Recommended Packing List
- We supply salt & pepper. Bring along everything else, e.g. creamer, sugar, hot sauce, syrup, coffee.
- We supply drinking water out of a cooler. Bring along anything else you’d like to drink, e.g. coffee, water/soda plastic bottles. Coffee is not provided.
- Bath/dish water. We start your stay off with water pulled from the lake and supplies for you to replenish your water as needed during your stay. You must be prepared to retrieve 5-gallon buckets of water from the lake, using a sled or wheelbarrow.
- Supplies and Clothing. We supply pillows, shampoo/bath and dish soap, a first aid kit, garbage bags, dish linens, cooking/eating utensils and two small throws. Here’s what you need to bring:
- Bedding — pillow cases and sleeping bags or sheets/blankets
- Paper plates if you’d prefer to minimize dishwashing
- Bath towels
- Paper towels
- Bug spray – It is buggy, especially June-July! We recommend Repel 100 Insect Repellent.
- Mosquito Head net for those with low tolerance — consider we recommend this one.
- Charcoal if you’d like to grill
- Sunscreen (regardless of season)
- Thermal underwear for fall-spring
- Rain or snow/ ski gear
- Hiking, Water and/or Snow boots.
- Snowshoes are highly recommended in the winter. Bring your own or rent a pair at Piragis (skis are also available).
- A ‘buff’ or two, regardless of season. We recommend light colors – here are some options.
- Long pants and hoodies when walking through the woods for May – July (recommend light colors)
- A head lamp or flashlight for each person to navigate to the sauna, fire pit and outhouse (or for night-time snow shoeing/adventures).
- Tupperware/storage bags and/or aluminum foil or plastic wrap
SPECIAL NOTICES:
- Avoiding glass bottles/ware is strongly advised. Many things that are not typically available in a box or a plastic bottle are available in Ely given it is the doorway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area where glass is prohibited, e.g. wine in a box, beer in a plastic bottle or can.
- Consolidate your gear/ food! We are portaging across water/ice and through the woods and multiple, small bags are strongly discouraged.
- Pack your goggles/sunglasses for the winter visit to protect your eyes from wind/snow/branches on the way to/from the parking lot.
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**For Wintergreen visits in the summer/fall, we highly encourage guests to pack “like a backpacking trip.” It is a one-mile hike in on a backwoods “portage trail.” While we do have a stove top, a cooler and camp grill, keeping foods that need to be cool/cold is challenging. Not to mention, bears have a keen sense of smell. Rain barrels are used to collect water and summer/fall visitors must heat the water before drinking.
