Maplelag Resort

Turtle Crossing

Posted Saturday, May 18, 2013

First snapping turtle of the year making its way across the lawn near the cabooses, Friday May17th, 2013.

Latest trail and nature report on the trail report page.

Glad Syttende Mai

Posted Friday, May 17, 2013

Two of the antique Norwegian immigrant folk art pieces in the main lodge.

Maplelag wishes all our Norwegian friends good cheer on their National holiday. The word Maplelag is a made up Norwegian word meaning “maple community”.  There are also many ties between Maplelag and  Norway with over 40 students who helped at Maplelag in the earlier years and many Norwegian influences on the ski trails, food and accommodations at Maplelag.

Russian Creme

Posted Thursday, May 16, 2013

Fresh rapberries on the popular Maplelag dessert, Russian creme. The most recent berries coming locally just a few miles away from a small organic farmer.

Wildflowers

Posted Tuesday, May 14, 2013

First bloodroot flower of the year, May 14th, 2013.

Spring has been slow to come this year with the extended winter but the woods is slowly starting to show signs of new life.

Loons Return

Posted Friday, May 10, 2013

Group of loons enjoying the open water of Little Sugarbush (lake Maplelag is next to), May 9th, 2013.

Even though the lake remains 80% covered in ice as of Friday morning,  there was enough open water for the loons to return! Few more photos of the first loons on the trail report page.

Mountain Biking at Maplelag

Posted Friday, May 10, 2013

Jake riding along lakeside, twin lakes singletrack, May 9th, 2013.

Warm and dry weather this week has dried out the trails enough to open the mountain bike course for riding.

  Latest mountain bike trail report.

Maplelag maintains around 10 miles of mountain bike specific trails outside the winter months and are open to the public. The ski trails are also open for mountain biking and hiking. The trails are closed to horses and motorized traffic.

We are also part of the Minnesota Mountain bike series (named race of the year in 2011 and 2012), a sponsor of the series and also support a mountain bike team!

Spring Lake Scene

Posted Thursday, May 9, 2013

Rainbow on the south end of Little Sugarbush, May 8th, 2013.

Incredible lake scene last night after a thundershower passed through. Fog was rolling off the ice covered lake, rainbow to the south and sun shining through below the clouds to the northwest lighting up the east shore.  Trail update on the trail report page.

Festival of Birds

Posted Monday, May 6, 2013

Red breasted grosbeaks at the Maplelag bird feeders this week.

With more seasonable weather and many birds migrating back, the bird feeders and woods have been festive with sights and sounds.

Open Water

Posted Friday, May 3, 2013

Blue heron watching a pair of loons and trumpeter swans enjoy a rare section of open water, May 3rd, 2013.

Open water has been hard to come by with the extended winter and cool spring. The few areas that are open, mainly inlets and outlets, are busy with waterfowl, waiting for the lakes to open. Latest trail report on the trail report page.

May Skiing

Posted Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Just enough snow on Suicide Hill to log a May 1st ski, 2013!

Weddings at Maplelag

Posted Sunday, April 28, 2013

One of the unique table arrangements for a Maplelag wedding reception. Every reception is different with a special touch!

It has been a busy month for booking weddings. 2014 dates are starting to fill up. Thanks to everyone who has chosen Maplelag for a wedding weekend destination. If you would like more information on weddings at Maplelag, please contact us at 800-654-7711 or email us at maplelag@arvig.net

More wedding photos on the wedding album page and our Facebook page.

One More Groom

Posted Friday, April 26, 2013

Grooming on Skaters Waltz, April 26th, 2013.

Hard to believe with mild weather but we were able to groom one more time Friday morning, April 26th. This the seventh consecutive month we have groomed! Skiing was nice up until noon as well!  Latest trail report on the trail report page. 

Sunny Tracks

Posted Thursday, April 25, 2013

Classic skiing recently groomed tracks under intense late April sunshine, April 24th, 2013.

We have been enjoying incredible late season skiing this week as a large base of snow remains on the trails. This might be the last week however with warmer temps moving in!  Trail report on the trail report page. 

Maple Syrup Season

Posted Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Sap dripping from a branch turning to a icicle, April 23rd, 2013.

We no longer “sugar” at Maplelag but many locals in the area collect sap to be boiled down for maple syrup. We serve pure maple syrup at Maplelag with our syrup coming from the Kroll’s Zuckerwald in Long Prairie, MN. We spoke with them today and they are reporting a great year. The season has run late for sure and similar to 1975 and 1979 when they went to May 1st!

Click here to read a nice article about their operation.

Missing Carlos

Posted Thursday, April 18, 2013

Carlos along for the ride, summer 2012.

We wish we had good news to report about Carlos, the Maplelag mascot that has been missing since late December of 2o12, but we still have not had any word on his whereabouts. Still hoping he comes flying through the woods one day.

Maplelag Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Tray of Maplelag’s home made lemon meringue pie ready to be served!

Chef Deb and staff prepare the pie from scratch using lemon juice from freshly squeezed lemons! The food at Maplelag is one of the highlights and something we take great pride in using as many local ingredients as possible and everything made from scratch. 

Goat Ranch Glow

Posted Friday, March 29, 2013

Beautiful frosty mornings this week including a spectacular sunrise on Monday over the Goat Ranch Road, (road Maplelag stems off of)

Frosty Finish

Posted Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Frosty morning at Maplelag, March 26th, 2013.

Still no signs of winter ending with single digit temps Tuesday morning and a deep base of snow! Fresh grooming Monday night. Latest trail report on the trail report page.

Norwegian Pancakes

Posted Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Chef Deb cranking out Norwegian pancakes on a Saturday morning.

You don’t have to stay at Maplelag on the weekend to enjoy the famous Norwegian pancakes served with imported lingonberries and pure maple syrup, the thin crepe like pancake is served during midweek as well.

Trails are taking shape nicely after the big 15-17″ dump of snow and multiple grooming passes. Latest trail report on the trail report page.

Family Ski

Posted Thursday, February 7, 2013

Eisinger/Powers family enjoying the beautiful morning, February 7th, 2013.

Skiing is on the top shelf right now. Clouds giving way to sunshine later today providing “luxurious” conditions. Latest trail report on the trail report page.

Maplelag Gift Shop

Posted Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Chef Deb stocking the shelves in the gift shop with freshly bagged Maplelag’s home made 7 grain hot cereal, February 4th, 2013.

The hot cereal specialty is served every morning except Sundays and is available for sale in the gift shop and can be purchased online.

An inch or two of fresh snow overnight. Latest trail report on the trail report page.

Great Guests

Posted Monday, January 28, 2013

Guests over the weekend enjoying a home cooked meal in the dining room, January 26th, 2013.

We are very fortunate at Maplelag to have such a loyal customer base and we appreciate every one’s visit. This past weekend we made a conservative guestimate that between the many repeat guests staying on the weekend, adding up all the years would be almost 3000 years!

Local Flavor

Posted Thursday, January 24, 2013

Fresh honey drizzling over a hot batch of Maplelag fry bread, January 23rd, 2013.

In addition to the hand made coffee mugs for sale in the gift shop, we had honey pots made to contain the local organic honey from Humble Honey near Richwood and Johnson Honey near Callaway. Both honeys are for sale in the gift shop and always make the Maplelag fry bread that much tastier!

Popcorn and Puzzles

Posted Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Midweek Morris gang enjoying a huge batch of Jim’s popcorn during game time, January 14th, 2013.

Jim’s fresh home made popcorn is served most Saturday nights and by special request on certain nights! Fresh snow Tuesday night! Latest trail report on the trail report page.

Snowshoeing

Posted Monday, January 7, 2013

Guests over the Holiday season snowshoeing on the snowshoe trail. December 26th, 2012. (Gordon McBean photo)

Although the deep fresh powder has been lacking this year, the snowshoe trail has seen a lot of action with folks enjoying the multiple loops in scenic terrain. The snow shoe loops total around 4km. Snow is holding out great. Latest trail report on the trail report page.

Carlos

Posted Thursday, January 3, 2013

Maplelag mascot Carlos proud to stand guard in front of the lodge, December 19th, 2012.

Carlos has been missing since Sunday late afternoon. Please call us at 218-375-4466 if you have seen him. A reward of $250 is being offered.

New Years Day Smorgasbord

Posted Tuesday, January 1, 2013

New Years day guests enjoying the famous Scandinavian Smorgasbord at Maplelag. “Smorg” is a signature meal at Maplelag featuring a variety of home made breads, imported block cheeses, meats, fruits, vegetables, picked herring, sardines, muffins, fruit suppe, and the Norwegian wedding cake “kransekake” at the end, to name a few. Served most Sundays in the fall and winter .

Pileated

Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Pileated woodpecker looking for lunch on a frosty day, December 19th, 2012.

Maplelag Mugs

Posted Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Maplelag mug for 2013 is in!

The Maplelag mug for this year has a different look as we have used a local artist, Mary Laabs of Dunton Locks Pottery (near Detroit Lakes), who has hand crafted each mug, all unique and different!  The mugs are available for sale in the gift shop. Because of the labor intensive process, quantities are limited!

Frost Flowers

Posted Monday, November 26, 2012

Conditions right Monday morning for frost flowers to form on Little Sugarbush, November 26th, 2012.

More photos on our Facebook page and latest trail report on the trail report page.

Maplelag — A destination cross country ski resort: overnight accommodations, American Plan, home cooked meals served family style, 64 km of Pisten Bully groomed trails.