XC Ski Week in Northwest Wisconsin

The Telemark one-bedroom condo was very comfortable and spacious for two people or a family. The kitchen was well-equiped though our unit was missing a tea kettle. There were nice TVs in both the living room and bedroom, though surprisingly there were no VCRs in the room. We had to rent one at the lodge ($15/week). Rooms had separate heating controls for the kitchen, bedroom, and bath, and it could be made quite toasty after a day of skiing.

Check-in was Sunday night at 5pm, and we decided to shop on our way there since no food stores were open that late on a Sunday. The restaurant at the main lodge was available for those who didn't want to cook.

A XC ski trail ran right behind our unit and we were able to walk to it, put on our skis, and then ski to the XC building at the main lodge on days we skied on the local trails. 100 Km of trails in the trail system were advertised though only about 50 Km were open from 9am-5pm each day. Trails were groomed for classic and skating and those that were groomed were in very good shape. Cost was only $9/day per person, which was quite reasonable. We especially enjoyed a candlelight ski out to a warming hut one night with a bonfire and hot chocolate on our return. We may never have seen so many stars while out on the trails that night. And it is something to be skiing and have the trail suddenly drop down a small hill that you don't "see" but feel--kind of like a rollercoaster in the dark! The bonfire was held at the skating rink where ice skates could be rented. They also had a limited availability tubing hill with quite (90') drop at the top. If you go down the hill first after a new snow, you will get a face full of snow!

Many of the people staying at the resort had snowmobiles and they could head out and connect to many snowmobile trails outside the resort. We were pleased that the two trails were not mixed at Telemark.

Telephone service is available in the rooms, but they charge connect fees for any external calls even if an 800 number or calling card is used. We were glad we did not bring our laptop, for more reasons than one.

The lodge had a variety of shops (though hours were limited in the winter) that featured many local crafts including pottery and wool products. Sessions were scheduled throughout the week where guests could learn many of these crafts. The lodge was pretty empty during the early part of the week but as the weekend neared activity definitely picked up. A very nice pool was available though it was most convenient for those staying in the lodge.

This is really a great location to use as a base for XC skiing around the area.

Best Things Nearby:
XC Skiing throughout Area; Ice Highway to Madeline Island; Good Restaurants

Best Things About the Resort:
50 Km of XC Skiing; Full Featured Lodge

Resort Experience:
This is a great base for XC skiing in NW Wiscconsin. We skiied all six days and also explored to the north and really enjoyed our stay. Bayfield is a neat place to drive to if you have the time.

Please see our write-up in the accomodations section for much more detail on this resort.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good

We ate here three times. One thing we learned was to avoid their salads--these were the only disappointment, especially the Cesaer salad. The walleye (broiled or fried) was very tasty, and you receive good-sized filets. The rice pilaf was very good and healthy. The minnestrone soup tasted like it was put together and not cooked very much as a whole. The vegetables served were tasty and complimented the meal. The French silk pie was tasty, as was the garden veggie sandwich.

The 36-foot birch bark canoe hanging over the eating area is worth seeing. Also, there is a nice glass window view looking out for most diners. Overall, a reasonable place to eat.

This was recommended by another visitor, and it met our expectations as we stopped here for lunch while visiting the Bayfield area. We enjoyed a good salad, soup, and pizza. The pizza was tasty and had many ingredients, but surprisingly lacked any tomato sauce. We concluded our meal with a large slice of carrot cake that was very good and big enough to split and share.

This was our favorite restaurant in the area. It featured a very nice salad bar that came with the meal (or could be ordered separately for $8) with the normal salad fixings, fruit, various pre-made salads (pasta, rice, slaws, potato, etc), rolls, and sweet breads like date-raisin or banana. You could make a full meal just from that. The baked walleye was very good and could be ordered in whole or half filet portions. The only disappointment was the rice pilaf, which was very plain with no flavors. We tried a chocolate cake for dessert one night that was very rich. All their desserts should be split.

Dining looks out onto Lake Namekagon, and it was amazing to see the stream of snowmobiles coming into and going out onto the frozen lake from this resort.

This also makes a great lunch spot after a morning ski at Rock Lake Park across the street from the resort. Reservations are probably needed on Saturday night.

This restaurant was associated with the Garmisch Lodge in Cable. We really liked their walleye, as well as the soup. We were intrigued with the relish tray on each table that included fruit, veggies, and a cheese spread. Unfortunately the bread was simple and a minor disappointment.

We had a very good chocolate dessert here that was the best we had during our stay in Cable, featuring chocolate mousse and toffee. It was large enough to split, which we did.

The restaurant is decorated with winter/holiday lights and looks directly out on Lake Namegagon. Overall a very nice dining experience.

To get to Madeline Island in February, one has to drive across Lake Superior. A two-mile ice highway connects the island to Bayfield, WI. It is quite an experience to think you are driving on this lake.

Once on the island we drove past the harbor and out to the town park, and then trudged through the snow to the beach. Great views of the coast, of the lake, and of the park reward you!

We enjoyed stopping here and doing the cascades trail. It was marked as most difficult, but this was a bit overrated--any intermediate XC skier could handle the trails. We did a warmup loop and then headed for the cascades.

We skiied across a bridge over the cascades and to various overlooks that we "trudged" through snow. The views of the Copper and other falls, even in their frozen state, was worth it. We then continued on the loop through some fun hills before returning to our car.

The trails had just been groomed but no tracks were put in, so the skiing was a bit dicey in places. The large amount of snow made up for this in most cases.

This is less than an hour's drive from Cable and worth exploring if one has the time. There were plenty of other trails here we did not have enough daylight to explore.

For a $3 parking fee (waived if you have a Golden Eagle Passport) we were able to XC ski around this popular forest site. There are actually five intersecting loops (2, 4, 7.1, 11 and 16km in length) in this system. The first is easy, the last is difficult, and the three middle ones are intermediate level. We skiied the 16km one day and came back another day and did the 7.1km loop. Each was fun.

Rock Lake is visible at the 4km point on the two longer loops. One can take a 1.8km loop around the lake to see it up close--there are some good hills here. Once one decides to go on the 16 km loop they are treated to some fun climbs and some great hills and of course more lakes--four additional ones at different levels.

The trails are all classic groomed and one way. Thus, though there may be a lot of people on the trails, you don't usually see too many of them. The trails run through various forests of birch, evergreen, and hardwood.

This is a great trail system and typical of the many in the Cable area.