Lakes can be great to travel in the winter. Lakes can be terrible to travel in the winter. They change dramatically, and some times quickly with an overnight snowstorm. Deep snow can weigh on them and create slush from water running up through expansion cracks. Wind can whip around them and make even the warmest winter cold.
The forested trails around here can be much more fun and interesting and is therefore why we use them most of the year.
But in February, things shift. We always get a few days above freezing. The snow melts on the lakes with no shade to protect them. This is followed by a cold front, which freezes and creates the PERFECT traveling surface. In late winter, you can travel across the top of the snow at will and quickly cover ground. We live for these conditions – the glory days of late winter in lake country.
The sun late in winter stays up longer and with these travel conditions we head deep into the Boundary Waters. It is more glorious than words can describe to travel effortlessly across the lakes and past the unparalleled scenery. A sled dog trip is an event and experience we share every year come March.
