Looking for a wintertime shot of invigorating exercise and outdoor adventure? And maybe just a dash of romance? Wisconsin’s candlelight skiing, hiking and snowshoeing outings could be just the answer.
Especially in light of Wisconsin’s record-setting December snowfall.
The January and February candlelight events represent one of the Badger State’s more innovative solutions to the winter blahs. Nearly 50 such outings at state parks and forests summon the outdoor enthusiast.
The ambience is…well…dazzling.
Rows of candles transform wooded ski trails into an enchanted forest, providing an idyllic opportunity to savor winter’s star-studded skies. Skiers and hikers (and, sometimes, snowshoers) see Wisconsin parks and forests from a totally different perspective.
“The darkness of the woods, the flickering candles along the trail, the way the trees protect you from the wind, the roaring bonfires–oh, it’s very special,” says Coggin Heeringa, a naturalist at Newport State Park in Wisconsin’s popular Door County. “Romantic, too, if you’re with the Right Person.”
And the sounds are special: the squeaks from the skis and fresh snow, the distant laughing and talking of fellow skiers, the hoots of amorous owls like the great horned and the barred. Participants might even hear coyotes yodeling or the muffled grunts of a porcupine.
Skiing-under-starlight–what better cure for the winter doldrums? Here’s what outdoor seekers can expect in their candlelight excursion:
Like a page out of a storybook, the moon shines down on a chilly night. You’re standing on a snowy hillside, gazing down a line of glowing candles. They curl into the shadowy woods and across the meadow beyond.
The candles seem to be leading off into never-never land. You follow the lights, tentatively at first, then more confidently, and you’re soon rewarded with a bracing sensation not soon forgotten.
“It changes your perspective on things,” says Jeff Krueger, superintendent of Interstate State Park at St. Croix Falls. “It’s an unforgettable way to spend a winter evening and maybe do some thinking about life at the same time.”
Amenities are part of the package. Skiers and hikers are likely to encounter such refreshments as hot chocolate, apple cider and coffee. And a blazing bonfire helps you warm up, and often charcoal grills are already lit for outdoor cooking. Break out the steaks, chops and ground beef.
“We’ve taken the deadliest possible time in state parks and done something exciting with it,” says Gerald Trumm, Mirror Lake State Park superintendent, who launched candlelight skiing in 1987. The idea spread like a candle’s gleam. Cars and vans with Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa licenses now join those with Badger State plates in the parking lots of Mirror Lake, just outside Wisconsin Dells. The same trend is reported in many other state parks and state forest units that have jumped on the candlelight bandwagon.
Wisconsin’s popular program has become a model for other states looking for enticing new wintertime offerings. Many sites, of course, offer electrically lit trails, but the idea of skiing by the light of flickering candles offers a charming twist.
“Candlelight skiing is the winter equivalent of a football or baseball tailgate party,” Trumm adds. People come in groups, they cook out, then they enjoy a couple of hours of moonlight skiing in the woods, usually on relatively easy trails.
The only cost is an inexpensive state park sticker for the vehicle ($5 per car for state residents; $7 for out-of-staters).
“Most people are looking for any excuse to get out of the house in winter,” Trumm explains. “We’ve giving them that opportunity.”
CANDLELIGHT EVENTS
– JAN. 13
– Buckhorn State Park, Necedah, ski/hike, 608-565-2789
– Rib Mountain State Park, Wausau, snowshoe hike, 715-842-2522
– Wildcat Mountain State Park, Ontario, torch-light skiing, 608-337-4775
– Kettle Moraine State Forest, Lapham Peak Unit, Delafield, ski/ice skating, 262-646-3025
– Point Beach State Forest, Two Rivers, ski, 920-794-7480
– Lake Kegonsa State Park, Stoughton, ski, 608-873-9695
– JAN. 20
– Council Grounds State Park, Merrill, ski/hike, 715-536-8773
– High Cliff State Park, Sherwood, ski/hike, part of “Winterfest Weekend” Jan. 20 and 21, 920-989-1106
– Gov. Dodge State Park, Dodgeville, ski, 608-935-2315
– Hartman Creek State Park, Waupaca, ski/hike, 715-258-2372
– Kohler-Andrae State Park, Sheboygan, ski/hike and torch-lit trail hiking, 920-451-4080
– Mirror Lake State Park, Baraboo/Wisconsin Dells, ski, 608-254-2333
– Roche-A-Cri State Park, Friendship, ski/hike, 608-565-2789.
– JAN. 26
– Red Cedar State Trail, Menomonie, featuring its famed “Blue Ice Wall,” ski/hike, 715-232-1242
– Willow River State Park, Hudson, ski/hike, 715-386-5931
– JAN. 27
– Gov. Nelson State Park, Waunakee, ski, 608-831-3005
– Harrington Beach State Park, Belgium, ski/hike, 262-285-3015
– Hartman Creek State Park, Waupaca, ski/hike, 715-258-2372
– Kettle Moraine State Forest, Southern Unit, Eagle, ski, 262-594-6200
– Merrick State Park, Fountain City, skating on the backwaters of the Mississippi River and horse-drawn rides, 608-687-4936
– Whitefish Dunes State Park, Sturgeon Bay, ski, 920-823-2400
– FEB. 3
– Black River State Forest, Black River Falls, ski, 715-284-4103
– Flambeau River State Forest, Winter, ski, 715-332-5271
– Kettle Moraine State Forest, Northern Unit, Campbellsport, ski/hike, 920-533-8322
– Lake Wissota State Park, Chippewa Falls, ski/hike/snowshoe, 715-382-4574
– Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, ski, 920-868-3258
– Perrot State Park, Trempealeau, ski, 608-534-6409.
– FEB. 10
– Blue Mound State Park, Blue Mounds, ski, 608-437-5711
– Brule River State Forest, Brule, ski, 715-372-5678
– Brunet Island State Park, Cornell, ski, 715-239-3717
– Interstate State Park, St. Croix Falls, ski/hike/snowshoe, 715-483-3747
– Kohler-Andrae State Park, Sheboygan, ski/hike 920-451-4080
– Lake Kegonsa State Park, Stoughton, ski 608-873-9695
– Kettle Moraine State Forest, Lapham Peak Unit, Delafield, ski/ice skating 262-646-3025
– Mirror Lake State Park, Baraboo/Wisconsin Dells, ski 608-254-2333
– Newport State Park, Ellison Bay, ski/hike/snowshoe, 920-854-2500
– Potawatomi State Park, Sturgeon Bay, ski, 920-746-2890
– Wildcat Mountain State Park, Ontario, ski 608-337-4775
– Wyalusing State Park, Bagley, sweetheart ski/stroll, 608-996-2261.
– FEB. 17
– Council Grounds State Park, Merrill, ski/hike 715-536-8773
– Rib Mountain State Park, Wausau, snowshoe hike 715-842-2522
– FEB. 24
– Gov. Nelson State Park, Waunakee, ski 608-831-3005
– Pattison State Park, Superior, ski, 715-399-3111
– INFORMATION
For further information, contact the Wisconsin Bureau of Parks and Recreation, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921; 608-266-2181; www.wiparks.net.
