MidwestWeekends.com — Your Travel Guide to the Upper Midwest

Sports/outdoors events 2013

January

  • (Jan. 1)Cool Fool Kite Festival

    Milwaukee, WI

    In addition to kite-flying, there will be ice sculptures and free hot chocolate, coffee and snacks in the lakefront Veterans Park.


  • (Jan. 6 – 8)Gichigami Express sled-dog race

    Grand Portage, MN

    In this new race, mushers travel to the Gunflint Trail, then Grand Marais, then back to Grand Portage.


  • (Jan. 12)Winter Trails Day

    Across the region, ALL

    This is the day adults as well as children can try snowshoeing and cross-country skiing for free. Check the website for sponsor stores and resorts near you.


  • (Jan. 12)SISU Ski Fest

    Ironwood, MI

    This Finnish fest includes a 10K Taste N Tour with four food stations showcasing Yooper cuisine, kids' races, a Finnish reggae concert Saturday and 21K and 42K races through historic mining areas, scenic bluffs and along the Montreal River.


  • (Jan. 24 – 26)Crashed Ice World Championship

    St. Paul, MN

    Red Bull is returning with the extreme sport of ice cross downhill, or high-speed skating on a downhill course from the Cathedral of St. Paul. Admission to the Crash Zone is free Friday, $10 on Saturday.


  • (Jan. 25 – 27)Winter Games

    Lake Okoboji, IA

    This resort area in northwest Iowa will offer broomball, softball and flag football on ice, indoor golf, a Freeze Yer Fanny Bike Ride, ugliest snowsuit contest, a chili cookoff and fireworks at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.


  • (Jan. 26 – 27)Norge Ski Jumping Tournament

    Fox River Grove, IL

    See some of the nation's best jumpers compete in this northwest Chicago suburb.


February

  • (Feb. 1 – 3)Michigan Ice Fest

    Munising, MI

    Ice-climbing demos, slide shows and clinics for beginners at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.


  • (Feb. 1 – 3)Apostle Islands Sled Dog Race

    Bayfield, WI

    Watch four races over two days and get in some skiing and snowshoeing on the side.


  • (Feb. 2 – 3)City of Lakes Loppet

    Minneapolis, MN

    For recreational skiers, the highlight of this big cross-country ski festival is the Saturday-night Luminary Loppet, with glowing ice pillars and "ruins.'' There's a tent party with music afterward.

    On Saturday, there are also ski games and races for children, a snow-sculpture contest and bicycle and skijoring races.

    On Sunday, there's a 10k tour, a 25k classical race and a 33k freestyle race, all in Wirth Park.


  • (Feb. 6 – 10)Winter Carnival

    Houghton, MI

    This snow fest at Michigan Tech University includes a human dog-sled race, snow volleyball and a tug of war and ends with a torchlight parade and fireworks at Mont Ripley ski hill.


  • (Feb. 9 – 10)Pine Mountain Ski Jumping Tournament

    Iron Mountain, MI

    This Upper Peninsula town on the Wisconsin border is where the international jumpers go; it's a stop on the Continental Cup circuit.


  • (Feb. 15 – 17)Sax Zim Bog Festival of Birds

    Meadowlands, MN

    Listen to programs and go on field trips to see such boreal species as evening grosbeak, northern hawk owl, gray jay and particularly snowy owls. Register early for this festival northwest of Duluth.


  • (Feb. 16 – 17)Madison Winter Festival

    Madison, WI

    See Capitol Square turn into a sports venue, with cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing plus music, family games and ice and snow sculptures.


  • (Feb. 16)Book Across the Bay

    Ashland/Washburn, WI

    Ski or snowshoe across Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay on a 10-kilometer route lined by ice luminaries. If you're not too fast, fireworks will fill the sky as you're approaching Washburn; a bonfire, chili feed and blues music follow.


  • (Feb. 16)Candlelight ski/snowshoe/hike

    Around the region

    There's nothing better than skiing (or snowshoeing or hiking) through a twinkling forest or across a luminary-lined lake.


  • (Feb. 23)Bald Eagle Appreciation Day

    Prairie du Chien, WI

    Birding experts give programs and lead field trips. At the Wisconsin Travel Information Center, just off the bridge into town, volunteers man spotting scopes.


  • (Feb. 23 – 25)WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog Race

    Ely, MN

    There's a dog weight pull competition and mushers lasagna feed Saturday and the race to Tower and back on Sunday.


  • (Feb. 23)Perkinstown Outhouse Race

    Medford, WI

    Bring your own throne to this race at the nearby Perkinstown Winter Sports Area. Teams of four pushers and one squatter compete for the titles "hardest pushers'' and "prettiest potty.''


March

  • (Mar. 2)Sleeping Giant Loppet

    Thunder Bay, ON

    Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is the setting for this tour and race, which includes live entertainment, food and a choice of four distances, 10, 20, 35 and 50 kilometers.


  • (Mar. 8 – 10)Mush for a Cure

    Gunflint Trail, MN

    This event begins with a "sourdough start'' -- mushers wait inside sleeping bags for a shotgun blast, then race to put on boots and hook up teams for a fun run. Everyone wears pink, including the dogs, and a party follows. There are also human sled-dog races, sky lanterns and skijoring.


  • (Mar. 10)John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon

    Duluth, MN

    Watch the start of the marathon to the Gunflint Trail and the mid-distance race to Tofte. Postponed from Jan. 27.


May

  • (May 3 – 5)Kettle River Paddle Festival

    Sandstone, MN

    Watch a kayak whitewater rodeo, learn to paddle in a clinic, see fireworks. In Sandstone's Robinson Park and Banning State Park.


  • (May 16 – 18)Chequamegon Bay Birding & Nature Festival

    Ashland, WI

    Based out of the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center, activities include bird-banding, hikes and expeditions, hatchery tours and kayaking tours of estuaries.


June

  • (Jun 2)Ride the Drive

    Madison, WI

    Ride, walk or skate a car-free six-mile loop along Lake Monona, around the State Capitol and through downtown. There are also family activities, parades, food and music. It's free and nearly all day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.


  • (Jun 2)Ride for the Arts

    Milwaukee, WI

    This bicycle ride along the Lake Michigan lakefront includes routes of 5, 12, 25, 50 and 75 miles. The three longer routes will include the Hoan Bridge on I-794, which will be closed to cars for two hours, and the longest route goes as far north as Port Washington.

    The rides start and end at the Summerfest grounds, and there's a party afterward.


August

  • (Aug. 23 – 24)Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival

    Superior, WI

    The festival on Barker's Island begins Friday with a parade of teams, fireworks and a concert and continues Saturday with races in the harbor and family entertainment.


September

  • (Sep. 2)Mackinac Bridge Walk

    Mackinaw City, MI

    Once a year, on Labor Day, people can walk across the five-mile span, the third-longest suspension bridge in the world.


  • (Sep. 8)St. Paul Classic Bike Tour

    St. Paul, MN

    Ride a 15-, 30- or 45-mile route along the Mississippi, lakes Como and Phalen and St. Paul parkways, starting and ending at the University of St. Thomas and punctuated by food and live music.


  • (Sep. 15)Minneapolis Bike Tour

    Minneapolis, MN

    Ride a 14- or 36-mile route on parkways along the Mississippi and the Chain of Lakes. Start and finish is Parade Field, across from the Walker Art Center; there's a party afterward.


October

  • (Oct. 12)WhistleStop Marathon, Half Marathon & Brews and Blues Festival

    Ashland, WI

    A beautiful fall-colors run on the limestone Tri-County Corridor rail trail between Iron River and Chequamegon Bay. There are also 5K and 10K runs and a toddler run at the Bay Area Civic Center, plus evening sampling of 50 microbrews and blues music all night in a heated festival tent.