Unseasonably cool weather continues. Just a few sprinkles over the weekend otherwise dry conditions.We’ve had over 3″ of rain the past two weeks which has been welcomed after a extended dry period in June. The cooler weather has been very nice for working in the woods.
We have been busy on the trails this summer mowing, clearing deadfall, cutting firewood and working on the mountain bike trails. We are mowing almost daily on the ski trails and will continue up until the snow flies. Wildlife active and on the move!
The mountain bike trails are open for riding. Click here for latest update. Maplelag trails are closed to all motorized use and horses. We continue with trail tuning as we constantly work on the 64km of ski trails for upcoming ski season and maintain 25 miles of mountain bike trail.
Scene across Bullhead lake after passing rain shower, July 13th, 2023. The leaves already showing a tinge of change. Black eyed Susan flower shiny after the rain, July 13th, 2023.Trail mowing July 13th, 2023. More funky mushrooms on the forest floor, July 13th, 2023.Summer grooming on Mother North Star trail, July 11th, 2023.Clearing out singletrack, Twin Lakes lakeside, July 11th, 2023.Sunday cells moving by, July 9th, 2023.Passing cell to the east, July 9th, 2023.Water lilies coming to live on the edge of Little Sugarbush this past week, July 4th, 2023.Calm evening on Little Sugarbush lake looking towards Maplelag, June 30th, 2023.Calm morning on Little Sugarbush looking towards Maplelag, June 26th, 2023.Break in the clouds and storms Saturday afternoon, Twin Lakes crossing June 24th, 2023.Mushrooms sprouting up with the recent rain, June 25th, 2023.Bear track on the bike trail! June 25th, 2023.Wild rose flowers along Twin lakes ski trail, June 24th, 2023.Solstice sunset, June 21st, 2023.Sunset over Little Sugarbush, June 20th, 2023.Loons on the lake! There have been a dozen loons residing on Little Sugarbush lake this summer. Fun to hear them call! June 20th, 2023.Wild Iris flower along Kohlepp’s Pond on Mother North Star ski trail, June 15th, 2023.Mowing on Mother North Star ski trail, June 15th, 2023.In between Twin Lakes as seen from Wavy Gravy trail, June 6th, 2023.Mini lily pads on South Twin Lake, June 6th, 2023.Clearing on ski trail which serves as part of the bike course, June 3rd, 2023.Rootin Tootin ski trail, June 3rd, 2023.Bullhead lake at the start of Bullhead Lake trail, June 3rd, 2023.Summer grooming, May 30th, 2023.Rare morning of calm waters, May 31st, 2023.Yellow slipper wild flowers blooming in full force, May 31st, 2023.Lakeside of lodge site, May 26th, 2023.Birch top hung up near Sukkerbusk ski trail over singletrack, May 25th, 2023.Cut in blocks and ready to split for sauna firewood!
Hard to believe we are already in the middle of July and half of the summer has passed! July has been unseasonable cold, and up until a few weeks ago where we have received nearly 3″ of rain the past two weeks, very dry. Overall it has been a beautiful summer with some fantastic sunsets, starry skies and not too many fallen trees on the trails.
One of the many camping spaces available for the bike race weekend. The warming house in the background has been touched up and will be used as registration area for the bike race.
The weekend will obviously be a bit different this year with no lodge and the cross country race will be held on Sunday, like the other races in the series. There will be no short track race this year. We will not have any lodging available, at this point, but will allow camping like previous years. We are still working out details for food trucks and concessions but either way plan on a fun day of mountain biking and family fellowship, while racing on Maplelag’s signature singletrack.
Brant cabin renovation. Future store!
The biggest news to report is the start of remodeling on some of the cabins. This past week we began work in the Brant cabin to be used as a day lodge like it was this past winter. We plan to have a store and hope to have some items to sell by Labor Day bike race weekend. The store will feature the more popular clothing and we have plans to bring in some new items made by local artists. There will be no meal service at this time. It will be a work in progress. As difficult as it was, and we know for some of our guests as well, to change the look of the storied Brant cabin, moving forward we feel this action fits best our vision of the model moving forward considering all the parameters in our thought process.
Custom Maplelag coffee mugs crafted by local artist Mary Laabs.
Later this summer we will be remodeling in the cabins of Lapland, Candy Store, Six Swedes and also both cabooses. The above mentioned cabins we plan to rent for the upcoming winter season, possibly earlier depending on how construction goes. Since we are doing many of these projects “in house” it takes a bit more time but also allows us to make changes on the fly and craft and create as we think best. The above cabins are also on the slate to have a new paint job! Regarding taking reservations and booking these spaces, we will have more information available later this summer once we feel comfortable doing so based on the progress. We are doing much of the work ourselves as we mentioned.
Jonell painting in her future office!
We want to thank everyone again for their love, prayers and steadfast support. The next phase of Maplelag will be very different and change can be hard but we have to do what we feel is best for our interests and inspiration to best serve our guests. We look forward to seeing folks at Maplelag again soon! Enjoy the rest of the summer and we will update next month with hopefully a favorable progress report.
Another beautiful summer sunset on Little Sugarbush.
Mountain bike course is open. Dry/hardpack surface conditions. A great weekend of riding in place with cooler temps! It’s been a solid week of trail work and the trails are rolling very nice.
This week we blew and brushed out most of the Twin Lakes singletrack loop and also Bjorps singletrack. Last week we brushed out “Fargo” and “Pete’s Porkie” on the Twin Lakes loop for the most recent brushing/clearing.We will continue working on select segments keeping conditions as best as possible.
The entire 25 mile “LagChilada” course was cleared and blown out this spring and we do our best to clear any new deadfall as soon as possible. Always be aware for changingconditions and assume all responsibility riding. The Maplelag course is generally described as a classic or natural trail which is rideable shortly after any rain events as the rain is absorbed and drains off naturally.
All the key intersections are taped and signs are at singletrack segments. The singletrack segments are signed by name and courses are generally marked for the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series with Citizen, Sport, Comp and Expert. Any singletrack that is not marked where it crosses ski trail, continue straight on the singletrack. Reference our map or TrailForks or Strava for guidance.
The Lagchilada challenge is in place which is a ride consisting of the entire mountain bike trail system. It is marked with both black signs and pink signs. Use the Strava app or guidance.
A good intermediate loop to ride is the Sport Loop and Bullhead Bootleg to the east. A good beginner loop to ride is the Citizen loop.
Freshly cleared singletrack, Twin Lakes loop July 15th, 2023.Twin Lakes singletrack after brushing and blowing out, July 14th, 2023.We’ve been using electric tools to work on the trails this summer. Very impressive! July 13th, 2023.Start of Twin Lakes singletrack, July 12th, 2023. Twin Lakes is rolling great after recent trail work.Blowing out lakeside segment on Twin Lakes singletrack after brushing earlier, July 11th, 2023.“Pete’s Porkie” singletrack segment on the Twin Lakes loop, July 9th, 2023. Recently brushed and blown out. “Fargo” singletrack segment on the Twin Lakes loop, July 9th, 2023. Recently brushed and blown out. Corner on “Bjorp’s” singletrack, July 2nd, 2023.Fast conditions and fun riding on the weekend! July 1st, 2023. Forest green, June 30th, 2023.Start of Hudson’s Hula singletrack on Twin Lakes loop, June 29th, 2023.Mandi and Britta all smiles after a successful skills session, June 27th, 2023.Navigating one of the “Five Dollar Corners” on North Loup Gnar, June 26th, 2023. The North Loup Gnar segment is a slow tech loop that is great for working on the skills. “Moorhead” singletrack, June 26th, 2023.Recent rainfall bringing the moss back to life, June 24th, 2023.“Fern Gully” segment on Bullhead Bootleg singletrack, June 24th, 2023.Classic singletrack on the “starter loop”, June 22nd, 2023.Brant cabin available for mountain bike day users. Brushing out overgrown area on Lakeside singletrack, June 20th, 2023.
Damp and cool weather continues. Daily rain showers this week keeping keeping the grounds, woods and forest floor fresh. We’ve had over 3″ of rain the past two weeks which has been welcomed after a extended dry period.
We have been busy on the trails this summer mowing, clearing deadfall, cutting firewood and working on the mountain bike trails. We are mowing almost daily on the ski trails and will continue up until the snow flies. Wildlife active and on the move!
The mountain bike trails are open for riding. Click here for latest update. Maplelag trails are closed to all motorized use and horses. We continue with trail tuning as we constantly work on the trails for the next ski season and maintain 25 miles of mountain bike trail.
Scene across Bullhead lake after passing rain shower, July 13th, 2023. The leaves already showing a tinge of change. Black eyed Susan flower shiny after the rain, July 13th, 2023.Trail mowing July 13th, 2023. More funky mushrooms on the forest floor, July 13th, 2023.Summer grooming on Mother North Star trail, July 11th, 2023.Clearing out singletrack, Twin Lakes lakeside, July 11th, 2023.Sunday cells moving by, July 9th, 2023.Passing cell to the east, July 9th, 2023.Water lilies coming to live on the edge of Little Sugarbush this past week, July 4th, 2023.Calm evening on Little Sugarbush lake looking towards Maplelag, June 30th, 2023.Calm morning on Little Sugarbush looking towards Maplelag, June 26th, 2023.Break in the clouds and storms Saturday afternoon, Twin Lakes crossing June 24th, 2023.Mushrooms sprouting up with the recent rain, June 25th, 2023.Bear track on the bike trail! June 25th, 2023.Wild rose flowers along Twin lakes ski trail, June 24th, 2023.Solstice sunset, June 21st, 2023.Sunset over Little Sugarbush, June 20th, 2023.Loons on the lake! There have been a dozen loons residing on Little Sugarbush lake this summer. Fun to hear them call! June 20th, 2023.Wild Iris flower along Kohlepp’s Pond on Mother North Star ski trail, June 15th, 2023.Mowing on Mother North Star ski trail, June 15th, 2023.In between Twin Lakes as seen from Wavy Gravy trail, June 6th, 2023.Mini lily pads on South Twin Lake, June 6th, 2023.Clearing on ski trail which serves as part of the bike course, June 3rd, 2023.Rootin Tootin ski trail, June 3rd, 2023.Bullhead lake at the start of Bullhead Lake trail, June 3rd, 2023.Summer grooming, May 30th, 2023.Rare morning of calm waters, May 31st, 2023.Yellow slipper wild flowers blooming in full force, May 31st, 2023.Lakeside of lodge site, May 26th, 2023.Birch top hung up near Sukkerbusk ski trail over singletrack, May 25th, 2023.Cut in blocks and ready to split for sauna firewood!
A Family Owned and Operated Destination Cross-Country Ski Center
