Grab your snow gear, fill up your thermos with some hot chocolate, and hit these 5 best snowmobiling trails in the Midwest.
5. Hurley Snowmobile Trails, Wisconsin
Our adventurous riders should make their way to Wisconsin, but no rush. Snow can be found falling late into the year, so you can reserve your snowmobiling weekend as late as the first week of April. Take necessary precautions, as these trails don’t have cell phone service. Make sure you pick up a map, and travel in a group for your own safety. Trails not good enough? Don’t worry, there’s off trail riding of more than 175,000 acres of surrounding public land.
4. Northern Arch, Michigan
What beauty you might stumble upon in the land of natural ice sculptures! You can find three trails that make up the Northern Arch in Michigan: go north up to Bond Flowage, or take two other trails that guide you west towards Lake Gogebic. Take your snowmobile out a little farther and find yourself basking in the northern glory of Alligator Point, Lake of Clouds, and the Porcupine Mountains. Weather permitting, you can even ride on the lake ice.
3. Three Lakes Trails, Wisconsin
Here’s the change up: take your snowmobile out at dark! You can plan a charming weekend in the Three Lakes Trails area in Wisconsin, beset with charming shops and antique lampposts. The Northern Lights snowmobiling club frequently holds overnight rides that include on-trail bonfires and weenie roasts. Need to warm up in the middle of your trail ride? Stop off at the Three Lakes Winery where they first made cranberry wine, or check out some classic neon signs and antique gas pumps at the Northwoods Petroleum Museum.
2. Iron Range Region, Minnesota
The Iron Range Region gives you some of the most scenic, well-groomed trails clocking in at more than 3,000 miles. With nearly 500 lakes and rivers and a variety of well-signed trail terrain, you can spend hours and hours out in the white powder of northern Minnesota. Like some of the other snowmobile spots we’ve mentioned, with plenty of (frozen) lakes, you can even take a little off-trail time for some of the best ice-fishing in the Midwest.
1. Brainerd Lakes Area, Minnesota
Last but not least, we present you 1,200 miles of trails with more than 500 frozen lakes for quick zips across the ice (weather permitting). These trails are treeless, giving you plenty of room for racing and snowmobile tricks. The Paul Bunyan trail has recently relaxed its restrictions, so now you can take your snowmobile along Minnesota’s longest continually paved state trail for 115 miles.
