWCA entry points. If you want to stick closer to home, you can use Big Lake Lodge’s kayaks, paddle boats and standup paddle boards, or rent a motor boat or pontoon.

Located on Garden Lake, which connects to Farm Lake — an official entry point into the Boundary Waters — this Airbnb is 100% solar-powered. A deck wraps around two sides of the cabin and overlooks the lake, while a spiral staircase leads to a loft with both a full and twin bed. The centerpiece is a wood-burning stove whose backdrop is the large windows facing the deck, lake, and wildlife neighbors.

Vosburgh’s Custom Cabin Rentals is a fourth-generation, family-owned getaway on Moose Lake. Notably, four cabins sit atop a 250-foot ridge, with striking views of the lake below. If you rent for an entire week, they will throw in a fishing boat, which can otherwise be rented. The cabins are equipped with everything you might need, and are only 20 minutes from Ely for dining, groceries, and sightseeing.

As the name suggests, Borderland Lodge is perched near the Canadian border on Magnetic Lake. With the option to rent out an entire cabin or just a room in their lodge, guests can enjoy the lake, hiking and mountain biking in the summer, and snowshoeing and skiing in the winter. Proprietors invite you to dine with them or enjoy a nightcap on-site after your day of moose viewing.

This log cabin sits at the very end of the Gunflint Trail and abuts the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness at entry point 55. With large windows and a generous deck overlooking Lake Saganaga, it offers every modern convenience — including A/C and Wi-Fi — while retaining a sense of remoteness. Up to 10 guests can enjoy access to the wilderness, knowing they can return to the wood-burning fireplace and the onsite sauna at the end of their daily excursions.

This modern Scandinavian-style cabin has room for three guests with a lofted queen bed and couch. Nors Hus is tucked into five acres of woods near the midpoint of the Gunflint Trail, known as Trail Center. Its blue accent walls and crisp, efficient design offer a pleasing place to return to after a day on the Trail.

Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters is the only private property on Round Lake, which makes for an especially peaceful stay on the edge of the Boundary Waters. Lodging in one of the five housekeeping cabins, which range from two- to three-bedrooms, comes with complimentary use of a canoe for your day trip. 

Over breakfast in the dining hall, you may spot paddlers who bunked in the property’s lodge, ready to start their multi-day BWCA adventure. Spend time hiking nearby trails, paddling across Round Lake, enjoying the view from your cabin’s deck, or hunting for wild blueberries.

Cascade Lodge is approaching its 100th anniversary, having been established on the shore of Lake Superior in 1927. Choose from a room in the main lodge, one of the unique cabins, a room in the motel-style Basecamp building, or the large Creek Chalet Vacation home. Guests have direct access to the Superior Hiking Trail and Cascade River State Park and can end their day at the Cascade Pub and Restaurant overlooking Lake Superior.

A guest favorite, this four-bedroom cabin is located right next to the Caribou Trail Trailhead on Caribou Lake. With vaulted ceilings, a wood-fired stove and space for 12 guests, it’s the perfect place for a large group to launch a day on the trail.

This might be a controversial pick on a list that is specifically not about camping, but we would argue that the presence of actual beds warrants its inclusion. North Shore Camping Co., part of Cove Point Lodge, has done all the work for you by setting up their two- and four-person canvas-sided platform tents with beds, porches and heaters. 

The nearby Base Lodge has heated bathrooms, showers, a gift shop and saunas. Guests are also welcome to utilize the hot tub and dining options at Cove Point Lodge. Best of all, there is direct access to the Superior Hiking Trail.

Perhaps you want to start your journey toward the southern end of the Superior Hiking Trail and stay in one of the "World’s 10 Most Unusual Hotels." This unique bed and breakfast comprises 11 guest rooms and three suites in authentic boxcars.

Just three miles from Two Harbors and less than two miles from the County Road 301 trailhead, guests are well-situated for various North Shore experiences.

Bear Ridge Guest House is a good launching point if you want to start your Voyageurs adventure on the park's west side. Eleven miles east of International Falls and a six-minute drive from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, the property overlooks Black Bay, a slice of Rainy Lake's 360 square miles. Six guest suites and a large lake house are available to rent, each with a full kitchen, complimentary washer and dryer, deck and dock space.

Ebel’s is one of several houseboat rental companies dedicated to helping people explore this national park, which is primarily made up of lakes and has no roads. Even if you’ve never operated a houseboat, Ebel’s has you covered with user-friendly crafts and instructions. 

Even the budget options include kitchens, showers, screened porches, and swim slides, while the newer additions to the fleet have hot tubs and multiple bathrooms. Use one of Ebel’s curated itineraries and dock your boat throughout the park at one of the many designated houseboat sites.

Nestled a stone’s throw from the Canadian border on the eastern end of the Kabetogama Peninsula, the Kettle Falls Hotel is technically the only lodging within Voyageurs National Park. It has been in operation since 1913, and part of the fun of the stay is leaning into its history, which includes a famously tilting floor in the bar. 

Renovated by the National Parks Service in 1987, the hotel is only accessible by boat or float plane and will happily provide a boat shuttle for guests who don’t have a personal craft. Once you’ve reached this remote destination, you’ll have access to a restaurant, trading post and bar, and plenty of support for your fishing excursions.

Near the eastern edge of Voyageurs National Park on Crane Lake, this charming cabin sleeps up to six. The only way to access the Whitefish Cabin is via boat in the summer or snowmobile in the winter — something the host will be happy to help you navigate. If cozying up to a fire is your idea of a good time, you can choose between the outdoor fire pit, the indoor wood-fired stove, or the property’s sauna. After a day paddling through the national park, you can enjoy meals al fresco on the wraparound porch.

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