Moose Cabin at Wilderness Wind near Armstrong Lake near Ely, MN

Wilderness Wind is owned and operated by Chicago Voyagers, a nonprofit that provides outdoor active experiences to urban youth that would not otherwise have access to such opportunities. Youth participate in biking, hiking, rock climbing, camping, and river and lake canoe paddling trips. Included are trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that include wilderness canoeing, portaging, outdoor meal preparation, camping, navigation, and appreciation of the unique habitats of the BWCAW. Kids develop self confidence and are specifically taught leadership and teamwork skills. Your stay at our beautiful cabin helps support these programs for Chicago Voyagers kids! Thanks!

Staying at our rustic cabins offers guests a chance to experience the same flora and fauna of the Boundary Waters that the youth participants experience but with the comfort of comfortable beds, kitchens, and nearby hot showers and toilets in the bath house. Guests can paddle canoes on the lake and enjoy a campfire, hear the call of loons, enjoy sunsets over the water, and in doing so, feel a little closer to our natural world.

One of the greatest things about Wilderness Wind is the peace and quiet of the local environment. People come to Wilderness Wind to get away from the noise of the city and to be close to nature.

Rustic log cabins, secluded site, proximity to Lake Armstrong shoreline, lake access for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, proximity to BWCAW and Mesabi Trail, sunset views, naturalistic landscaping, quiet respite to connect with nature.


From a recently published book by our neighbor to the north of us, David Okerlund:

“What makes our refuge so special is its solitude. At night the sky is crystal clear, and the only sounds you may hear is the crackle of your fire, an occasional forlorn call from a loon to its mate, and an even more entrancing high pitched wail of a grey wolf. Each sound we consider to be a priceless experience”.

We agree completely with David and others who have worked hard to build a quiet community here on Lake Armstrong. We would like everyone who visits us to experience this slice of solitude too.

Therefore, we ask that you do your part to keep Wilderness Wind quiet. Don’t bring your jetski or your bass boat with 300 hp engine. A small engine on your fishing boat is of course fine. Kids should make noise (or they wouldn’t be kids!) so we’re not trying to stifle fun but we do want everyone to respect the quiet that emerges at the end of every day for all to enjoy.