Ballard's Resort vs Zippel Bay Resort

Lowest price on record

• Ballard's Resort:$200 per cabin, 1 night!Assumption
• Zippel Bay Resort:$205 per person, 2 nights!Assumption

The figures above are quoted on different bases (per cabin and per person), so they are not on the same scale and must not be read as one being cheaper than the other. What a cabin or group rate means for your crew depends on how many of you there are and what the occupancy cap is, which is what the true trip cost calculator resolves.

Each figure is the lowest price we hold for that lodge across all of its packages, not a quote for a specific trip. Nights, party size, meals and what is bundled differ underneath it — the true trip cost calculator is where those become one number.

Where they differ

We hold a value for both lodges on each of these, and the two values aren’t the same.

• Plan types offeredFit

  • Ballard's Resort:Modified American Plan, Housekeeping✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Housekeeping✓Confirmed

• Lowest published pricePrice

  • Ballard's Resort:$200 per cabin, 1 night!Assumption
  • Zippel Bay Resort:$205 per person, 2 nights!Assumption

• Party rulesParty rules and occupancy

  • Ballard's Resort:Maximum occupancy per guide boat; Children 12 and under: 20% discount on regular packages; Maximum occupancy✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:4-person minimum (2-3BR); no pets✓Confirmed

• Tax included in priceTerms

  • Ballard's Resort:Varies by package — 2 Nights / 2 Days Guided Fishing Package: yes · 3 Nights / 2 Days Guided Fishing Package: yes · 4 Nights / 3 Days Guided Fishing Package: yes · 5 Nights / 4 Days Guided Fishing Package: yes · Housekeeping Cabin - 1 Bedroom: not stated · Housekeeping Cabin - 2 Bedroom: not stated · Housekeeping Cabin - 3 Bedroom: not stated
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Varies by package — Deluxe Log Cabin, Summer Charter Package, 3 nights: not stated · Housekeeping Cabin, Walleye/Sauger/Northern Angling, 4 nights: no · Sleeper Ice House, per person, 1.5 days: no

Recorded for only one of them

We hold a value for one lodge here and nothing for the other. That is a gap in our record, not a finding about the quiet lodge — it may well offer the same thing without saying so on its rate page. Treat every line here as a question, not an answer.

• Access methodFit

  • Ballard's Resort:Drive-in✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Access method unknown?Unknown

• Bait, meals (optional add-on)Included

  • Ballard's Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Extra cost (priced separately)✓Confirmed

• Cabin amenitiesIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Included — Kitchen, A/C, TV, daily maid service, grills, linens, towels, appliances✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown

• Dock slipIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Extra cost — Additional $17/night✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown

• Fishing equipment and baitIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Included — Equipment, bait, ice, fish processing included✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown

• Fishing guide serviceIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Extra cost — À la carte: $1,200/8hr boat (up to 6), $750/5hr, $220/person/8hr individual✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown

• Fuel surchargeIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Extra cost — Possible if gas rises 15%+ above rate-setting price✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown

• Full kitchen, microwave, linens, fireplace, A/C, deck, satellite TV, watersideIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Included✓Confirmed

• Guide serviceIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Included — U.S. Coast Guard licensed guide; up to 6 people per boat✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown

• Kids 12 and under free; 7th night free on weekly ratesIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Included✓Confirmed

• Lodging amenitiesIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Included — Kitchen, A/C, TV, daily maid service, grills, linens, towels, appliances✓Confirmed
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown

• Sleeper ice house, 2/4/6-man optionsIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Included✓Confirmed

• Stainless kitchen, jacuzzi, fireplace, A/C, 2-day charter, canoes/kayaks/dockIncluded

  • Ballard's Resort:Not stated for this property?Unknown
  • Zippel Bay Resort:Included✓Confirmed

What to ask on the phone

These are the rows we couldn’t answer for each lodge — the questions worth asking before you book. If you get an answer, send it to us with the source. We check it against that source before it goes on the lodge’s page.

Keep going

• Everything we hold on Ballard's Resort
• Everything we hold on Zippel Bay Resort
• Open this comparison in the tool to add a third lodge or swap one out.
• Run a true trip cost for your own crew, nights and travel — that is where currencies are converted, at a dated rate.

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