Superior is full of recreational opportunities, and that doesn’t change when the snow falls. Many of the area’s hiking trails turn into snowshoe trails during the wintertime.
- The North Country National Scenic Trail is the longest trail in the National Trails System. It spans 4,600 miles across seven states, including Wisconsin.
- The Wisconsin portion of the trail passes through 200 miles of Wisconsin, including parts of Douglas County.
- Many of the trail sections are open to snowshoeing in the winter, including the trail section that runs through Pattison State Park. Try the Big Falls Trail with a half-mile of intermediate snowshoeing, or the Natural Trail with two miles of easy to intermediate trail.
- Amnicon Falls State Park has a designated 1.5-mile snowshoe trail in the winter. Be sure to stop the park’s Horton Bridge for a photo – it was just named one of the Most Beautiful Covered Bridges in America by Travel and Leisure.
Time your visit with the Lake Superior Ice Festival, taking place January 25-27. The festival celebrates all things winter in the Superior region.
- This year’s events include ice racing competitions, a half-pipe slide made out of snow, live ice sculpture-making and the popular Great Lakes Pond Hockey Tournament, which is played on the frozen waters of Lake Superior.
- Every year, the tournament features the “Guns & Hoses” charity Pond Hockey game between the Superior Fire Department and the Superior Police Department
- It’s a very family-friendly event, so there will also a fireworks show, open ice skating on Lake Superior, s’more making and a Kid’s Zone with craft activities, face painting and cookie decorating.
Warm up at Earth Rider Brewery, a new microbrewery in Superior.
- Earth Rider only opened in 2017, but they have already received accolades for their beer, winning bronze at the 2018 World Beer Cup for its North Tower Oatmeal Stout.
- Their beer is sustainably produced using water from Lake Superior and some of the beer names are influenced by the Lake Superior area
- The Dragon Boat Ale is named after the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival and the Stoney Point IPA is named in honor of the surfers that come to Lake Superior to surf.
- Their Cedar Lunge taproom dates back to 1912 when it was a tavern for the old Northern Brewing Company. Today, the taproom serves Earth Rider’s beer and hosts live music, game nights and special events.
- Tours of the Brewery are available every Saturday at 4:00 p.m. They last about one hour and includes samples and a souvenir sample glass. It’s just $6.00 per person.
Stay at Barker’s Island Inn is located on Barker’s Island, just off the coast of Superior.
The resort overlooks Lake Superior’s Harbor and has access to the nearby Barker’s Island Marina.
- Barker’s has on-site dining and cocktail lounge, an indoor pool area, game room and easy access to nearby hiking and snowmobile trails.
- Take a short walk from the hotel to tour the SS Meteor Whaleback Ship Museum. It’s the last above-water Whaleback ship in the world. These ships, innovative for their time, earned the name “whaleback” for their cigar-shaped steel hulls that rode low in the water when loaded with cargo.