Your Minnesota Winter Sports Guide

Minnesota's love of cross-country skiing — and its more than 2,000 miles of dedicated trails — is recognized around the world. Harder than it looks, cross-country skiing requires good balance, arm and leg strength, and a lot of practice. Once there's enough snow, skiers flock to local, state and national parks, many of which groom their trails specifically for this popular activity. Trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Ely and the Gunflint Trail are among the top destinations for serious skiers. 

Snow is most reliable in the northern half of the state, but good cross-country skiing can be found everywhere. In fact, machine-made snow is available at several Minneapolis-St. Paul area parks, including Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington, and Theodore Wirth Regional Park in Minneapolis. 

Statewide, more than two dozen Minnesota state parks provide groomed trails, and some rent skis. You can also find groomed trails at Voyageurs National Park near the Canada border, and at several downhill ski areas, including Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Spirit Mountain in Duluth, and Buena Vista Ski Area in Bemidji. 

Learn more about cross-country skiing and where to go. 

Not enough snow for skiing? No problem. Unlike other popular winter sports, fat bikes don’t depend on snow for an adventure. But the snow makes it a lot more fun!

The skinny on fat tire biking is that Minnesota offers outstanding options. One of the most notable is the rugged and hilly Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, where winter trails slice and curve through forests and lake country. In many ways, Cuyuna isn’t just trails; it’s an experience. 

Several state parks and downhill ski areas offer winter mountain biking opportunities thanks to the sport’s increasing popularity. So do park systems in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Duluth and Winona areas, with more opening up every year. 

Learn more about fat biking and where to go. 

Ice fishing is one of Minnesota’s most popular outdoor activities, largely thanks to the surprisingly lux setup of many ice houses. Safe and reliable heaters, grills and comfortable beds can all be part of the experience, along with the warm, lifelong memories that are forged from nature’s northern lights, stunning sunsets, and the hushed silence of winter. 

Popular lakes for ice fishing include Leech, Gull, Mille Lacs, and Lake of the Woods but you can find great options for ice fishing right in Minneapolis or St. Paul. Ice fishing festivals on these and other lakes are tons of fun, even if you’re not fishing. Check out the DNR's ice fishing page for updates throughout the season. 

Learn more about ice fishing and where to go. 

Minnesota is a leader in this fast-emerging winter sport. According to Sarah Wiesner, a Duluth climber who was introduced to the sport in 2009, “You can compare it to rock climbing, but that’s a little like comparing running to figure skating. It’s more peaceful, and I feel like it’s a greater puzzle.”

In fact, Winona Ice Park is one of just five U.S. facilities devoted to the gravity-defying sport of ice climbing. The six volunteers who maintain its many routes are driven not just by the joy of reaching higher ground, but by sharing that thrill with others.

Big River Climbing Guides, also based in Winona, offers courses to climbers of every age, skill and experience level at the park, and co-hosts a full-on Ice Fest alongside the Recreation Alliance of Winona and the city itself. 

Learn more about ice climbing and where to go. 

For those who want to enjoy the snow with something other than skis on their feet, snowshoeing is a great, low-impact activity. Snowshoe rentals and trails are common in state and local park systems, including several in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Many nature centers provide snowshoe rentals and trails, too. Look for clinics and candlelight events as soon as there's enough snow on the ground. 

Learn more about snowshoeing and where to go. 

Dog sledding is one of the most fun and unusual ways to experience winter. People of all ages and physical abilities can do it, and trips can be tailored to your comfort level. Short trips, day trips, overnight trips, and trips that include ice fishing are among the many iterations available. 

Lodging options also vary. You can spend the night in a cozy cabin or in a yurt — an insulated tent-like shelter — complete with a chef to cook your meals.   

The primary destination for this sport is the Boundary Waters, but outfitters can also be found in Duluth, along the North Shore, and even in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. 

Learn more about dog sledding and where to go.

Minnesota has nearly as many miles of snowmobile trails (roughly 22,000) as it does highways. Many of them are maintained by local snowmobile clubs — covering every corner of the state, running through picturesque federal, state and county forests, and taking riders to restaurants, lodging, and other popular amenities.  

Or, try curling! One of the best places in the world to make sense of the largely misunderstood Olympic sport is the Saint Paul Curling Club. Founded in 1912 and boasting more than 1,200 members — the largest club in the country — it welcomes guests and spectators during winter and spring league matches. Share a pitcher of local Summit EPA beer while learning about the legacy of a quirky place that’s produced such medalists as recent bronze winners Tabitha and Tara Peterson.   

Feel more like watching sports than playing them? Good news — you’re in the state of hockey, the home of the Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Frost, U.S. Pond Hockey Championships and NCHC's Frozen Faceoff. 

Check out all the ways you can take in a game – indoors and out.  

In Minnesota, we don’t take ourselves (or our winters) too seriously. We welcome winter with open, down coat-covered arms. If you time your trip right, we always encourage visitors to check out one of the many, many winter festivals. The Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run in International Falls takes winter running to epic proportions. Run the 5k or 10k, of if you’re wild enough...run both! Love cold plunging? Polar plunges raise millions of dollars for Special Olympics Minnesota and estimates 20,000 plungers take part every year.  

The St. Paul Winter Carnival is the oldest Winter Festival in the United States, dating back to 1886 with a parade, ice sculptures, snow sculptures, and more. The City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival combines Minnesota’s passion for cross-country skiing with ice, live music, and art. Join the competition races or stroll through the displays featuring intricate ice displays and luminaries under a sky full of stars. Both events are part of The Great Northern program that celebrates our cold, creative winters with specialty dinners, educational sessions and panels, live music, and more. 

Open select weekends in January and February, the popular Art Shanty Projects take to the frozen waters of Lake Harriet. Inspired by pop-up ice fishing villages, artists create temporary, interactive, and colorful works of art. Other popular events on ice are the Lake Harriet Winter Kite Festival in Minneapolis, Kites on Ice Festival in Buffalo, Polar Fest in Detroit Lakes, Wayzata Chili Open, and the Gull Lake Frozen Fore. 

Take a ride on the ice carousel at Sunny Zwilling Ice Carousel Memorial Extravaganza in Little Falls. Carved into Green Prairie Fish Lake, this rotating sheet of ice still hold the Guinness World Record for the largest ice carousel at 1,325 feet in diameter.  

Hygge and the importance of maintaining one’s physical and mental health isn’t a trend in Minnesota; it’s a way of life. In fact, it may leave you wondering if you wandered into a cozy Scandinavian country sometimes.  

True to our Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish roots, our saunas and spas have attracted the attention of everyone from The New York Times to "The Daily Show”. The latter devoted an entire segment to Duluth, including a look at the stress-reducing cold plunge of Cedar + Stone, one of the country’s leading producers of custom- built equipment and then country’s first floating sauna.  

If shocking your nervous system into submission doesn’t sound as laid-back as you’d like, there’s always social floating sauna sessions, private guided experiences, or a simple romantic getaway. 

See our Minnesota winter wellness itinerary.  

“There is no bad weather, just bad clothing,” is what every Minnesotan will tell you the second you start complaining about the cold. The next thing they’ll say to you? “Layer.”  
 
Silk, merino wool, and performance synthetics are all great choices for a first winter layer, depending on whether or not you’re going to be outside (and, if you are, for how long). You can drop by Joe’s Sporting Goods or Repair Layer (which offers many well-known brands secondhand) to browse one of the Minnesota locations of Patagonia, REI or Sierra. If you want to do an outdoor activity like skiing or snowshoeing, Finnsisu, Minnesota’s favorite nordic skii store, sells performance layers for winter athletes.

But don’t stop at the undershirt. Sometimes, a pair of silk or wool long-underwear is just what the doctor ordered for sub-zero days, and they disappear under jeans and trousers.

A truly local tip? Stock up on HotHands. These single-use, air-activated heat packs provide up to 18 hours of continuous warmth, and are perfect for a long night celebrating winter at the Great Northern Festival, or taking your family to see the ice castles and mazes.

Plan a trip with our travel guide, itineraries, other winter activities and a statewide roundup of recommended boutique hotels.