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Michigan offers skiing — and lots of it
— Michigan residents heading on vacation often speak of going "up north." Resort country, including the best skiing, is based in the northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula.
A cluster of popular ski areas can be found near the tip of Lower Michigan, including Boyne Mountain, in the town of Boyne Falls. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this winter, the resort is modeled after a Swiss-Austrian village; its Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa opened three years ago. There's also a variety of cabins and villas.
Its sister resort, Boyne Highlands, is 25 miles farther north in Harbor Springs, also home to Nubs Nob, which has 53 runs, a 427-foot drop and wins raves from Ski magazine for the quality of its snow and grooming.
You can reach these and other area ski hills by driving north three to four hours on I-75 from Detroit, then taking county roads to your destination. Or fly into Traverse City or Pellston and rent a car.
Traverse City, about 65 miles west of Boyne Falls, is a good jumping-off point for a number of ski areas. Among them: Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, Caberfae Peaks in Cadillac and Shanty Creek in Bellaire.
All are near Lake Michigan and towns catering to tourists year-round. They offer a variety of shopping, dining and entertainment options, including several tribal casinos.
— For sheer adventure, you can't beat the winter scene in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The forests are thicker and wilder, the villages more far-flung, the hills steeper. The U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame is based in Ishpeming, its sloping roof modeled after the peninsula's ski jumps that sometimes host international competitions.
The far western U.P. bills itself "Big Snow Country" — justifiably so. It routinely gets more than 200 inches a year, courtesy of frequent "lake effect" squalls gusting off Lake Superior.
Indianhead Mountain in Wakefield and Big Powderhorn in nearby Bessemer, both with vertical dropoffs exceeding 600 feet, offer interchangeable lift tickets. Porcupine Mountain near Ontonagon boasts a 787-foot drop.
— If you crave extreme skiing, check out Mount Bohemia. It's located in Lac La Belle, near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, which juts 70 miles into Superior in the U.P.'s far northwestern corner. The drive over snowy, two-lane roads is long. But the scenery, featuring icy lakeshore and isolated woodlands, is worth it.
This is no ordinary resort: The 900-foot drop is the Midwest's steepest; its 71 runs are the region's longest. Skiers dart along trails that wind through trees and hurtle over rock outcrops. No artificial snow or grooming here.
Fancy lodging or amenities? Forget 'em. Just trailside cabins, yurts (circular, tent-like dwellings) and a hostel, although motels are available in nearby villages.
In this isolated outpost, the restaurants are homey, the food hearty. After working up an appetite on the slopes, enjoy Lake Superior whitefish or pan-fried walleye at Mariner North in Copper Harbor. Or drive to the university town of Houghton for Cornish pasty, an Upper Peninsula culinary and cultural icon.
It's a filling dish, but you'll need it. There's more skiing tomorrow.
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