As we checked out the next morning we saw another interesting sign at Motel Ely. If you ever need a place to stay in Ely, Minnesota, Motel Ely is a solid choice.
We had a relatively short 45 mile drive to Voyageurs National Park. Our first hike was the Blind Ash Trail.
The trail description was accurate, but did not cover all the details. We had a few places where it was more climbing and less hiking. This was not the toughest climb. We were too focused on climbing when we got to those. We forgot to take a picture.
In spite of the climbing and the swarms of mosquitos, the hike was worth the view at the top. We spent some time resting and enjoying the views.
Here is where we stopped for lunch at the top.
There was about a 270 degree view of the park from the top of the trail. Here is a third look from where we stopped.
The Blind Ash Trail had some narrower sections too. We now knew we had to watch out for ticks. Maybe it was our extra care. Maybe it was extra bug spray. Maybe it was Blind (Ash Trail) luck. We did not have ticks on us after today’s hiking. We did, however, have many mosquito bites.
Our next hike was on a shorter flatter trail. It was a hike to Sullivan Bay. The hike was on what used to be an access road. The rangers have allowed the plants to take over the old road.
We named this section the Fern Forest. We did not want any copyright issues with the creators of Fern Valley!
The Sullivan Bay Trail ended abruptly at a high rock overlooking Sullivan Bay.
It was a pleasant view of a calm bay on a nice day. Then three boats came at the same time. They were not together as a group. They were not all that loud, but the quiet hike changed its tenor for a few minutes.
We stayed for a while and then hiked back to our car.
Our last hike of the day was to Beaver Pond Overlook. It was a short hike on a paved trail. Not surprisingly, the path lead to a Beaver Pond. We did not see any beavers, but from what we read about their work, they were somewhere nearby.
Most of the vehicles we saw at Voyageurs National Park were trucks towing boat trailers. At the rangers station, they had special parking lots designed for truck and trailer parking. There was lots of docking space. They even have signs at the end of the docks showing the boats they have entered the park. We did not feel out of place at the park, but this is definitely a place to enjoy from a boat.
We had a great day at Voyageurs National Park.
We saw both fauna and flora today. There were lots of flowers and even a large number of butterflies. In case you did not know, it is hard to get a picture of a butterfly. They do not hold still very long.
