Cross-country skiing is rapidly emerging as an important part of the Copper Harbor winter recreation scene. Rare, late-season skiing is the norm here given our long winters. With an average of 270" of powdery snowfall, the trails are usually blanketed in white. Copper Harbor 's Ski Club is made up of volunteers around the area who groom the trail system daily.
The groomed trails offer easy going, scenic woodland and open terrain pathways as well as challenging, scenic pathways for any cross-country devotee.
The Copper Harbor XC Ski Trails and the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge Nordic Ski Trails are both groomed for classic cross country skiing on a regular basis. Grooming typically commences in mid-December and continues through the at least the end of March, depending on snow conditions.
Copper Harbor Trails: This primarily easy rated trail system is composed of several main loops which are just over 8km in total distance. The terrain is relatively flat and offers a variety of landscapes including wooded sections, open fields and scenic views along the shore of Lake Fanny Hooe and several glimpses of Lake Superior. Dogs are allowed.
The Trailhead is centrally located within the village behind the Copper Harbor Welcome Center with ample parking, heated restrooms and easy access to nearby restaurants, shops and motels. All trails are two way trails, which allow for some variations. Several laminated maps as points of reference are posted along the trail and personal copies may be purchased at the Gaslite General Store. These trails are maintained and groomed by volunteers from the Copper Harbor Trails Club.
From the trailhead, skiers may head counter-clockwise (westerly) for a 2km tour along Clyde’s Loop (especially nice on fair weather days), or a more direct route heading east to the point at where the loop merges with each other. From this point the trail crosses Second Street (aka Lake Manganese Road) behind the Fire Hall and resumes again next to Our Lady of the Pines Chapel. The initial section from here is a mandatory two-way trail for about .5km. From here skiers may choose to continue on a scenic stretch along Lake Fanny Hooe and through the west campground at Fort Wilkins State Park or ski the trail that runs parallel to US Hwy 41, aka “West Campground Loop”. Skiers have the option to cross the (groomed) pedestrian bridge and continue on a trip through the past within the historic section of old Fort Wilkins, before linking to a lolly-pop loop through the east campground. In total, the entire Fort Wilkins Loops are just over 6km.
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge Nordic Ski Trails:
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge Nordic Ski Trails: Almost 10km of classic XC ski trails were developed and opened for the public to enjoy in the 2008/09 winter season as a resource to promote winter tourism. The historic Mountain Lodge, which is owned and operated by Keweenaw County, is set to open full time for winter operations for the first time in it's 75+ year
history in the winter of 2009/10. An additional 3km of classic XC ski trails within the hardwood forest were built in 2009, making the total of the existing trail system at 13km. Eventual plans include for up to 30 km of skate ski trails and additional classic ski trails, which is dependant on a land acquisition project the County has engaged upon.
The KML Nordic Ski Trails are rated as easy to intermediate and are very user friendly. When open, skiers may access the trails through the Lodge itself, as a trail is being groomed to the back door of the new Conference Center on the building’s southeast side. Otherwise, a “commuter” parking lot is located on the east side of the Lodge, past the motel and maintenance building; follow the arrows on signs next to the Lodge for Trailhead Parking. Most trails are one way; please follow signage/arrows. No dogs are allowed.
The Nordic Ski Center's trails are currently composed of 7 different loops. All of these loops meet at a central confluence next to the trailhead and are very user friendly with descriptive names. Laminated maps and signs throughout the trails also help skiers to easily orientate. The "Inner Loop", "Core Loop" and "Out There Loop" total just over 5km of trails that were developed through the undulating terrain within the hardwood forest. These loops are great to escape the wind on often blustery days on top of the mountain. The addition of the "Far East Loop" and "Northern Loop" in 2009 add another 3km wooded trails that link to the existing trails. The "Perimeter Loop" is a semi-protected 3km loop which circles along the edge of the golf course, between some of the historic cabins and parellells the old driving range along the woods. The 2 km "Fair Weather Loop" is located totally on sections of the golf course and is groomed only on nice days and during fair weather patterns, typically more often into the latter part of the season.
The County has committed to maintain a truly professional XC ski trail system at the Mountain Lodge. Through grant funding, the Lodge was able to purchase a 2009 Ski-Doo Skandic SWT (Super Wide Track) 4 stroke snowmobile (the industry’s top rated snow machine for narrow corridor trail grooming), a Yellowstone Tracksystem “Ginzu-Groomer”, a roller and a leveling drag in addition to professional, paid groomers.
Although no user fees have been implemented to this time, skiers are encouraged to help to support the trails and grooming operations with a donation on each respective XC ski trail network if they enjoy their ski experience.
