Burntside Lake
Homes & cabins for sale
Over 100 islands, 20-foot clarity, and a shoreline hemmed in by the Boundary Waters and Superior National Forest. Private lakeshore here cannot expand. Get matched with an agent who knows it.
About Burntside Lake
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Life on Burntside Lake
Burntside Lake near Ely in St. Louis County is one of Minnesota's clearest lakes — rocky, island-studded, and rimmed by pine on the edge of the Boundary Waters. It is the lake of Sigurd Olson's Listening Point, with a wilderness character that draws paddlers and purists.
The market is legacy cabins and a small number of premier properties; water clarity, rock-and-pine frontage, and BWCA proximity make it irreplaceable and tightly held.
What makes Burntside Lake distinct
- Borders the BWCAW and is surrounded by Superior National Forest and Burntside State Forest
- 100+ islands, roughly 28 named — the defining feature of the lake
- Two islands (Snellman and Pine) are Scientific and Natural Areas; Long Island was acquired for conservation by the Trust for Public Land
- Lake trout fishery at 126 feet deep with 20-foot clarity
- Historic Burntside Lodge (1913) and Camp Van Vac (1918), both still operating
Featured Burntside Lake businesses
Resorts, marinas, dock builders, and lake-area pros our community relies on.
What the seasons bring on Burntside Lake
Summer is paddling, lake trout, and swimming in cold, clear water. Fall is quiet and spectacular along the pine shore.
Winter is deep north-woods cold — skiing, ice fishing, and snowmobiling out of Ely — with a late ice-out.
The Burntside Lake real estate picture
Typical property types: Estate homes, island properties, cabins on wooded lots, and historic resort property. Listings observed have ranged from roughly $710K for a waterfront home to $1.5–2.45M for island estates.
What drives price here: Island versus mainland, road access, dock protection from the rocky shoals, and elevation. As on Kabetogama, the fixed supply of buildable private shoreline is itself a price factor.
The supply story is the real one. National Forest and BWCAW land permanently caps private shoreline on Burntside — the inventory cannot grow. Combined with 20-foot clarity and a lake trout fishery, that's a genuinely defensible scarcity argument, and it's the thing a good agent leads with here.
Burntside Lake by the numbers
Source: Minnesota DNR · view surveyHomes for sale on Burntside Lake
Common questions about Burntside Lake
How big is Burntside Lake?
Roughly 7,139–7,314 acres depending on the source, with about 103 miles of shoreline and more than 100 islands.
How deep and how clear is it?
Maximum depth is 126 feet, and a 2003 reading recorded clarity at 20.7 feet. Average depth isn't published.
What fish are in Burntside?
Lake trout is the signature species — unusual in Minnesota — alongside walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, burbot, whitefish, crappie and perch.
Can you build on Burntside?
Only on existing private parcels. Superior National Forest, Burntside State Forest and the BWCAW surround the lake, so private shoreline is fixed and cannot expand.
Are there islands for sale?
Occasionally. More than 100 islands sit in the lake and some are privately held, though two (Snellman and Pine) are Scientific and Natural Areas and Long Island is conserved.
How is public access?
Five public boat landings, two of which charge a fee. Landing #1 is gravel with no dock and no trailer access — worth knowing before you plan around it.
How far is Ely?
Three miles. Ely is about two hours from Duluth and roughly four from the Twin Cities.
How do I see new listings?
Use the form on this page, or get matched with a local agent who can send them the day they hit MLS.
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