Lake County, Minnesota offers a variety of outdoor winter activities. There’s something for everyone.

The North Shore explodes with winter outdoor adventures! Rarely does Lake Superior freeze over during winter, so it’s fascinating to see open water and explore the big lake. Resorts along Lake Superior’s North Shore and tucked within the Superior National Forest make for cozy getaways with stunning views and easy access to winter recreational activities.

Snowmobiling

Whether you wish to play in the powder, skim across frozen lakes or tour on first-class trails, snowmobiling stands central to winter up north. Nearly 400 miles of snowmobile trails on the North Shore provide the opportunity to explore the spectacular Lake Superior shoreline, adjacent ridges, lakes, forests and towns.

Trails include:

• North Shore State Snowmobile Trail – A 146-mile trail system
• Two Harbors Corridor Trail – Length: 9.6 miles
• Gooseberry Falls State Park Trail – Length: 9 mi
• Red Dot Trails – Length: 15 miles
• Tettegouche Trail & Sawtooth Trail – Length: 10 & 15 miles, respectively
• Moose Walk Trail – Length: 15 miles

Ice fishing & winter fishing on Lake Superior

With more than 740 lakes between the North Shore of Lake Superior and the Canadian border, there’s no better place for a winter getaway than Lake County, Minnesota.

Anglers can choose their own adventure or book a fully outfitted ice fishing excursion. Fish for golden walleyes, mammoth crappies, monstrous northern pike or slay a trophy trout from the open waters of the greatest lake. The possibilities are endless!

Fat biking & cross-country skiing

The North Shore proves an excellent place to fat-bike ride or cross-country ski with beautiful forests, breathtaking elevation and wide-open views of Lake Superior.

Fat bikes are designed for winter riding, featuring lower air pressure, and allow you to float over snowy trails, whereas other tires sink. As a result, the winter sport is growing in popularity in winter climates.

• Lake County Demonstration Forest near Two Harbors has one groomed and three ungroomed trails.
• Split Rock Lighthouse has converted 8.7 miles of multi-use trail with tracks for classic cross-country skiing on one side and grooms the remainder of the course for fat bikes, snowshoes, hiking and skate-skiing. Perfect for people with different interests to all share the same trail.
• Flathorn/Gegoka Trails are located on the north side of Flathorn and Gegoka lakes just west of Isabella, Minn., featuring excellent open trails with vast, packed areas through the pines. Perfect for a relaxing winter bike ride or ski.

No gear? Fortunately, you can rent fat-tire bikes at Spokengear in Two Harbors.

Snowshoeing

You can classify snowshoeing as winter hiking. Venture out for an afternoon wildlife expedition. Track hares, shrews, wolves, deer and ermine. Step soundlessly through the northwoods, stopping to guess the width of virgin pine, listen to the chickadees or just savor the moment.

Lots of people like to snowshoe the Superior Hiking Trail, but you can snowshoe anywhere. If the trail is also a groomed ski trail, walk on the sides, not on the tracked path. Many resorts, shops, and ski areas rent snowshoes.

Additional great snowshoeing locations include:

• Wolf Rock
• All North Shore State Parks, including Tettegouche, Split Rock, Gooseberry and George Crosby Manitou State Parks.
• Beaver River

Dog sledding

Back in the day, the only reliable winter transportation was a pack of dogs and a wooden-runner sled. However, dog sledding remains today through a committed group of mushers. Some have a half-dozen dogs and a sled for rent. Others maintain a kennel and offer dog sled rides or compete in such races as the John Beargrease contest held each winter.

The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is held annually at the end of January.

For more information…

LovinLakeCounty.com

For more Midwesterern winter outdoor getaway locations, check out the winter issues of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.