Popcorn clouds at sunset February 14 at Bearskin Lodge. Photo by Karen Reynolds.

The 3-day weekend is coming up and the forecast for winter fun at Bearskin looks great. We’ve had an unusually cold winter, like most of the state, and it’s taken a little of the fun out of being in a winter wonderland. But it looks like we’re finally crawling out of the deep-freeze, with ideal winter activity temperatures forecast for President’s weekend.

Trails are all newly groomed and in good shape.  We had a small snowfall on Tuesday, followed by a very warm day on Wednesday.  Quinn groomed this morning and thought the tiller successfully removed all iciness.

Our expanded snowshoe trail system (go farther, get lost less often!) and our fat bike trail system are exceptionally nice now. We do not allow fat bikes on our ski trails, of course. As skiers, we understand that fat bikes and well-groomed ski trails are incompatible. But we’ve created a system that allows you to explore far away on East Bearskin Lake, including parts of the south and north arms, almost all the way to the BWCA. It’s OK to walk or snowshoe this trail system, also, but fat biking to the end of the lake is a perfect way to explore an area most visitors never see in the winter. Stop along the way to hike over to Crocodile Falls, watch for the otters and their slides, and be alert for moose and wolf tracks along the way.

Are you a day skier, just visiting to ski? Parking probably will not be possible at Bearskin by about noon on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. We strongly encourage you to come early and make a day of it, before the parking becomes chaos. Stay for a soup or chili lunch, enjoy hot chocolate, espresso (yes, the real thing — we even have our own barista!), or have a glass of wine or beer. If you are a half-day skier after lunch, consider driving a little farther up the Gunflint Trail to start at Golden Eagle Lodge. Same beautiful trails, different way to enter the system, but fewer parking issues in the afternoon. Trail tickets are available at the front desk of both resorts.

Icing on the cake for President’s holiday:  there’s a good chance of northern lights this weekend.  The clouds need to clear off, but it could happen.  Watch the skies! Info about aurora watching at Bearskin and on the Gunflint Trail can be found here.