Sean Leary and his wife Jill opened North of North Wilderness Resort and Outfitters this summer. It is located on the east end of Birch Lake in Ely, Minnesota. All grounds and cabins are accessible for those with disabilities including a 425' boardwalk to the lake providing a wilderness experience unlike any other in the northland.
Background: Sean and Jill are avid outdoor adventurers and have backgrounds as canoe guides in the wilderness. In 2001 Sean had a car accident requiring him to use a wheelchair. They wanted to continue their love of the outdoors lifestyle to share with their young family as well as others who are disabled.
Sean's background and 'day job' is as an environmental consultant working in development. A great fit for their dream resort. They built the resort from a raw piece of land that was not developed. The contractor who helped in the development said it was the most difficult development he had been involved in.
They are grateful for grants and funding obtained from the state, IRRRB and Save the Boundary Waters along with their own investment in the property to make their dream come true. Many local resources were involved in the development and build of the cabins and property.
There is an adaptive kayak launch system and adaptive boats that allow a wheelchair bound person to launch themselves. Interactive programming is large part of the experience offered. For example, they are doing a fall wild rice harvest. They have plans for dog sledding in the winter and guided fishing trips in the summer.
People with or without disabilities are able to rent cabins. All three cabins are accessible, and sleep up to eight people available year round. They are modern, simply designed, with big windows and wide open views, accessible and nestled in the resort area to maintain the wilderness feel of the experience.
The cabins are dedicated to:
Kawishiwi - After native folks, the indigenous many who were consulted during the build.
Pioneer - Named for miners and foresters, European settlers
Steward - for the Wilderness Preservation Act
Most impressive is the 425' boardwalk to the lake. It is a wilderness experience in an of itself. Sean boasts of dark skies to offer a quiet, dark starry night venture.
Sean and Jill live in the Twin Cities area with their children. There is a local property manager on site who runs the resort. They encourage locals to try out the experience and offer a local discount when booking.
Sean and Jill have also developed a non-profit organization, Adaptive Wilderness Within Reach - AWWR - (How does a wolf sound?) The non-profit was awarded a grant from the Dept. of Human Services to provide year-round programming and purchase adaptive equipment for participant use for the next two years.
How to learn more about North of North Resort and the non-profit partner of AWWR.
Contact the resort for a tour or reservation at:
Go to the AWWR website for more information on adaptive resources offered or to make a donation at
https://www.awwr.org/.
Thank you to Sean, Jill, their family, friends and the development crew for a unique and accessible wilderness experience in the Ely area.
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