by Glenn Warren

Have you ever thought about trying a different type of snowmobiling adventure? Many people have ridden all over the West but have never experienced riding in the flatlands. An excellent place to experience Midwest riding is in Wisconsin. I got the opportunity to experience Wisconsin trails while attending an International Snowmobile Media Council meeting and the rides were hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Many thanks to the Tourism Department for their generosity in promoting snowmobiling in their state.
Wisconsin offers some outstanding riding and the hospitality of everyone is truly top notch. Tourism is the number one industry in Wisconsin. Every place that our group visited in Wisconsin was very friendly and anxious to answer any questions.
Flying time from Sea-Tac International Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is right around 3 hours. After a short layover, another hour of flying time on a regional airline like Horizon Air gets you to Rhinelander Airport.
My first night was spent in the Claridge Best Western Inn in Rhinelander. It was a nice comfortable motel that provides service to the local airport.
The next day our group was supposedly to gather up at the airport to board a bus to the Lakewoods Resort in Cable. Due to bad weather that day, no body else was able to arrive in time at the airport so only the ones who came a day early boarded the bus. On the way to Cable, one of our hosts explained to us how important fishing is in the area. There are many lakes across the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Cable is approximately 125 miles Northwest of Rhinelander.
Once we got to the Lakewoods Resort, we checked into our rooms and then got prepared to ride. The Lakewoods Resort has ranked number 1 in resorts across the country according to Sno-Goer Magazine. The Resort has Condos, a Golf Course, lodge, large indoor pool, and dining and convention facilities. The owners are Phil and Kathy Rasmussen and they are very involved in snowmobiling and the grooming program in their county. The area also offers world class Nordic skiing opportunities and international competitions are held in the area.
The Resort offers rental snowmobiles, which our group utilized. Indy Sports and Indy Classic Touring machines were available. Our group took off on a ride on the Trails in Sawyer County. We got a taste of the trails as they crossed frozen lakes and then headed off through the woods. The trails may be mountain bike trails in the summer time. They felt like some of our trails through the trees only these are groomed. We rode very few trails that were actually roads in this area. Snow fell during our ride but was very dry so it was hardly noticed as it continued to pile up. Darkness set upon us so we returned to the resort to get cleaned up for dinner at the Garmisch USA Inn. The place is a Bavarian Resort and would fit in well in Leavenworth, WA. The food and atmosphere was great.
The next day we boarded the bus to Hurley, WI. It is about 80 miles to the Northeast of Cable and is near the Upper Peninsula of Michigan border. This area is close to Lake Superior and receives lake effect snows and it was visible, as we got closer. The snow appeared to get greater than 4 feet as we got to the town and made our way to the Ramada Inn where we would stay. The Ramada featured a large parking area for people with trailers. We picked up our machines at Ave’s Snowmobile Rental. They feature Ski Doo and Polaris snowmobiles.
Our guide met us there. Richard Decker of Decker Sno-Venture Tours of Eagle River, WI was the one who led us this day. We headed Northwest out of town toward Lake Superior. We rode twisty trails through the woods that were about 10 feet wide. You wouldn’t believe they could get their groomers and drags through the trees but they do. The area features hills and lots of woods. There were some railroad beds to ride in the area. We made it to the shores of Lake Superior and watched the waves come splashing to shore. We also experienced snow on this day and as we got closer to Lake Superior we did experience some freezing on the goggles and shields. This was the only day that it was a problem.
One thing to note is on this day I was on an MXZ 500 and they have more than enough power and speed due to the low elevation. As an observation during the whole trip, a 600 c.c. machine was considered a large machine and was the most popular followed by the 500 c.c. machines. There were a few 700’s but very few 800’s were seen during the several days of riding in Wisconsin.
The area featured perfectly groomed trails that were windy and smooth. Grooming was done by Tuckers in the hills and on the more open roads they used John Deere wheel tractors pulling the drags with their oversized tires.
The Hurley area was rich in iron ore and mining. Now the mining is pretty much dead and tourism has taken over. We saw mine shafts and other mining remnants. The town’s claim to fame was all their bars and their red light district much like Wallace, ID. The bars feature great dining. We ate at the Iron Nugget in the historic downtown district.
The town of Hurley tops the Sno-Goer Magazines list of places in the country for best nightlife. There are lots of places to go that are sure to be hopping in the evenings.
The next morning we boarded the bus for about a 75-mile trip to Eagle River, WI where we stayed at the Best Western Derby Inn just down from the World Championship Derby Race Track. The Derby Inn features a twin track oval racer and one of the early Decker racing snowmobiles over the main lobby doors. The lounge and lobby feature memorabilia and trophies from races at Eagle River that started in 1964. World Championship trophies were on display for the guests. We suited up and went to the Trackside Sports, which sells Ski Doo, Arctic Cat, and Polaris snowmobiles. We had Ski Doo Touring 380 machines to ride. Again our leader was Richard Decker along with Kevin and Allen. First off we went over to the Derby track and were allowed on the track to put on a few laps and take some pictures. This is an opportunity that isn’t open to the general public. The track is owned by the Decker’s. The World Championship Derby had been held a couple weeks earlier. The track greeted us with about 8 inches of snow on top of the ice.
We then hit the trails. We headed out and got off the main groomed trails and did a little exploring. We headed to St. Germain to the Black Bear Lodge for lunch on the edge of the lake. After lunch we headed over to the International Snowmobile Racing Hall of Fame to see historic racing snowmobiles and other items associated with years of snowmobile racing. Then it was ride the trails back to Eagle River. The trails are more open and cross few lakes in the Eagle River area. Sometimes you ride the edges of the roads and we rode through town and had to cross the highway a few times. We stopped at the Ice Castle in downtown Eagle River for a group photo. It lightly snowed on us this day also. Back at the Derby Inn we ate in the lobby and met three of the Decker’s sons and their families. We learned that Eagle River and Vilas County have a chain of 28 lakes, which is the longest chain of lakes in North America.
The Decker Sno-Venture Tours has been rated the top tour group by Sno-Goer magazine for the life of the award. They put on a quality program and make sure all riders ride safely, know the hand signals, keep them moving and have fun. Check them out as they offer tours all around the world. They offer Wisconsin packages every winter also and are on the go all winter long. Audrey Decker is an important part of the business also and she helps get gear transported from one area to another for their groups.
The next day was clear and getting colder starting out around 5 below zero. We went to the Derby Track and shopped for a period in their gift shop. Then our group headed out towards Rhinelander, WI for lunch. The Decker’s had to leave for a snowmobile tour in Canada so we had new leaders. One was Orv Langohr who is the president of the AWSC. We headed south and stopped at Sugar Camp for a break from the cold. Then it was on to the edge of Rhinelander where we stopped at the Taj Mahal and boarded a bus to go on downtown to Bugsey’s Sports Bar where we would have lunch. There we met with Moose Spiros who is the Secretary of Tourism for Wisconsin. Also we listened to the president of the chamber of commerce in Rhinelander and also the mayor. Snowmobiling is an important economic boom in Wisconsin towns in the wintertime and all towns know that and do their best to cater to snowmobilers. After a delicious lunch we got back to our snowmobiles and rode back to Eagle River. We crossed a lake that was hosting a fishing tournament. There were shanties and holes all over. There were vehicles all over on the lake. It looked like a regular city out there with cars and roads grids everywhere. They take their fishing seriously so snowmobiles must go slow by the fishermen or face getting a ticket.
We turned in our rental machines and made it back to the Derby Inn to get ready for our final dinner as a group at the Chanticleer Inn just outside of Eagle River. There we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and awards were presented for our week of riding.
The next day some headed for home while some of us were still around so rode in a car over to Sayner, WI to view the first snowmobile built in 1924 by Carl Eliason. It was a good thing we weren’t riding, as it was 24 below zero on this morning. Many families were enjoying the indoor swimming pool with a snowmobile mosaic in the bottom of it. We visited with the son and grandson of Carl. Other Eliason snowmachines were on display in their museum located in the front of their family hardware store in Sayner. It was a lot of fun to view the 2 hp outboard motor bolted to skis and a track that was the forerunner to the modern snowmobile. While out riding I could envision the pioneers of snowmobiling riding through the woods and across lakes. There is a lot of history in the area and you can easily sense it.
The remainder of our group enjoyed a meal together at the White Tail Inn, which was loaded with replicas plus some original trophy racks of deer around the country. Many of the antlers looked a lot different that what we see in our local area. After lunch we headed to Rhinelander where I stayed one more night before getting on the plane for my trip home.
To summarize if you would like to try a different kind of riding, why not explore Wisconsin. They are very friendly and helpful. There are rental shops located all around the Northwoods of Wisconsin. One thing to remember is to stay on the trails as they do cross private lands and the success of snowmobiling depends on the snowmobilers obeying the rules and stay on the trails where the easements have been granted. The play areas are on the lakes as they are an integral part of the trail system and with the cold weather they freeze several feet thick. Caution must be taken though to stay where it is known to be safe. With the number of trails available to ride you forget about the western way of riding. They have trail systems that interconnect all across the state and you can travel them just as you could in a car on the roads.
Think about it sometime if you are looking to do something different. Wisconsin is close by air and you can rent a machine and experience an unbelievable trail system where you can enjoy the state just like you could by car. I happened to catch a good snow year but their trails were perfectly groomed and trails weren’t overly heavy with snowmobile traffic. If you would like any more information contact the Wisconsin Department of Tourism at P.O. Box 7976, Madison, WI 53707-7976. Phone (608) 266-7621 or their website at HYPERLINK "http://agency.travelwisconsin.com/" http://agency.travelwisconsin.com/
Wisconsin is rich with history, rich with trails, rich with activity and rich with friendly people. Think about trying it some time. It was an experience I truly enjoyed and will never forget.