Please note, due to Covid-19 public health and safety guidelines, we are unable to accommodate walk-in shopping, touring or access to our nature trail, nor are we able to offer guided Museum tours or programs. [More information]
(Click “Get Admission” to see availability or make a reservation)
Interpretive Center & Gift Shop
Reservations are required for tours and shopping in the Gift Shop due to a limit of 10 people at one time on-site. Restroom on-site.
Guided Tours
Dorothy’s Winter Cabin
As you continue into her kitchen and dining area, imagine stoking the wood stove, entertaining visitors with piping hot coffee, and crafting her famous Christmas ornaments by lamplight. This cabin features personal items, memorabilia and clothing of Dorothy’s as well as pictures of Dorothy with friends, family and visitors to Knife Lake.
Point Cabin Exhibit – Dorothy Molter: Living in the Boundary Waters
Funding for the exhibit was provided through a grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), as well as through generous private donations.
Cady Cabin – Creating the Boundary Waters: 25 Objects, 25 Stories Exhibit
Funding for the exhibit was provided through a grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), as well as through generous private donations.
Birds’ Landing at Dorothy’s – Available year-round
Bird-watching is a fascinating hobby. There is always something new to see and something new to learn, and never a dull moment. I don’t envy city dwellers who miss all this.
A remarkable assortment of birds visited the feeders around Dorothy’s home on Knife Lake, and she easily went through 1,000 pounds of seed each season. Dorothy particularly enjoyed sharing her passion for birds with the many people that visited her.
With its location between the tall red pines of the Jon Rozman Memorial Forest and the meadow-like environment of the Ely Cemetery, the Museum is ideally situated to attract a wide range of birds throughout the year.
The museum also offers a selection of field guides for on-site reference and a free, take-home brochure featuring bird food recipes.
Dorothy’s Discovery Trail
A nature guide is available free of charge, which provides information about the coniferous biome of the Northwoods by pointing out specific features of the landscape along the trail. Pick up the trail guide on the north side of the Interpretive Center, next to the door.
Dorothy’s Discovery Trail Backpack is also available for use by pre-arrangement during your tour and includes a variety of field guides, tools and suggested activities to help you learn more about the natural world.
The trail is on natural soil with some rocks and roots exposed. Pets are welcome if leashed, well-behaved and deposits are picked up.
Off-site Exhibit
Dorothy Molter’s life in what is now the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is highlighted in this kiosk located inside the U.S. Forest Service Kawishiwi Ranger Station’s Northwoods history and ecology exhibit. This exhibit is free and offers a wide range of Superior National Forest/BWCAW information with staff available to answer questions about this unique area of the country.
Located just east of the Dorothy Molter Museum, across the street from the International Wolf Center, in a gorgeous LEED building.
*Please check with the USFS for public hours/availability.