Despite a slow start, the season ended strongly

Seth Roeser

REGIONAL: The region’s summer tourism season appears to have largely recovered from its slow start this year, as cool and cloudy conditions in May and torrential rains in mid-June kept visitors away for a while.
“The rain certainly didn’t help and it felt like winter had followed us into summer,” said Eva Sebesta, executive director of the Ely Chamber of Commerce.
The sunnier and warmer weather in July and August certainly helped businesses recover from a number of challenges earlier in the season.
The town of Tower’s Hoodoo Point Campground, for example, suffered significant ice damage this spring. High water levels during a record-breaking mild winter left the ice much higher than usual. When strong winds broke up the winter ice in April, the ice floes were pushed far inshore, tearing up the campground’s beach and destroying benches. Torrential rains in June caused flooding and raised the lake’s water level to dangerous levels, leaving a significant amount of floating debris, mostly from docks, on the lake.
The lake’s water level has now dropped, repairs have been made and the return of more summery weather has attracted hordes of campers. The campsite’s 100 pitches have been fully booked for weeks now and are full until the end of the season.
“The beach looks really nice now,” said Julie Kranz, the campground manager. “And we have new grass everywhere.”
According to Susie Chiabotti, manager of McKinley Park Campground, campground rents have also increased this summer, and campers are currently enjoying plenty of walleye and bass bites on Vermilion.
But not everyone comes to fish these days. Chiabotti said the campground has also seen an increase in the number of guests using the area’s bike and ATV trails.
Dan Johnson, owner of the Paddle Inn Motel in Ely, said his guest numbers in May, July and August were up overall from last year, while June was weaker. Wende Nelson, owner of Raven’s Wing Bed and Breakfast, also based in Ely and new to the hotel industry, said it was “pretty busy,” with a slower start in May and early June but steady reservations in July, August and into September.
Orlyn Kringstad, owner of the Marjo Motel in Tower, reported a quiet spring that was gradually picking up steam until the area was hit by torrential rains on June 18. Kringstad saw a spike in cancellations that week, but said the lost reservations were largely made up for by an increase in walk-in guests.
These reports from area businesses largely align with the Ely Visitor Center’s visitor numbers for the season. The visitor center counts every person who enters the building, and while the numbers aren’t a one-to-one representation of the area’s business traffic, they do provide insight into which months were more popular with tourists and can also be compared to last year’s count.
May 2024 saw a slight increase in visitor numbers compared to the previous year, at 558 (503), while June saw fewer visitors than in 2023. However, July made up for June’s lull in a big way, with numbers rising from 1,047 visitors last month to 2,512 visitors this year. Visitor numbers for August 2024 were not available at the time of publication.
While the better weather has benefited most businesses, that’s not the case for all. Jess Edberg, executive director of the Dorothy Molter Museum, said most businesses have more customers when the weather is nicer, but the Root Beer Lady’s home tends to have more visitors on cloudy days.
“When it rains, we actually have more to do,” Edberg said. Edberg said museum visits have been stable but more spread out this year compared to 2023, although there were slightly fewer visits in June and July than last year.
“The weather was much better in July, but there were a lot of insects. When it’s hot and humid, people want to go to the lake.”
The Dorothy Molter Museum has a unique feature that makes it a tourist oddity in the area. Jess Edberg, executive director of the museum, shared that most businesses get more traffic when the weather is nicer, but the Root Beer Lady’s house tends to get more visitors on cloudy days.
“We actually have more to do when it rains,” said Edberg. “The weather was much better in July, but there were a lot of insects. When it’s hot and humid, people want to go to the lake.”