July 28, 2026
Family, Friends, Guests,
We are so pleased to be reopening for guests this coming Saturday, August 1st!
Fire crews in the area have made positive progress, and the Camp Fire near Winton and the Fernberg Road is now 46% contained. The Fernberg Corridor is open again, and properties in this proximity have been dialed back to a “SET” evacuation status. We have been allowed to safely return to the Wilderness Bay property and may operate the resort business. Things are stable and we are safe at Wilderness Bay. However, we must comply with certain restrictions from Lake County and the US Forest Service.
- The Public Landing/Access is closed; guests may not bring their own boats.
- Boats are only allowed on the south end of Snowbank outside of the Boundary Waters (as the BWCA is still partially closed).
- There is a forest wide fire ban in place: This Order restricts the ignition, building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire, including charcoal grills and barbeques, coal, and woodburning stoves to reduce the likelihood of a wildfire within the Superior National Forest
- We are currently still under a SET evacuation status. Guests must be prepared to evacuate immediately if the status changes from SET to GO. (We are hopeful that this status could be dialed back even further by Saturday.)
Finally, air quality and smoke are a potential issue. We have been fortunate to have had decent air quality the last several days. We recommend that you check the link below for air quality forecasts, and consider bringing an air purifier to run in your cabin.
AirNow: https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Ely&state=MN&country=USA
Snowbank is still safe, peaceful and beautiful. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to Wilderness Bay especially during this weird and wild time!
We send additional updates as things change but for now, please let us know if you have any questions.
Warmly,
Sue, Jay and Kaley
Wilderness Bay Lodge 