Kentucky father and son rescued from Lac La Croix in the BWCAW north of Ely

A father and son from Kentucky were rescued from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness north of Ely, Minn., on Friday after the father sustained a back injury.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office received a distress signal on Friday, May 29, at 9:55 a.m., from the 59-year-old father and 17-year-old son who were camping on the southern edge of Lac La Croix. The nearly 30,000-acre lake sits along the border between the U.S. and Canada. Nearly 14,000 acres are within the U.S.  The large lake is approximately 31 miles north of Ely.

Given the remote location, law enforcement contacted the U.S. Forest Service, which assisted in the rescue. The father and son were extracted and flown to the U.S. Forest Service seaplane base in Ely. The father was then taken by ambulance to the Ely Hospital and treated for his injury, then later released.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, the U.S. Forest Service, the Ely Ambulance Service, and a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer.

Kalli Hawkins June 1, 2026