From the Press

We are proud to have been included
in the following publications:

As seen in Midwest Living Magazine. . .

"Who's on your list? Adventurers, romantics, sports lovers? No matter what personality types you're shopping for, experiences make the best presents of all. We've tracked down great getaways tied up in neat packages in all price ranges. They're great for giving throughout the year."

"SURPRISE PACKAGES"

"Into the wilderness
AS I DIPPED MY PADDLE into Lake One and our canoe lifted free of the sand, the unnerving realization sank in that I was headed into the unforgiving ruggedness of Minnesota's Boundary Waters, and my partner, my 12-year-old daughter, already had stopped paddling to look for fish. My sister and her son were paddling like contestants on The Amazing Race. My wife and my other daughter had stopped to fix their hats. Nature, I hoped, would be kind to us.

Fortunately, we had help. Ely-based River Point Resort outfitters designed this "Taste of the North Wood" two-day, one-night trip to ensure novices like us have a good first experience here. The staff gave us canoe lessions, packed our gear and food and drove us to the launch point. They salved our fears about bears and getting lost, although they did suggest we stick to Lake One, avoiding portages and the more remote tangle of lakes.

The advice was good. Even though we had a map and compass, the shorelines massed with pine trees and boulders created a disorienting flow of islands, points and inlets. Finding a campsite (marked only by a metal grate) was not easy. Eventually, we found one about three miles from where we put in (five miles, adding wrong turns and circles). We gathered wood, started a fire, pitched tents on hard ground and boiled lake water to cook chicken, mashed potatoes and even lemon pie (which was delicous). Our muscles ached, we were dirty, there was only lake water to drink, and there was nowhere soft to sit, yet a singular contentment settled over the camp. This wilderness was our wilderness, it seemed, reachable only through self-reliance (and a good outfitter). The following morning, we sat on sun-baked rocks at the edge of the gently lapping lake, watching the stillness and listening to the sound of peace.

There was no rush to leave. We felt as if we had discovered a new world. We had, in fact, discovered two: the wilderness around us, and one within."

Written by Greg Philby

"Trip guide
INTO THE WILDERNESS The National Forest Service requires permits to enter the Boundary Waters; limit nine people per permit. River Point Resort & Outfitting Company will customize your travel package, depending on your skill level and your choice of options, such as menu items, sizes and types of canoes and tents, sleeping bags, etc. You may even have a guide accompany you on the trip, if desired. Basic "Taste of the North Woods" one-night package for six (as described in story) is about $595 with an extended stay at the resort."

Refer to the "Taste of the North Woods" package for more information about enhancing your River Point Resort stay with an overnight BWCA canoe trip.

Refer to River Point Outfitting Co. for all other canoe trip packages and information.

View the magazine article here!

Travel + Leisure, July 2003

Make a Splash-
"A great way to quench that thirst" for the wilderness river travel experience, "Canoeing Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area [with] River Point Outfitting Co...covers 1200 miles of canoeing trails leading to centuries-old cliff painting and lakes where loon calls echo."

Good Housekeeping Magazine, May 2003

"Pack Your Bags, Best Vacation Bargains for Family Fun... Canoeing"

"Why try it? You're craving a more sedate river vacation!"

"Where to stay? In Minnesota, paddle Birch Lake's wilderness or the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A three-day [River Point Outfitting Co.] canoe trip for a family of four, including meals, starts at $605."

Men's Journal Magazine, 5/2004
Ely named one of ten 'Dream Towns':

"You may feel out of place in Ely if you don't have a 16-foot, scratched-to-hell Old Town canoe strapped to your roof rack. Unless you're a fisherman, that is. Ely (pop. 3,724) is located 35 miles from the Ontario border at the gateway to the legendary Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a million-acre maze of lakes and boreal forest with 1,500 miles of canoe trails and endless runs of small-mouth bass, walleye and pike."

Germany's Lufthansa Magazine, 9/2000

"[For] spur-of-the-moment (canoe) trips...try River Point Resort & Outfitting Co.  The resort is located on Birch lake not far from Ely (Minnesota). The lake is not actually part of the national park (BWCA), but as it is directly linked to it, it is a good place to to set out..."

Midwest Living,
August 2000

Northern Havens-
"...For more remote retreats, including River Point Resort & Outfitting Co., all you see is woods and water."

The BOUNDARY WATERS JOURNAL, Fall 2003
River Point Resort: Superior Resort Vacations
A Cabin On The Edge (by Robert Beymer)

"If you love the Boundary Waters, but camping doesn't have the same appeal, you're in luck. You don't have to sleep in a tent and bathe with cold water to enjoy the BWCA Wilderness. [River Point Resort] is located 8 ½ miles southeast of Ely via Highway 1 on a beautiful lakeside setting close to the Boundary Waters. You can explore the wilderness lakes and streams by day and return to a hot shower or soothing sauna before retiring for the night on a soft bed.

"Owned and operated by Steve and Jane Koschak, it is the only resort and canoe outfitting base at the north end of 20-mile-long Birch Lake. Thirteen housekeeping vacation homes and villas are spaced privately along the 4, 200 feet of scenic shoreline. Rates start as low as $95 per night ($480/week) for two people in a Vacation Home in May (a great time for BWCAW day trips) and extend up to $340 per night ($2,045/week) for four people in a Luxury Home in July or August.

"The experienced staff at River Point Outfitting Co. can provide you with everything you'll need for a trip into the wilderness. Two good day trips start with a shuttle to nearby entry points, and River Point will transport you there. At the Filson Creek parking lot, 7 ½ miles from the resort, enter the Boundary Waters on a 140-rod portage to the South Kawishiwi River. The seven-mile journey back to the resort is all downstream. But, don't rush back; this is a lovely stretch of the river. Take time to explore the rocky, pine-covered shoreline from the portage to the first small rapids two miles upstream. You'll see several fine campsites on rock outcroppings that could host your shore lunch. There are four short portages along the trip back to River Point. None is difficult and the longest measures only 62 rods...

"The other day trip starts at the Little Gabbro Lake entry point, 1.7 miles farther up the Spruce Road from Filson Creek..."

Boundary Waters Journal Magazine, Summer, 1999

"Location, location, location...River Point is located on Birch Lake at the bend where the South Kawishiwi River enters the lake...Much of 6000 acre Birch Lake is within the Superior National Forest, and the Kawishiwi River flows into the BWCAW...With easy access to fishing on the lake and a water highway into the wilderness, River Point seems a practical location..."

"...Steve's experience and knowledge of the wilderness extends to the entire BWCAW. Guests who want to take a trip can draw on Steve's expertise and outfit their trip through the River Point Outfitting Co. Like their resort operation, the Koschaks emphasize personal attention to detail in their outfitting. Top of the line equipment is offered, 'and we don't give second rate equipment to nonprofits,' Jane said. Canoe parties outfitted by River Point can stay overnight at the tent camp or bunkhouse and take part in the resort's programs. We want trippers to have full use of the resort and programs, Jane said, to 'become part of our River Point family rather than here's your gear, goodbye.' "

Minnesota Sportsman, June 1999

Northern Minnesota's Top Pike Lakes-
Birch Lake: "a serpentine body of water where the Kawishiwi and Birch Rivers meet. Trolling crankbaits and spinnerbaits, tossing the same lures to the weedbeds and fishing weedless spoons are all effective on the lake."

Minneapolis Star and Tribune, May, 1999

Birch Lake listed as one of the top two walleye lakes in the state. Birch Lake, led the list of Minnesota's "Deadly Dozen" walleye lakes. The annual listing of the the twelve top walleye lakes in the state is largely based on the DNR's fish population surveys, done mostly through test netting.  Joe Geis, manager of the MN Dept. of Natural Resources' Ely fisheries division, said he recommended Birch Lake for the list, which is put together annually by Star Tribune "Outdoors" editor Ron Schara.

Midwest Living Magazine, June 1998

River Point Resort & Outfitting Co.: One of the premier "Editor's Choice Getaway" selected from 12 midwest states by top staff travel writers.

"...On a wooded point, where the wild Kawishiwi River meets Birch Lake(about 120 miles north of Duluth), River Point's only neighbors are evergreens along the long shoreline, which borders the Boundary Waters Canoe Area."

Midwest Living Magazine, April, 1998

Easy-Does-It Family Adventures-
"Near Ely, River Point Resort also hosts Boundary Waters outings. A 3-day guided trip starts at $1,015 for a family of four, including gear and food, unguided trips with gear and food from $565."

[see Family Super Saver Package for 2003 rates]