Embrace Winter’s Chilling Adrenaline Rush

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Enjoy the journey as you glide along Michigan’s more than 3,000 miles of cross country. Let it snow--escape to runs with pristine slopes and epic views, and unleash your inner child and ski down a snowy hill. Explore diverse terrain, scenic overlooks and picturesque backcountry on an extensive system of groomed snowmobile trails.  
     
           
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING
Varied terrain and snow with staying power give cross-country skiers beautiful settings for their workouts. Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Paradise provides several cross-country trails, some passing frozen waterfalls. The groomed 3.8-mile Tahquamenon-Giant Pines Trail winds through a forest featuring massive pines. The ungroomed 7.4-mile Tahquamenon-Wilderness Loop hits the park’s remote areas and calls for backcountry skis. In Ironwood, ABR Trails offers 30-plus miles of routes along the Montreal River, including both skate and classic tracks. At Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Ontonagon, four main trails and several offshoots combine to form the 26-mile Nordic Trail System.
 

 

 

THE THRILL OF THE HILL
When it comes to making memories with the family, it doesn’t get any better than an afternoon sledding or tubing in Michigan. No matter your sledding style – taking it easy down rolling hills or screaming down icy slopes – Michigan has you covered. 

 

SKIING
With Michigan’s highest ground and biggest snow totals, the UP’s western half begs to be skied. Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Bessemer makes its case with a 600-foot vertical, 33 well-groomed runs and a snow sports school for newbies. At Big Snow Resort in Wakefield, tackle two mountains: Indianhead and Blackjack. Half of Indianhead’s runs carry an expert rating, while 30 percent of Blackjack’s runs target beginners. Blackjack offers night skiing on Saturdays, and both mountains rent gear. Mount Bohemia on the Keweenaw Peninsula draws advanced skiers and boarders with a 900-foot drop from the scenic summit. Bohemia’s Voodoo Mountain offers the Midwest’s only cat skiing. A snowcat grooming machine takes up to 18 skiers to the top for a run through the deep-powder backcountry. Mount Bohemia on the Keweenaw made MSN.com’s list of the world’s top 10 undiscovered skiing resorts.
 

 

 

 

SNOWMOBILING
The UP’s 3,000-plus miles of groomed snowmobile trails cover more ground than a drive from New York to L.A. So don’t worry about places to ride in a weekend. Many of the routes lead right to lodging and refreshments, like the Buckhorn Resort in Munising and the Hoop ’N Holler in Merriweather. The 38-mile Felch Grade Trail cuts through old iron mining country as it parallels M-69 between Felch Township and Narenta. The 33-mile Haywire Trail between Manistique and Shingleton was the state’s first rail trail, opening in 1970 on the former Manistique and Lake Superior Railroad grade. The Nahma Grade Trail, another rail trail, follows an old logging line. The 32-mile route mirrors much of Forest Road 13 and traverses a mix of terrain, including lowlands, sand flats, and stands of jack pines.