Looking for the ultimate pandemic-era getaway home safe and secluded, with no need for masks or social distancing? Theres a private island with a rustic log cabin in northern Minnesota thats now on the market for $399,000.<\/p>\n
The 2.5-acre island on Farm Lake is on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Accessible only by boat, the island comes with a small parcel of land on the mainland, with a boat lift and dock, where you can park your vehicle, then boat to the island.<\/p>\n
You can be from the car to the island in less than five minutes, said co-owner Marcus Andrusko.<\/p>\n
The island, with 2,320 feet of shoreline and covered with towering pines, birches, maples and evergreens, is a natural playground for kids, said Andrusko, who, with his wife, Abby, has four.<\/p>\n
The good thing about an island is you can release the kids and its safe theyre not going far, Marcus said. Theres also a second, smaller play island a wade away through a shallow channel.<\/p>\n
Marcus has deep roots in Minnesotas northern wilderness. My family used to own a resort in that area, he said. I was taken to the BWCA as a 9-month-old baby, and I havent missed a summer yet.<\/p>\n
After the resort was taken by the government under eminent domain and made part of the BWCA, the family learned to camp, Marcus said. He eventually started a camp for at-risk youth, taking them into the Boundary Waters, which he ran for 15 years.<\/p>\n
We still wanted a place to go our own cabin, he said. He discovered the private island while snowshoeing, looked up the owner and asked if he was interested in selling. He was.<\/p>\n
The 546-square-foot log cabin was originally built somewhere else, then reassembled on the island in 1983. It has a main living\/dining area with a small kitchen and a wood-burning stove.<\/p>\n
Its very cozy, said Abby. There are also two bedrooms. The lone bathroom is an outhouse but its a fancy one, with electricity and a bay window.<\/p>\n
Theres also a sauna\/bunkhouse on the island, as well as an outdoor shower with hot water. All together, the island can sleep up to eight indoors, plus theres a campsite for tents.<\/p>\n
When theyre on the island, the Andruskos spend most of their time enjoying the outdoors kayaking, canoeing, swimming and fishing. Theyre only a short paddle into the BWCA, just minutes from two entry points.<\/p>\n
Farm Lake is a good fishing lake, filled with walleye, northerns, crappies and other species, said Marcus. Its also a good swimming lake, with warm water, added Abby.<\/p>\n
They also enjoy beautiful sunsets from their west-facing cabin.<\/p>\n
The island is about 250 miles north of the Twin Cities, a four-to-five-hour drive. The town of Ely is a 10-minute drive away.<\/p>\n
Since buying the property five years ago, the Andruskos have put a metal roof on the cabin and added tongue-and-groove siding inside.<\/p>\n
Theyre selling the island and cabin, fully furnished, now only because they co-own it with another family that is relocating to Michigan and wants to sell, said Marcus. We love the place.<\/p>\n
Abby Andrusko, 612-581-7787, Keller Williams, has the listing.<\/p>\n
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Private island with log cabin on edge of the BWCA can be yours for $399K - Minneapolis Star Tribune<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Looking for the ultimate pandemic-era getaway home safe and secluded, with no need for masks or social distancing? Continue reading