Discover Wisconsin's Top Cross-Country Ski Trails for an Unforgettable Winter Adventure

Wisconsin's state parks and forests take on a special beauty during winter. Enjoy the winter scenery, get healthy exercise and have some fun by cross-country skiing on hundreds of miles of ski trails. Many clubs, ski teams and youth programs use Wisconsin's parks and forests to practice for events such as the American Birkebeiner and several properties schedule candlelight nights during winter.

The American Birkebeiner (Birkie) is of course king when it comes to Wisconsin cross-country ski trails. It is hard to beat a 55 kilometer trail traversing through the Wisconsin northwoods. However, the state boasts an incredible network of skiing trails. I have been skiing in Wisconsin for over 30 years, and I am still finding new trail networks I have never skied before.

Here is a list of my five favorite trails in Wisconsin not called the Birkebeiner. They come from almost all corners of the state with one in the south center, one in the center, one in the southeast, one in the far north, and one in the northeast.

“Skating” and “striding” are used here for the two styles of cross-country skiing.

State trail passes: Most properties require a vehicle admission sticker to park at the property. Some properties also require a state trail pass for skiers aged 16 and older.

Read also: Maine ski conditions

To keep ski trails in the best condition possible, once the trails are snow-covered, hiking, snowshoeing, pets and other uses are not permitted on the ski trails. Other property trails are designated for these uses. Skijoring and dog-sledding are also not allowed on groomed ski trails.

Ski trail conditions at Wisconsin State Park System properties are updated during the winter ski season.

Please note that Wisconsin's state park trails are maintained by department staff and volunteer groomers. Ski trail conditions are subject to change and may be closed if snow conditions are poor.

Cross-Country Ski Trail Options

Some trails are tracked for traditional skiing, some groomed for skate-style skiing and many are wide enough to accommodate both styles. There are also numerous miles of ungroomed trails for skiers to explore.

Here are some trails to consider:

Read also: Buying Fischer Skis

Big Foot Beach State Park - 6 miles of classic groomed trails.
Black River State Forest - 20 miles of classic groomed and 14 miles of skate-groomed trails. The trailhead is near County Highway O in Jackson County and features a heated log warming shelter.
Blue Mound State Park - 9 miles of groomed trails, including a warming shelter. All trails are tracked for classical skiing when snow depth and conditions allow. In low snow conditions, all the trails are groomed for skating. Call the park for current ski trail conditions.
Brule River State Forest - 18 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails on the Afterhours Ski Trail System. The forest also offers 11 miles of ungroomed trails. The trailhead and warming shelter is west of Brule on Afterhours Road, just south of Highway 2.
Brunet Island State Park - 5 miles of classic groomed trails.
Buckhorn State Park - 4 miles of classic groomed trail, when staffing is available, including 1.5 miles of ungroomed trails.
Capital Springs State Park - 6 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails... A warming shelter is available. Either a State Park Trail Pass or Dane County Cross-Country Ski Permit is required.
Copper Falls State Park - 17 miles of classic groomed trails and 7 miles of skate groomed trails.
Council Grounds State Park - 3 miles of ungroomed trails.
Devil's Lake State Park - 6 miles of ungroomed, multi-use trails. Trails begin at the Steinke Basin trailhead off of County Highway DL.
Flambeau River State Forest - 15 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails, including 6 miles of ungroomed trails. Trailheads are near State Highway 70 and County Highway W.
Governor Dodge State Park - 12.5 miles of classic groomed trails.
Governor Earl Peshtigo River State Forest - 5 miles of combined classic and skate trails in this forest in northeast Wisconsin near Crivitz. A 1-mile snowshoe trail is also available. The Spring Rapids Trailhead is about 5 miles west of Crivitz.
Governor Knowles State Forest - 9 miles of classic groomed trails, including a shelter and 20 miles of undesignated and ungroomed trails. The groomed trail loops are off Gile Road, about 6 miles north of State Highway 70.
Governor Nelson State Park - 6 miles of classic groomed and 4 miles of skate groomed trails.
Governor Thompson State Park - 6 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails in this park near Crivitz and Twin Bridge. A warming shelter is available with a wood stove. Trailhead is at the Woods Lake Picnic Area on Paust Lane off of Ranch Road.
Harrington Beach State Park - 3 miles of classic groomed trails in this park on Lake Michigan near Belgium.
Hartman Creek State Park - 9 miles of classic groomed and 2 miles of skate groomed trails and a shelter.
High Cliff State Park - 6 miles of classic groomed trails. Family campground roads are closed and groomed for skate skiing.
Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area - 9 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails, including 2 miles of ungroomed trails.
Interstate Park - 3 miles of classic groomed trails and shelter.
Kettle Moraine State Forest - Lapham Peak Unit - 10 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails. A warming shelter is available.Lighted trails for night skiing (2.5 miles) and snowmaking equipment are available.
Kettle Moraine State Forest - Northern Unit - 25 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails, including 49 miles of ungroomed trails in this forest in eastern Wisconsin.Greenbush trail system loops and warming shelter.Zillmer trail system loops and warming shelter.
Kettle Moraine State Forest - Pike Lake Unit - 4 miles are groomed for classical and skate skiing. The trailhead is located at the Nature Trail parking lot.
Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit - 24 miles of classic and skate-groomed trails in this forest in southeast Wisconsin.Nordic trail system loops and warming shelter.McMiller trail system loops and warming shelter.
Kinnickinnic State Park - 4 miles of classic groomed trails, with trailheads at the Kinnickinnic picnic area lot and the St. Croix picnic area lot. An additional 2.5 miles of multi-use trail is packed and may be used for skate skiing.
Kohler-Andrae State Park - 6 miles of classic groomed trails.
Lake Kegonsa State Park - 5 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails.
Lake Wissota State Park - 8 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails. A shelter is available.
Mirror Lake State Park - 19 miles of skate and classic groomed trails.
Northern Highland-American Legion (NHAL) State Forest - 42 miles of combined classic and skate-groomed trails in Wisconsin's largest state forest, in Vilas, Oneida and Iron counties. The NHAL State Forest also offers 74.6 miles of ungroomed trails.Escanaba trail system loops and shelter.Madeline trail system loops and shelter.McNaughton trail system loops and shelter.Raven trail system loops and shelter.
Pattison State Park - 4 miles of classic groomed trails and a shelter.
Peninsula State Park - 16 miles of classic groomed and 6 miles of skate groomed trails in this park near Fish Creek in Door County. A warming shelter is available.
Perrot State Park - 9 miles of classic groomed and 1 mile of skated groomed trails in this park along the Mississippi River near Trempealeau.
Point Beach State Forest - 11 miles of classic groomed and 3.5 miles of skate-groomed trails in this forest along Lake Michigan near Two Rivers. Point Beach also offers a shelter and a 1-mile ungroomed trail.
Potawatomi State Park - 9 miles of classic groomed and 8 miles of skate groomed trail in this park near Sturgeon Bay in Door County. A shelter is available.
Red Cedar State Trail - 7 miles of this linear rail trail beginning in the town of Menomonie are groomed for both classic and skate-style skiing.
Richard Bong State Recreation Area - 16 miles of ungroomed trail are available.
Stower Seven Lakes State Trail - 14 miles of this linear rail trail are groomed for classic skiing.
Whitefish Dunes State Park - 9 miles of classic groomed trails including a shelter.
Wildcat Mountain State Park - 6 miles of classic groomed and 5 miles of skate groomed trails.

Here are some additional details on specific trails and areas:

"Afterhours Ski Trail includes an extensive network of some of the region's finest and best maintained cross-country ski trails for both classical and skate skiing. This is a beautiful & popular trail system with a wonderful variety of terrain and scenery.
The Beaver Brook trails are located in the beautiful Beaver Brook State Wildlife area. The terrain features rolling hills with several flat stretches.
This is one of the best and largest cross-country skiing trail systems in Wisconsin.
Blue Mound State Park sits on the highest point in southern Wisconsin and features a fantastic cross-country ski-trail system with trails to suit all abilities. During winter, the park offers 19.7 km of groomed cross-country ski trails. All of the trails are tracked for classic and 10.5 km are also groomed for skate.
The Drummond Ski Trails are a beautiful, multiple-loop trail system providing more than 38 km of trails.
The Escanaba Lake Trail is a wonderful blend of fun, challenging terrain and gorgeous northwoods scenery.
"The Flambeau Hills trail system is groomed and tracked for skating and traditional skiing.
"In the winter, trails are tracked for diagonal skiers and groomed for skate skiers. Most are easy to moderate in difficulty.
"At the Greenbush recreation area a total of 25 miles of machine-groomed cross-country ski trails are provided for diagonal and skate skiers.
Hartman Creek State Park offers 11 kilometers of cross-country ski trails in an enjoyable multiple-loop trail system.
The Hickory Ridge Ski Trails meander past numerous kettle lakes in a peaceful and scenic northern hardwood forest.
The Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area presents challenging trails through beautiful forest, rolling hills, wetlands, and open prairie. Our ski trails are very quiet with low traffic, so you can ski at your own pace. They range from beginner to intermediate level in difficulty.
We like to think The Farm is perfect place to learn cross-country skiing for the first time, teach your child, or return to the sport you used to love. Cross-country skiing has been a part of The Farm's history, so our trails are ones that have been skied for generations. Our cross-country ski trails can be groomed for skate skiing and classical skiing by our state-of-the-art Pisten Bully groomer. We offer ski rental for adults, young adults, and children. We also rent Finnish pulks, small lightweight sleds that adults can harness around their waists to pull small children on the ski trails.
Timm's Hill Ski Trail (15 minutes away by car), is the highest point in Wisconsin.
Ice Age Trail has 15 miles of trails range from beginner to advanced in difficulty.

Cross-country skiing styles

Specific Trail Information

Milwaukee County Parks

Ungroomed trails are available in all Milwaukee County parks. Several parks have groomed trails and require 6" of snow for trail grooming. Hours are dawn until 10 pm.

Brown Deer Park: 4.5 miles (4 loops) of trails. Groomed for skating and striding; beginner & intermediate skier. Flat, gentle terrain; wooded & open; shelter; toilets. Address: 7835 N.
Whitnall Park Golf Course: 5 miles (4 loops) of trails. Lightly groomed for striding; beginner & intermediate skier. Gentle, rolling terrain; wooded & open; shelter; concessions; toilets; ski and snowshoe rentals. Snowshoe trails are across 92nd Street near Ross Lodge. Address: 6751 S.

Waukesha County Parks

Menomonee Park: 4 to 5 miles of trails. Groomed for skating and striding; beginner & intermediate skier. Gentle, rolling terrain; wooded & open; no shelter; pit toilets. Hours sunrise to 10 pm. Waukesha County vehicle pass required, purchase at park.
Minooka Park: 6 miles (3 loops) of trails. Groomed for skating and striding; beginner & intermediate skier. Gentle, rolling terrain; wooded & open; no shelter; pit toilets. Hours sunrise to 10 pm. Waukesha County vehicle pass required, purchase at park. Address: 1927 E.
Nashotah Park: 6 miles (3 loops) of trails. Groomed for skating and striding; beginner & intermediate skier. Gentle, rolling to hilly terrain; wooded & open; no shelter; toilets. Hours sunrise to 10 pm. Waukesha County vehicle pass required, purchase at park. The Picnic Basket Restaurant in Nashotah serves food.
Retzer Nature Center: 4 miles (7 loops) of trails. Ungroomed for snowshoeing and hiking; rolling terrain, wooded & open; snowshoe rentals; shelter; toilets; drinking water. Hours sunrise to 10 pm, building 8 am-4:30 pm. No Waukesha County entry or parking fees. Directions: 22 miles southwest of Milwaukee and west of Waukesha.

Kettle Moraine State Forest

Lapham Peak Unit: 17 miles, including 2.5 miles lighted trail. Groomed for skating and striding; beginner, intermediate, & expert skier. Some rolling & mostly hilly terrain with steep climbs & descents; wooded & open; man-made snow on 1.5 km; Evergreen shelter; toilets; drinking water. Ski and snowshoe rentals at white building on road to Evergreen shelter on weekends and at Wheel & Sprocket store in downtown Delafield. Snowshoe on the Ice Age Trail or Prairie Path. Hours 7 am to 9pm; closes 5pm Sundays. Lights on Monday to Saturday until 9 pm; not Sunday. Wisconsin vehicle pass and skier trail pass required; purchase at entrance. Directions: 25 miles west of Milwaukee in Delafield, 1 mile south of I-94 (exit 285) on east/left side of County Road C. Lapham Peak is the only state unit to offer man-made snow on part of its trail system.
Pike Lake Unit: 3 miles (2 loops) of trails. Groomed for skating and striding; beginner & intermediate skier. Rolling terrain; wooded; outhouse; beach area shelters. Groomed trails are east of Powder Hill Road, accessed from nature trail/Ice Age Trail parking lot; campground road loop is also groomed. Ungroomed trails for winter hiking and snowshoeing are located west of Powder Hill Road (5 miles, 3 loops) and on Ice Age Trail. Wisconsin vehicle pass required, purchase at entrance; skier trail pass not required. Directions: 30 miles northwest of Milwaukee between Hartford and Slinger. At I-41 & WI-60 West (exit 64B) near Slinger, go west on WI-60 for 3 miles, turn left/south on Powder Hill Rd, and parking lot for skiing is on the left/east.

Other Notable Trails

Greenbush Recreation Area Trails: 13.5 miles (6 loops) of trails, including 1.2-mile lighted trail (5:30-7:30 am and 4:30-9:30 pm). Groomed for skating and striding; intermediate & expert skier. Well-groomed, hilly trails; wooded; shelter; grills; drinking water; vault toilets. 9 miles of snowshoe trails. Known for its micro-climate that retains snow throughout the season. Wisconsin vehicle pass and skier trail pass required; purchase at entrance. Directions: 70 miles north of Milwaukee and west of Plymouth.
New Fane Trails: 8 miles (four loops) of trails. Ungroomed; moderately challenging; mostly wooded; shelter; drinking water, vault toilets. 5.5. miles (four loops) of snowshoe trails. Wisconsin vehicle pass required; purchase at entrance. Directions: 50 miles north of Milwaukee and northeast of Kewaskum.
Zillmer Trails: 11 miles (4 loops) of trails. Groomed for skating and striding; beginner, intermediate, & expert skier. Gentle, rolling, & hilly terrain; wooded; shelter; drinking water; grills; vault toilets. Wisconsin vehicle pass and skier trail pass required; purchase at entrance. Directions: 55 miles north of Milwaukee and northeast of Campbellsport.
McMiller Ski Trails: 22 miles (6 loops) of trails. Groomed for skating and striding; beginner, intermediate, & expert skier. Wooded; shelter; drinking water; outhouses. Gunfire sounds from nearby shooting range. Wisconsin vehicle pass and skier trail pass required; purchase at entrance. Directions: 45 miles southwest of Milwaukee and southwest of Eagle.
Nordic Trails: 23 miles (7 loops) of trails. Groomed for skating and striding; beginner, intermediate, & expert skier. Gentle, rolling, & steep terrain; mostly wooded; shelter; drinking water; vault toilets. Named for the Nordic Ski Club of Milwaukee; designed by a member of the club. Wisconsin vehicle pass and skier trail pass required; purchase at entrance. Directions: 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee between Palmyra and LaGrange. LaGrange General Store serves food, and adjacent Backyard Bike and Ski rents skis and snowshoes.
Scuppernong Trails: 11 miles (3 loops) of trails. Ungroomed for winter hiking and snowshoeing; rolling to hilly terrain; wooded; shelter; vault toilets. Wisconsin vehicle pass required; purchase at entrance. Directions: 40 miles southwest of Milwaukee and south of Dousman. From US-67 (10 miles south of I-94), go east on County Road ZZ for 0.4 mile, and trailhead parking lot is on the left/north.

Beginners guide to Cross Country Skiing

The nine mile Blue Loop is perhaps my favorite. It is a great tune up and barometer for the Birkie. The terrain is exceedingly rugged. The trail between mile marker six and seven is as tough as it comes. I know that if I can ski this trail three times without collapsing, I am in good shape to complete the Birkie.

Lapham Peak has one unique feature other parks do not.

For several years, when I skied Black River State Forest, I stayed on the trails south of the Settlement Road close to the Smrekar Warming hut. Two years ago, I finally crossed over to ski the Norway Pine and Wildcat Trails. These trails are amazing. I enjoyed the trails south of the road, but these two trails go to a different level with some crazy steep downhills and some tremendous scenery. In fact, the hills are so challenging that I experienced the agony of defeat on one of them (see video below).

With over 75 kilometers of ski trails to choose from, I could probably pick about five trails that are worthy of the list. Beaver Pond, Vo2 Max, Windy Ridge are all contenders, but I picked Nutcracker because it is the longest of the more difficult trails at five kilometers. The Nutcracker can be combined with a myriad of other trails to add as much distance as you desire.

Nordic ski areas are notorious for having a plethora of loops that will make your head spin. Lakewood Ski Trails has one long trail with smaller loops at each end. The trail is 20 kilometers in length, so an out and back is close to 40 kilometers. This is only 15 kilometers short of the Classic Birkie race. It does not get any better than this trail with beautiful scenery, and some quality terrain.

The moraines are a little higher and the kettles a little lower in the park right next to Delafield, Wisconsin. This makes for some of the most exciting and longest downhill runs in the state. I feel like some of the hills are almost alpine in quality. At least Wisconsin alpine. I have taken some GoPro videos and the downhill sections take over a minute and a half to complete. This is another great Birkie tune up.

Fees- This is a Wisconsin State Park trail, so a state sticker and state trail pass is required.

The goal of this site is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips. Notifications go out once or twice a month with what is new with Traveling Ted’s adventures.

Nutcracker Trail

tags: #cross #country #skiing #wisconsin