The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

Winter is a seemingly never-ending season in the Northwoods, and it leaves local residents with two options: hunker down and ride it out until spring, or get outside and embrace it.

While sub-zero temperatures can make any outdoor activity a bone-chilling endeavor, the Northwoods is blessed with ample snow and the crystalline blue skies of January and February, which provide an excellent backdrop for a myriad of recreation opportunities.

Camp 10 lies just south of Rhinelander. The small, family ski and snowboard area won’t wow anyone with its vertical drop or take the place of a lavish Lake Tahoe ski vacation, but it offers some good turns close to home with a great atmosphere and picturesque setting along the Wisconsin River.

Camp 10 was a bustling little ski area in the 1960s and 70s. It was a great amenity for Rhinelander and the surrounding communities. The ski area’s rustic lodge and stone fireplace were always inviting and families filled the slopes.

Today, the lodge at Camp 10 is largely the same and just as inviting as it was back then, and after changes in ownership and a few years out of business, the community spirit the ski area had three decades ago is showing its face again. It’s gentle terrain makes it a great place to learn to ski, and more advanced skiers can get in some good turns without traveling far.

Present-day Camp 10 will still be very familiar to those who grew up skiing the area back in the day, but there are chairlifts now, and snowmaking equipment, so both the conditions and the comfort level have leapt into the future.

Minocqua Winter Park

Those for whom skiing is a more lateral affair have ample opportunity in the Northwoods. Cross country ski trails abound, and virtually any lake offers a wide open fabric upon which the cross-hatch tracks of skate-skiing can be beautifully stitched.

If getting your gear on in the cold isn’t appealing, Minocqua Winter Park offers a ski experience typically reserved for the downhill world.

“It’s not like changing into your boots in your vehicle,” said Keith Smith, the park’s manager.

The ski area offers a nicely equipped main chalet and many other amenities. The Chalet Cafe offers hot and cold drinks, freshly baked cookies and muffins, sandwiches, wraps and other healthy treats. There are daily private and group lessons for beginners through experts and quality rental gear. For peace of mind, there is also a ski patrol to ensure a safe skiing experience for all.

Minocqua Winter Park is a place where the love of cross-country skiing is infectious. The not-for-profit town park is operated by the Lakeland Ski Touring Foundation, and the park’s well-groomed trails, expert instructors and comfortable lodge facilities make it another great place to take the family. But take note, Winter Park has everything the true expert needs to log some quality training or just plain fun miles.

The park offers over 40 miles of trail on 6,500 acres. Smith said one of the park’s greatest features is that even if there are 400 people out skiing, you can still find peace and solitude on the trails.

One of the big draws at Winter Park is its special events. The Inga-Lami, a Nordic ski event for women, takes place Sunday, Jan. 18. The following weekend, on Saturday, Jan. 24, there will be a wine tasting with live music, a silent auction, outdoors raffle and craft beers for the connoisseur of fine beverages. The Lakeland Loppet is perhaps the park’s biggest event of the year. The family-oriented races offer a great follow-up to the Birkebeiner on Saturday, Feb. 28.

“It’s just a great, fun family ski event,” Smith said. “We make it really ski-friendly.”

One of the park’s newest amenities is free WiFi service. The service was introduced last year, but hasn’t been advertised until this year. Smith said plenty of people take advantage of the opportunity to work and do homework in the chalet.

“It became a hit instantly,” he said.

Outdoor Women’s Group

Women who love the outdoors but aren’t necessarily dedicated to a single sport will find many opportunities with the Outdoor Women’s Group. The group, which is open to all women, has members ranging in age from 30 to 75 and takes participants on a variety of adventures around the Northwoods.

Norma Yaeger is the coordinator of the group, which was formed seven years ago.

“It’s just to enjoy being with other women being outside doing whatever the season offers,” she said of her group’s mission.

The Outdoor Women meet on the first Sunday of each month for activities ranging from hiking and snowshoeing to birdwatching and learning outdoor survival skills.

On a typical outing there may be 10 women involved, though the chili potluck, scheduled for Sunday, typically draws as many as 30. Yaeger said she has about 180 names on her list, and the group is never exactly the same from month to month.

“It varies a lot,” Yaeger said.

Participants are always paired with a partner, and on some adventures the women are grouped by ability level and are never rushed or held back by other members.

“It’s always informal and it’s just plain fun,” Yeager said.

Getting outside

If skiing or group activities aren’t your thing, the Northwoods still has plenty to offer in winter. The fishing is just as good in winter as it is in summer. Portable shelters make it easy to stay comfortable on any lake under most any conditions, and it’s a more relaxed means of getting some fresh air.

Sledding and tubing are always popular with kids, and venues as varied as Sarocka Field and Fort Wilderness provide great fun for little or no cost.

Snowmobiling is of course as big a part of winter in the Northwoods as the snow itself. Rental snowmobiles are available from many dealers, and the vast network of trails can take you just about anywhere you have the mind to go. There are also a number of guides who lead trips of varying length around the area.

If it’s a workout you’re after, and even a sparsely populated ski trail feels too closely linked to civilization, try a pair of snowshoes. The places you can go on snowshoes are virtually limitless, and it takes no technical expertise to have a great time and get face to face with nature. Snowshoes are inexpensive, and can also be rented at many sport and ski shops. There’s nothing quite like the “poof” of snowshoes hitting fresh powder deep in the woods. It is perhaps the greatest opportunity for solitude, and a wonderful way to view the Northwoods up close.

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