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SEAN AND JILL LEARY want you to know that the newly opened North of North Resort & Outfitters offers a true northwoods experience for everyone, including people with physical disabilities.
Their three-unit property sits on 11 acres with over 1000’ of lake front on Birch Lake. Although it’s only about 15 minutes from Ely proper, you'd never guess it from the miles of natural, unoccupied shoreline abutting Superior National Forest and, just beyond, the Boundary Waters.
Besides the stunningly peaceful setting, what sets this resort apart is its universal design. Each of the three cabins sleeps up to eight with main floor living, kitchen, bedroom and bath that are fully accessible for guests using wheelchairs, walkers, etc. An accessible boardwalk leads visitors to dock and lake access. All trails accommodate wheelchairs, too.
The couple emphasizes, though, that North of North isn’t only for people with disabilities.
“Universal design means it works for parents with young children in strollers, grandparents, people of any age with or without adaptive equipment,” said Sean, who has been wheelchair-bound since a car accident at age 18.
Both Jill, a teacher, and Sean, an environmental consultant, are avid, lifelong outdoors adventurers, a love they’re passing on to their two children. It was during a trip to Montana that the couple began to think seriously about how to bring wilderness access to more folks back home in Minnesota.
They found totally undeveloped lakeside acreage in 2021, but the price seemed out of reach. Undeterred, they wrote a “love letter” to the seller that moved her to work with them. Still, acquiring the land was just the first step.
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