Located in the Superior National Forest, 80 miles from Duluth, Minnesota and is six miles from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area BWCA, one of the largest wilderness areas in the United States. Ely, Minnesota offers some of the best bass-fishing, walleye or lake trout fishing in the Midwest, and in the winter, experience ice-fishing, skiing and snowmobiling at its best. The Budget Host Motel Ely.