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Amenities & Activities

Things to bring to Camp

Camp's cabins provide electricity, a refrigerator, gas stove for cooking and a wood stove for heat. You'll find: bedding, wood for the stove, pots, pans, silver and dishes.

You need to bring:

  • Bath and kitchen towels; dish washing stuff
  • Flashlights
  • If you plan to bathe in the lake, please bring all biodegradable soaps and other products.

Some people like to bring:

  • Extra pillows
  • Outside chairs
  • Clock and radio

Fishing at Camp Van Vac

It's time to come to Camp and rent a boat and motor for the day ($60 plus gas) or our new pontoon, which seats 12 ($45 an hour or $300 a day), to get out on the lake. Canoes and kayaks are also available. P.S.: We don't allow dogs on the pontoon.

Get your tackle ready and come fishing with us!

Complimentary WiFi

Camp's WiFi capability has its own log cabin just across the road from the lodge. Get the password from Nancy, sit on the bench to check your e-mail on your laptop, or use the desk and outlets inside. But don't tarry. Wouldn't you rather be canoeing?

Boat Rentals

Note: A day is 8 AM to dusk. A half day is 4 hours.

ItemDaily Rate
Canoe rental
$15/day or half day at half price
Kayaks (single and tandem)
$12 a day or half day at half price
Boat rental, 14- or 16-foot Lund and 15 hp Johnson motor (gas is extra)
$60/day or half day at half price
Pontoon rental (gas is extra, no dogs allowed)
$60/hour or $300/day, plus gas. Rental by day or hour only
Docking fee for privately owned motor boats
boat $10/day or pontoon $20/day

Attractions

In Ely, you can learn about wolves while watching a live pack. Browse through the outfitters, nibble a luscious caramel roll, and discover shops known for fine crafts and north country art. A day's adventure nearby might include a scenic flight in a pontoon plane, a hike to an abandoned wolf den, golf, tennis, or an underground iron mine tour.

  • International Wolf Center: see its live wolf cams. Visit and watch a pack of resident wolves, then tour the award-winning Wolves and Humans exhibit, Little Wolf children's activity room, and the Wolf Den store.
  • DNR Fish information: see details from an unimpeachable source about Lake Burntside fish.
  • North American Bear Center: learn from the resident bears about their behaviors, ecology and how bears relate to humans..
  • Ely: explore the town with unique shops, tasty restaurants and nature centers to meet wolves and bears.
  • Weather: current information.

Down to the Water's Edge

Our sandy beach makes swimming in Burntside's clear, cool water a treat. Bring your own watercraft or rent an aluminum fishing boat and motor, canoe or kayak to explore the nine miles of waterway dotted with 100 rugged and forested islands. Anglers catch small mouth bass, northern pike, walleye, crappie, and lake trout in Burntside and neighboring lakes.

Hiking trails, picnic spots, berry patches, Sigurd Olsen's Listening Point, and a portage trip to ancient Indian pictographs will lure you onto the lake and into Superior National Forest. On any outing, guests commonly spot loons, white-tailed deer, beaver, otter, black bear, fox, moose, egrets, osprey, or bald eagles

The Camp Van Vac Sauna

sauna3.jpgCamp's communal sauna is hot and steamy for you on scheduled evenings. Plan 7-9 pm for mostly young folks and 9-11 pm, a bit quieter, for mostly adults. Then make a run for it and take a dive into Burntside to close those pores and cool down. It's a perfect end to a summer day.