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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.
• Cheap winter retreats
  Spend a weekend mushing dogs or tracking wolves at bargain prices.
• 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.
• 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.

Skiing in the city

On the trails of Duluth, a cappuccino never is far away.

During the great Christmas Blizzard of 2009, Duluth was one of the biggest beneficiaries of snow, with 24½ inches.

That's good news for cross-country skiers, because Duluth and Superior have 82 kilometers of groomed trails. It's a civilized place to go for a ski weekend; expend a few thousand calories, then hop over to one of the many restaurants and brewpubs for a burger and a craft beer. And of course, there are many great places to stay.

Last January, I drove there with friends and was able to get onto Lester Park's lighted trail by dusk. We skied 5 kilometers under towering firs before grabbing Vietnamese takeout and retiring to the fireside at Cottage on the Point, a vacation rental on Park Point.

The next day, we skied the 14 kilometers of Magney-Snively Park on the other end of town, stopping to admire panoramic views of St. Louis Bay from Ely Peak and Bardon's Peak (pictured). Then we skied the gentler loops at Hartley Nature Center, in the center of town.

We shopped on Superior Street, drank microbrews at Fitger's Brewhouse, walked on the dunes outside our cottage and warmed up with mochas.

No other town is so wild and yet so comfortable as Duluth. If you don't ski, snowshoe; the Superior Hiking Trail cuts across both Magney-Snively and Hartley trails. The scenery is a lot cheaper in winter, and most of the hotels offer Hot Deals. Even the B&Bs offer such deals as half off the second night.

For more, see Cross-country in Duluth.

Last updated on December 28, 2009