There’s a trail for everyone here—with easy, intermediate and advanced options—and most are groomed for both striding and skating. Here are complete instructions for a great day in Brule, Wisconsin … read more

Nestled in a forest near the beach on scenic and wild Bear Head Lake, the new building is bright and welcoming. Running water, an indoor fireplace and comfort are available before and after your adventures. … read more

It's not a complete year of North Shore skiing for me until I've been out on the winding, wild trails of Gooseberry State Park near Two Harbors. Here's why I keep coming back and why you might, also. … read more

Biskey Ponds, in Fredenberg Township north of Duluth, has 10k of classically groomed ski trails rated easy to moderate. The trails have been laid out expertly, with gentle curves and downhills just steep enough to be fun. … read more

The Hartley Park ski trails have been used and loved by generations of Nordic skiers. A recent park makeover improved signage with new detailed maps at every intersection. … read more

One of my favorite all-time North Shore ski trails is Korkki Nordic, up in the ridgeline above the shore between Duluth and Two Harbors. Sally and I played hooky today and took a few laps on this terrific woodland trail. That was the first good choice of the day. Korkki is a truly classic trail. It's narrow and winding and is groomed for classic skiing only. Because so much of the trail is in deep forest, more snow is required to open it safely. Last year, the trail might have been open only two weekends. This year, it's been open … read more

Twenty years ago, my wife Sally and I rolled down Highway 1 from Ely to the North Shore with our cross country skis for a weekend with my parents. I had never skied on big wide groomed ski trails before, only on the winding skier-packed trails of the Superior National Forest. We skied on the Sugarbush Trails, just inland from Tofte. It was mind-blowing. I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. I still remember the thrill of gliding down the well-groomed hairpin turns of the Sixmile Crossing trail. The view of Leveaux Peak rising above the fields in the … read more

  In twenty years of skiing on the North Shore's groomed trails, I've seen a lot of signs with basically the same message: Please don't walk on the groomed ski trail. I even remember the Nordic ski coach back in high school pleading with students in a school assembly to stay off the ski tracks around the athletic fields. But this sign, which I found yesterday at the Erkki Harju ski trail in Two Harbors, is by far the goofiest and maybe the most effective I've seen. No, that is not Erkki Harju himself with the shovels and the drawl. According to … read more

Duluth's popular Piedmont ski trail is more than classic cross country skiing at its best...it's a pun-ridden pop culture history lesson, firmly rooted in the 1970s. My teenage sons have no idea what they're missing, and I sound pretty lame as I try to explain.So at a soft turn in the trail, there's the hand-lettered sign "Gentle Bend." Who remembers the tame black bear sitting in the bow of the airboat skimming through the Everglades? Sure "Gentle Ben" was broadcast in the late 1960s, but must have run as afternoon reruns in the 1970s. I can't pass that sign without … read more

Sally and I went for a lovely ski this week up at Gooseberry Falls State Park. We skied nine kilometers of freshly-groomed ski trail through the park's backcountry. And had quite a thrill along the way, reconnecting us with wild places and wild creatures. Gooseberry has three main areas of ski trails. On the lake side of Highway 61 is a long loop through the campground and by the river. On the inland side of Highway 61, there's a large and complex network of trails on the east side of the river. On the west side of the river, there … read more