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Other stories in "Winter"

• The chocolate cure
  As winter drags on, drown your sorrows with sweets.
• Vacations for the brain
  Go to a summer school, and you'll come home with a skill.
• Following the Beargrease
  The 2011 North Shore sled-dog marathon was one of the most exciting in years.
• The best of 2010 . . . and 2011
  Here are our revelations from the old year and resolutions for the new one.
• Volunteering on Lake Superior
  Be keeper of the light or a modern voyageur.
• Bargains for beginners
  Free or cut-rate ski and snowboard packages make it easy to learn.
• How to make ice luminaries
  With homemade lanterns, make your front walk sparkle.
• Walking on ice
  To stay safe and have fun, buy a pair of crampons.
• A peek into an inn
  During holidays, B&Bs in five tourist towns open for tours.
• Holiday house calls
  On tours, see where the rich and famous celebrated Christmas.
• Readers say Ely is the coolest town
  It's got wolves, it's got bears, it's got character.
• Sightseeing by bicycle
  This summer's tours include an extra quota of scenery.
• Serious reservations
  Here's a guide to the lodgings, campsites and permits you should nail down now.
• Best bets in ski country
  Trails in the south bask in snow; a hostel reopens in state forest.
• Skiing in the city
  On the trails of Duluth, a cappuccino never is far away.
• Magic under the moon
  In winter, plan a trip around a candlelight ski or snowshoe.
• A very merry city
  At Christmas, Chicago brims with good will.
• All eyes on eagles
  In winter, tourists and birds alike head for open water.

Cheap winter retreats

Spend a weekend mushing dogs or tracking wolves at bargain prices.

In winter, mushing your own sled-dog team is one of the most fun — and expensive — things you can do.

But if you sign up for a mushing retreat at an environmental learning center, you’ll pay less for an entire weekend than you’d pay an outfitter for a half-day trip.

If you’re on a budget — and who isn't, really? — these non-profit centers are your friend. They’re the low-cost Club Meds of the north woods, offering all-inclusive packages that include meals, lodgings in private rooms and all activities, including indoor climbing.

Here are some great ELC weekends for 2011. And see this year's edition of Cheap winter getaways for 15 winter weekends under $110.

Dog mushing: Treehaven, a natural-resources center operated by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the woods between Tomahawk and Rhinelander, offers Introduction to Dog Sledding 101 Feb. 25-27; mush your own team and learn from  Iditarod veteran Chad Schouweiler and UP 200 champion Tim Calhoun.

Cost is $311, including lodgings in a room with bath and five meals.

In far-north Minnesota, the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness is offering a Sampler Weekend of mushing, skiing and snowshoeing out of Camp Menogyn on the central Gunflint Trail Jan. 14-17.

Cost is $185 for adults, including a membership, and $90 for children 6-13. Register by Jan. 5.

Wolf tracking: At Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center near Wisconsin Rapids, it's $80 for Timber Wolf Winter Tracking & Ecology workshops on Jan. 22-23 and Feb. 19-20.

At Treehaven, Wolf Ecology workshops are Feb. 5-6 and Feb. 26-27 and cost $146.

In Ely, the International Wolf Center (pictured) is holding a New Year's Family Slumber Party Jan 1-2 that includes day and night hikes. Cost is $75 for adults, $50 for children 6-12, including a pizza dinner and continental breakfast.

Snowshoeing and skiing: At the rather posh Deep Portage near Hackensack, Minn., Family Winter Weekends are Feb. 11-13 and March 4-6 and cost $110, $325 for a family of four (for more, see Playground in the woods).

At Wolf Ridge Environmental Center on Minnesota's North Shore, Winter Snow Days is Feb. 18-20 and includes cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and dog-sled mushing. Cost is $199 for adults, $180 for children ages 5-17.

For more on ELCs, see Minnesota's environmental learning centers.

Last updated on December 2, 2010