Well-known for its collection of downhill ski resorts, the Big Snow Country of the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan is also home to some of the most challenging and most scenic cross country ski trails in the midwest.

Every winter a succession of snowstorms blows in over the waters of Lake Superior and turns the rugged terrain and old growth forests of the region into a pristine and spectacular white landscape. Here in the Western U.P. the blessings of winter are bestowed upon the cross country skier with a great and wonderful abundance.

“The secret to our popularity is that we get a lot of snow and we get a lot of snow early,” says Eric Anderson, owner of ABR Trails in Ironwood. “We attract a lot of competitive skiers early in the year who use our trails to train for the race season later in the winter.”

The professionally groomed trails of ABR Trails generally open in November – with the season starting some years as early as the last couple of weeks of October.

ABR Ski Trails

ABR Trails – Ironwood, MI
ABR is full service ski touring center with 60km of trails located on over 1100 scenic acres of varied terrain along the Montreal River in Ironwood Michigan. We offer skate/classic combination trails along with singletrack classic and even snowshoeing and multi-use/skijoring trails. We work on the trails full-time in the off months and have done substantial trail [...]

Porcupine Mountains State Park Cross Country Ski Trails – Silver City, MI
Four main and several smaller trails combine to form the 42 KM Nordic Trail System at the Porcupine Mountains State Park. The cross country ski trails encircle the lift-served Alpine Ski Area with numerous scenic loops. Trails are track set with a power-tiller equipped groomer. Warming huts are located along the Log Camp Loop and Union Spring [...]

Wolverine Nordic Ski Club – Ironwood, MI
Wolverine Nordic is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization with the mission to preserve and promote nordic skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, biking and lifelong physical fitness on the Gogebic Range of the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northeastern Wisconsin. WOLVERINE NORDIC SKI CLUB volunteers maintain and groom the trail system which consists of 8 trails that provide 25 [...]

Western U.P. Ski Lodging Packages & Specials