Cross-country skiing is a glorious way to spend
a winter day and the North Shore has some of
the finest trail systems in the Midwest. Glide
through the woods taking in wildlife, passing
through pine forests, skirting river edges, exploring
the woods and breathing the clean fresh winter
air.
The North Shore
Ski Trail is the 196-kilometer trail system
stretching from Tofte to north of Cascade River
State Park. Beginners to experts, classic skiers
and skaters, short loops to day-long picnic
loops, its all within a few miles of Caribou
Highlands Lodge. You will appreciate the variety
of trails, the consistent grooming and the
glorious scenery.
Link http://www.northshoreskitrail.com
Skiing on any of the trails requires a Minnesota
Ski Pass, which is available at a variety of
local shops or online from the Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources.
Link http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/skipass/index.html
TRAIL LOCATION
- Maple & Upland Loops Moose
Fence Ski Area in Tofte
Ski the easy,
relatively flat Upland Loop through a balsam
and spruce plantation. Continue on to the more
difficult, semi-hilly Maple Loop for a great
4-mile ski.
- Wood Duck & Piece of
Cake Loops Sugarbush Trailhead
in Tofte
Beginners
will love this series of short interconnected
loops. Take off and you can keep adding on
half- to one-kilometer loops past a pond and
through gently rolling maples covered hills.
- Oberg Loop Oberg Mountain in
Lutsen
Warm up along
the wide
easy trail leading north, then begin a slow
steady climb up and around Oberg, ending with
a big downhill return - all in 4.5 miles
- Lutsen Mountains Nordic Trails
Lutsen Mountains
Challenge
yourself to some skiing! Ride the chairlift
to the top of Ullr or Mystery Mountain for
easy and more difficult trails. The trails
traverse 27-kilometers along the edges of the
mountains.
- Massie & Hall Loops Spruce
Creek in Lutsen
A figure-eight
set of trails
traveling through meadows with Lake Superior
views, cedar groves and moderate terrain. The
Hall Loop, when skied clockwise, climbs the
first half, levels out in a stand of tamarack
and then you get nice downhill for the remainder
of the trail.
- Deeryard Lake to Cascade Lodge Cascade
Trail System in Lutsen
You'll need
two cars for this fabulous ski! Drop one at
the parking area at the mouth of the Cascade
River and driver the other inland to the trailhead.
Ski open flats, through pine forests, past
a beaver pond, and down a long descent down
Pioneer Loop, eventually skiing across the
footbridge over the Cascade River and on to
the parking area.
- Cascade River State Park Lutsen
Ski all sorts
of combinations
of easy and more difficult trails through
the state park. Beautiful scenery, good chance
to see deer, centrally located and a woodstove-heated
shelter.
- Pincushion Mountain A
few miles North of Grand Marais
Ski 25-kilometers
of beautiful
loops set atop the ridgeline overlooking Grand
Marais and the harbor. A great mix of easy
to most difficult loops with a variety of shorter
loops and
the longer Pincushion Loop.
:
Families
Sugarbush & Pincushion
Multiple Skill Levels
Cascade River
State Park & Pincushion
Skiers Who Like Hills
Oberg, Lutsen
Mountains & Spruce Creek
2-Car Ski
Deeryard to Cascade
In the Woods, Not too Hard
Cascade River
State Park & Moose Fence
Sawtooth Outfitters
in Tofte
http://www.sawtoothoutfitters.com
Winter Recreation Center at Superior National
at Lutsen
http://www.americasnorthcoast.com
Lutsen Rec on the Ski Hill Road
http://www.lutsenrec.com
Cascade Lodge
http://www.cascadelodgemn.com
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