No. 10 Snowshoe-friendly Nordic Center: Lakewoods Resort in Cable, Wis.

Lake areas are traditionally renowned for providing fantastic terrain for recreational activities, and Lakewoods Resort on Wisconsin’s Lake Namakagon—the tenth largest lake in the state—is no exception. The resort’s location deep in the heart of 850,000 acre Chequamegon National Forest offers access to a seemingly endless landscape of rolling hills, forests and wetlands, perfect for a variety of cold weather activities like snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice skating, cross-country skiing and ice fishing, to name a few. Now in its fifth generation of family owned operations, Lakewoods has been celebrating cold-weather pastimes in Wisconsin’s snowy Northwoods for over a century.

The lodge at Lakewoods Resort.

The lodge at Lakewoods Resort.

As a full service, year-round resort that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Rasmussen family, its history, heritage and family values are what draw people back season after season. Families are their specialty, and the Rasmussen’s run their business with a mentality of “the more the merrier.” To accommodate all kinds of groups they provide a variety of lodging options from cozy lodge rooms for couples to spacious lakeside cabins that sleep up to 15 people. Family focused meals in the lodge dining room such as the traditional Friday night fish fries, weenie roasting contests, wine dinners and Sunday buffets are a popular way for guests to come together and swap stories about their fun-filled days.

Although the most popular activity here has historically been snowmobiling, the traditional Wisconsin pastime of snowshoeing is gaining more popularity each year, and Lakewoods is proud to offer some of the best Nordic trails around.  According to P.C. Rasmussen, General Manager, they have been surprised at the diversity of the snowshoeing crowd they have seen over the past few years. He has observed many of the snowshoers to be triathletes and marathon runners who like to use snowshoeing as a form of cross-training in the winter.

Heading into the snowy woods at Lakewoods Resort.

Heading into the snowy woods at Lakewoods Resort.

Whether his guests are looking for some serious heart-pumping exercise or more of a leisurely nature excursion, Rasmussen recommends all snowshoers start out on the three kilometer snowshoe-specific path around the Forest Ridges golf course for an exciting trek through hills and woods with spectacular views of the lake. For more challenging hikes, the Chequamegon and Rock Lake trail systems, which are maintained by the forest service, can also be easily accessed right from the resort offering oodles of trails with more varied terrain and deep, fluffy snow. The Rock Lake area is also non-motorized and often the best bet for discovering the quiet solitude of the winter woods that many snowshoers seek.

Sought after for its ample lodging availability and reliable snowfall, Lakewoods Resort has been the proud host to a variety of events and competitions in years past such as the Wisconsin High School Ski Skate Championships and the Braveheart Midwest Snowshoe Championships, a fun and colorful event that offers hot air balloon rides for charity in addition to 5k and 10k snowshoe races.

Hot-air balloon rides are a fun and unique way to end a day of snowshoe racing.

Hot-air balloon rides are a fun and unique way to end a day of snowshoe racing.

This year, the resort is also excited to welcome more than 300 athletes from 22 different countries as the official host site of the International Paralympic Nordic Skiing World Championships in the end of January. The resort will serve as the Olympic village where the opening, closing and awards ceremonies will be held as well as the Nordic events of cross-country skiing, biathlon and orienteering. Cable, as a town, is no stranger to hosting world-class Nordic events as this year’s IPC events will be held on the same track that was used for the first ever able-bodied cross-country skiing World Cup in 1978.

With perfect proximity to the National Forest lands, many different activities and adventures to explore and a second-home hospitality that the Midwest is quietly known for, Lakewoods Resort promises to deliver a memorable snowshoeing vacation experience by banishing boredom and enhancing cold-weather fun for all ages.

  • Pass rates: None. Trails are available at no cost to resort guests as well as public visitors.
  • Equipment rental: Snowshoes available for $5 per hour.
  • Pet Policy: Limited pet access.
  • Lodging: A variety of accommodation options are available at Lakewoods lodge and resort.
  • Dining: Full restaurant and bar available to overnight guests and the general public.

Visit lakewoodsresort.com for more information. Return to the full list of Nordic Centers.

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