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5 great/cross-country ski resorts

At top spots, groomers work wonders with snow.

Got snow? Then it's time to seize the moment and plan a cross-country ski vacation. Below are five of the resorts with the best and most reliable grooming:

Maplelag Resort, Callaway, Minn.: This resort, in a pocket of hardwood forest north of Detroit Lakes, is one of the first spots to catch snow off the Rockies. And once it's there, the Richards family keeps it in impeccable condition. There are 60 kilometers of trails outside the comfortable lodgings, which vary from rustic pioneer cabins to Great Northern cabooses.

The weekend rate, for two nights and six excellent meals, is $225-$332 adults; $199 youths 15-17, $139 children 8-14 and $109 children 4-7, with a 10 percent discount for families. The rate for three-night weekends, with nine meals, is $299-$378 adults; $205, $155 and $125 for children. The rate for two midweek nights and meals is $224 adults and $125, $95 and $75 children. They're 20 percent off Feb. 21-29, and 25 percent off March 1-20.

Ski equipment in all sizes can be rented, as well as snowshoes and kick sleds for hauling small children. Call 1-800-654-7711, www.maplelag.com.

Active Backwoods Retreat (ABR), Ironwood, Mich.: This popular ski center isn't really a resort, but it does get the most reliable snow in the Upper Midwest, thanks to moisture-laden air blowing in from Lake Superior, and its grooming is state of the art. Its rental houses and rustic cabins are right on the 40-kilometer trail system.

The three-bedroom, two-bath Hilltop House sleeps up to 15 and rents for $360 per night for up to six people on weekends, $30 extra per person, and $120-$150 weeknights for two. The three-bedroom River House sleeps up to 10 and rents for $200 per night for up to six people on weekends, $20 per extra person, and $110-$140 weeknights for two. Six heated rustic cabins, without electricity or bathrooms, rent for $40-$60 per night for one, $8 for each extra person; a seventh rustic cabin rents for $90 for two. There's no lodge, but the ski center rents skis and other equipment. Call 1-906-932-3502, www.abrski.com.

Afterglow Resort near Phelps, Wis.: The 11 kilometers of trails at this lake resort in far northeast Wisconsin are maintained by hard-working Pete Moline, who uses a groomer he helped develop for Tidd Tech. This also is a great resort for families; Moline has built a tubing hill and hauls guests to the top with his snowmobile.

Housekeeping cottages have wood-burning fireplaces. For the minimum three nights on winter weekends, total rates range from $500 for a three-bedroom cottage, based on four people, to $800 for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage, based on six people. It's $30 for each extra person. Sheets and towels are not provided. 1-715-545-2560, www.afterglowresort.com.

National Forest Lodge, Isabella, Minn.: The snow around this resort between Ely and the North Shore is almost as reliable as the Gunflint and more than an hour closer. It's 30 miles up Minnesota 1 from Silver Bay and often is used by skiers from the North Shore. Guests can ski out the door, across Lake Gegoka and onto a 30-kilometer series of loops through Superior National Forest; often, they'll see wildlife. Lodging rates include three meals a day, served in the simple but comfortable lodge; $165 per person for two nights and $245 for three nights in rustic cabins or bunkhouse, $205-$300 in a modern house. Children ages 4-12 are half-price. Call 1-651-351-09391, www.nationalforestlodge.com.

Giants Ridge, Biwabik: This downhill resort on the Iron Range also has 60 kilometers of cross-country trails, some of which can be reached by chairlifts. Three kilometers of trails are lighted. The snow is the most reliable to be found within 3½ hours of the Twin Cities, and there's always alpine skiing as a backup.

The daily cross country pass is $12, $6 for children 7-12, and includes use of the lifts. In January, skiers get 25 percent off suites at the Lodge at Giants Ridge Sunday-Thursday and skiing Monday-Friday, 1-877-442-6877, www.lodgeatgiantsridge.com.  Other lodgings offer a free third night or other deals; check 1-800-688-7669, www.giantsridge.com.

In far northeastern Minnesota, there are also many ski resorts on the Gunflint Trail. They share 200 kilometers of groomed trails and snow that's the most reliable in Minnesota. On the Central Gunflint Trail, Bearskin Lodge has traditional cabins and lodge suites, 1-800-338-4170, www.bearskin.com. Trails connect it to Golden Eagle Lodge, which has a mixture of older and new cabins and a 1945 lodge, 1-800-346-2203, www.golden-eagle.com. Both resorts have lighted loops. Across the road, Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B is on the 29-kilometer Banadad Trail and also rents a cabin and yurt, 1-800-322-8327, www.littleollielodging.com.

In the Upper Gunflint, Gunflint Lodge is a full-service resort with modern townhouse units, 1-800-328-3325, www.gunflint.com. Heston's, Gunflint Pines, Moosehorn Lodge and B&B and Tuscarora Lodge are among other good places to stay on the Upper Gunflint; call 1-800-338-6932, www.gunflint-trail.com.

Last updated on October 7, 2008