This month of September will go down as one of the most spectacular ever at Maplelag! The fall colors have been some of the best we can ever remember and the weather has been amazing to boot. With no hard frost or freeze, lack of major wind and rain, the leaves have been staying on longer than usual after the peak over the weekend. Windy and dry conditions on Tuesday bringing many leaves down but still some fantastic fall scenes. The oak, poplar and tamarack trees are still 4-8 days from changing and should provide some nice color into October.
Great to see everyone out on the trails this past weekend hiking, walking, biking and taking a lot of pictures! It truly was a special weekend.
We are focused on having the ski trails in tip top shape going into the winter. We will be on the trails daily, weather permitting, with final mowing and clearing leaves etc. throughout the fall right up until the frost sets in and snow flies.
The mountain bike trails are open for riding. We will continue maintaining the trails, and will be open, weather permitting, until November 1st. The Maplelag trails are closed to horse travel and motorized vehicles.
Golden scene on Mother North Star ski trail, September 28th, 2021. Many leaves falling down today!South slough on Mother North Star, September 28th, 2021. Tamarack trees in the middle still a week or so from their autumn gold.Late afternoon sun highlighting maples near the Finnish Log cabin, September 27th, 2021.Sap Run ski trail after leaf clearing, September 27th, 2021. With the thick canopy of leaves at Maplelag, it will be a month long process to keep clear. Leaf clearing on Sukerbusk, September 27th, 2021. We will continue clearing leaves on all the trails throughout the fall. The main trails, such as Sukkebusk, we try to have completely free of leaves before the snow flies. Have a smooth and clear as possible deck allows us to be skiing on minimal snow. Fall color scene lakeside lodge, September 26th, 2021.View of Little Sugarbush Lake from the wood fired sauna, September 26th, 2021.These three maples have outperformed this year compared to other years which indicates, to us, the special fall color season it has been this year. September 26th, 2021.Sunrise kayak on Island lake near Wavy Gravy ski trail, September 26th, 2021.Late afternoon scene looking towards the lodge, September 26th, 2021.Switchyard at Maplelag, September 26th, 2021. Leaf clearing on the Maplelag trails is a non stop process from now until November, weather permitting. September 25th, 2021.Start of the ski trails to the south, September 25th, 2021.Twin Lakes ski trail, September 26th, 2021.Golden hour color on Sukkerbusk ski trail, September 23rd, 2021.Trail head, September 23rd, 2021.Tamarack trees in the slough surrounded by fall color, September 23rd, 2021. Along with the poplar trees standing tall, will change in October.Mother North Star ski trail, September 23rd, 2021.Switchyard scene September 22nd, 2021.Golden hour near the basketball court, September 22nd, 2021.Another incredible September evening, September 21st, 2021.View from lodge dining room over lake, September 21st, 2021. Switchyard scene, September 21st, 2021. Maplelag driveway, September 21st, 2021. Bullhead Bootleg mountain bike trail, September 21st, 2021.Fantastic fall color around the cabooses, September 21st, 2021. Fall color scene around the orange cabooose, September 19th, 2021.Fall grooming on Mother North Star trail, September 19th, 2021. Thanks Swanston Equipment of Fargo for the demo over the weekend!
Spectacular fall weather in place with beautiful colors. We are hitting the peak on many maples this week. Although many maples will reach their peak around the buildings, the woods and other tree species will provide color into early October.
Recent rainfall has really brought the forest to life with lots of wild mushrooms and fungi appearing on the forest floor adding even more vibrance to the forest.
We are focused on having the ski trails in tip top shape going into the winter. We will be on the trails daily, weather permitting, with final mowing and clearing leaves etc. throughout the fall right up until the frost sets in and snow flies.
The mountain bike trails are open for riding. We will continue maintaining the trails, and will be open, weather permitting, until November 1st. The Maplelag trails are closed to horse travel and motorized vehicles.
Golden hour color on Sukkerbusk ski trail, September 23rd, 2021.Trail head, September 23rd, 2021.Tamarack trees in the slough surrounded by fall color, September 23rd, 2021. Along with the poplar trees standing tall, will change in October.Mother North Star ski trail, September 23rd, 2021.Switchyard scene September 22nd, 2021.Golden hour near the basketball court, September 22nd, 2021.Another incredible September evening, September 21st, 2021.View from lodge dining room over lake, September 21st, 2021. Switchyard scene, September 21st, 2021. Maplelag driveway, September 21st, 2021. Bullhead Bootleg mountain bike trail, September 21st, 2021.Fantastic fall color around the cabooses, September 21st, 2021. Fall color scene around the orange cabooose, September 19th, 2021.Fall grooming on Mother North Star trail, September 19th, 2021. Thanks Swanston Equipment of Fargo for the demo over the weekend!Switchyard color, September 19th, 2021.Golden hour color near the Brant cabin at Maplelag, September 19th, 2021.Sukkerbusk ski trail, September 19th, 2021. Maple trees around Red Caboose slowly adding color each day, September 18th, 2021.Fall scene over Kohlepp slough, September 18th, 2021.Fall color on the Maplelag driveway, September 17th, 2021.Start of Sukkerbusk ski trail, September 17th, 2021.One of the best times of the year to be on the trails! September 17th, 2021.Early fall color surrounding the red caboose, September 14th, 2021. The maple trees are doing great around Maplelag and a spectacular fall color season is on tap!Maplelag driveway, September 14th, 2021.More mushrooms appearing almost daily adding to the vibrance of the forest, September 14th, 2021.Mountain bike trail surrounded by early fall color, September 14th, 2021.Fall color along Kohlepp slough near Mother North Star trail, September 10th, 2021.First maple leaves changing color, September 10th, 2021.Touch of fall color at intersection of JibFly and Sukkerbusk ski trails, September 9th, 2021.Early fall grooming on Twin Lakes ski trail, September 9th, 2021. Just a few signs of fall color around the cabooses so far, September 9th, 2021.Early touches of fall color along the Maplelag driveway, September 7th, 2021.More interesting mushrooms popping out yesterday thanks to recent rainfall, September 3rd, 2021.Beautiful afternoon walking on the JibFly ski trail, August 29th, 2021.Recent rain bringing late season blooms to life, August 29th, 2021.More mushrooms popping up on the forest floor thanks to recent rain, August 27th, 2021.
Trails are open. Spectacular fall riding in place. The course is in great shape with the “dirt” some of the best of the year.
Leaves are starting to come down with the transition of seasons providing a nice element to the riding experience and we are clearing when they become thicker.
This week’s singletrack clearing: Entire Twin Lakes loop cleared September 23rd as well as all the inner loops. Bullhead Bootleg and SukkerWest cleared September 22nd. North Loup Gnar cleared September 21st. Leaves are falling quick but beautiful fall color scenes in the forest making for some of the most spectacular riding of the year.
Be sure to check this report for days we plan to clear singletrack to enjoy primo conditions. The mountain bike trails will continue to be open until November 1st, weather permitting. We will leave the signage up for Citizen, Sport, Comp and Expert and the LagChilada signs remain in place for the LagChilada challenge. (Nice job to the riders completing the LagChilada challenge this past weekend!)
Fantastic Labor Day weekend for the Laddies Loppet. Thanks everyone who came to the race. Race recap click here.
Fall scene on Bullhead Bootleg trail, September 21st, 2021.Clearing on the ski trail segment of bike course, September 23rd, 2021.Clearing on start of lakeside singletrack, September 23rd, 2021. Leaf clearing on Twin Lakes singletrack, September 23rd, 2021.Fall colors on “North Loup Gnar” singletrack, September 21st, 2021. Dropping into start of lakeside singletrack, September 19th, 2021.Thumbs up! Nice job to Rick and the other riders completing the LagChilada challenge this past weekend, September 18th, 2021.Clearing leaves and maple seeds off the starter loop, September 18th, 2021.Fall riding at it’s finest, September17th, 2021.Fall colors coming to life amongst the mountain bike trails, September 14th, 2021.
Beautiful September weather in place. Recent rainfall has really brought the forest to life and signs of fall are appearing more and more each day. More trees are starting to change color providing beautiful autumn scenes. Lot of wild mushrooms and fungi appearing on the forest floor adding even more vibrance to the forest floor.
We are focused on having the ski trails in tip top shape going into the winter. We will be on the trails daily, weather permitting, with final mowing and clearing leaves etc. throughout the fall right up until the frost sets in and snow flies.
The mountain bike trails are open for riding. We will continue maintaining the trails, and will be open, weather permitting, until November 1st. The Maplelag trails are closed to horse travel and motorized vehicles.
Maple trees around Red Caboose slowly adding color each day, September 18th, 2021.Fall scene over Kohlepp slough, September 18th, 2021.Fall color on the Maplelag driveway, September 17th, 2021.Start of Sukkerbusk ski trail, September 17th, 2021.One of the best times of the year to be on the trails! September 17th, 2021.Early fall color surrounding the red caboose, September 14th, 2021. The maple trees are doing great around Maplelag and a spectacular fall color season is on tap!Maplelag driveway, September 14th, 2021.More mushrooms appearing almost daily adding to the vibrance of the forest, September 14th, 2021.Mountain bike trail surrounded by early fall color, September 14th, 2021.Fall color along Kohlepp slough near Mother North Star trail, September 10th, 2021.First maple leaves changing color, September 10th, 2021.Touch of fall color at intersection of JibFly and Sukkerbusk ski trails, September 9th, 2021.Early fall grooming on Twin Lakes ski trail, September 9th, 2021. Just a few signs of fall color around the cabooses so far, September 9th, 2021.Early touches of fall color along the Maplelag driveway, September 7th, 2021.More interesting mushrooms popping out yesterday thanks to recent rainfall, September 3rd, 2021.Beautiful afternoon walking on the JibFly ski trail, August 29th, 2021.Recent rain bringing late season blooms to life, August 29th, 2021.More mushrooms popping up on the forest floor thanks to recent rain, August 27th, 2021.A few leaves changing color, August 25th, 2021. Typical this time of year and overall the trees are looking great despite the drier conditions. We anticipate another beautiful fall with our peak usually occurring the third week of September. Ski trail segment on the Laddies Loppet mountain bike course, August 25th, 2021.Recent rain making for great riding conditions and dirt work as we complete final tuning on the mountain bike course for Laddies Loppet mountain bike weekend, August 25th, 2021.Champlain Park CC team at Maplelag this week for running camp, August 24th, 2021.Warming up for the run! August 23rd, 2021.Woodpecker action on dead maple, August 23rd, 2021.Recent rain bringing the colorful moss, lichens and mushrooms to life, August 23rd, 2021. Spider web along the bike singletrack, August 12th, 2021.Another summer grooming on Suicide Hill, August 12th, 2021.
Trails are open. Dry/hardpack conditions. Spectacular September riding in place. The course is in great shape with the dirt surface the best of the year. The races over Labor Day weekend really “rode in” the track, especially on the new trails.
Leaves are slowly starting to come down as we transition to fall but we will clear off select trails during the week. Starter loop up to Bootleg connector and bridge section cleared September 18th. Moorhead and Hudson’s Hula singletrack cleared Friday September 16th. Bjorps, and SukkerWest cleared Wednesday September 15th. Fargo singletrack cleared on Wednesday the 8th and Bullhead Bootleg loop cleared Friday the 10th.
Be sure to check this report for days we plan to clear singletrack to enjoy primo conditions! The mountain bike trails will continue to be open until November 1st, weather permitting. We will leave the signage up for Citizen, Sport, Comp and Expert and the LagChilada signs remain in place for the LagChilada challenge. (Nice job to the riders competing in the races and completing the challenge this past weekend!)
Fantastic Labor Day weekend for the Laddies Loppet. Thanks everyone who came to the race. Race recap click here.
Clearing leaves and maple seeds off the starter loop, September 18th, 2021.Fall riding at it’s finest, September17th, 2021.Fall colors coming to life amongst the mountain bike trails, September 14th, 2021.Rolling through “North Loup Gnar” trail, September 14th, 2021.Great dirt on “Bullhead Bootleg” singletrack, September 14th, 2021.Transition segment on the bike course from singletrack to ski trail, September 10th, 2021. Primo riding surface! “Fargo” singletrack, September 9th, 2021. Recently blown out and cleared of leaves. Signs for the Laddies Loppet course.
Trail head is at flagpole near main lodge. Look for signs that have “Citizen/Sport/Comp/Expert” or named singletrack segments. There are also red signs at key intersections and pink signs for the LagChilada loop challenge. For first timers to Maplelag, best trails first to start on would be Sukkerwest at end of driveway and Feeling Lucky near main start area. Also the Citizen loop (6.5 miles) which provides options to try the more advanced singletracks segments. The sport loop (11miles) is more intermediate, cutting out the more expert sections. The expert loop is around 15 miles. Note: this distances are accurately based on wheel sensor readings. GPS will not record the whole track due to the thick canopy forest and twisty nature of the trail.
The two way “North Loup Gnar” trail can be accessed of county road 110 just to the east of Maplelag driveway. Bullhead Bootleg loop accessed from county road 26 via the gravel road 110. Please park in the first parking lot where the recycling bins are located. The main lodge is closed, no services available. Park and ride! Any questions on riding etc., contact Jay at 218-849-7669.
The Maplelag trails are classic “old school” trails, first built in 1990, mirrored off the courses used for racing to provide training opportunities for local racers and feature some of the more technical areas of cross country riding in the Midwest. We hosted a race that fall of 1990 and continue to run an event on Labor day weekend call the Laddies Loppet.
Trails listed on TrailForks. (Please note some routes were added by riders not associated with Maplelag, in particular the lakeside areas but all trails and intersections are marked)
Trail fees are appreciated to help offset trail work, signage and hopefully a new map. These are major expenses and we receive no grants outside funding for the privately maintained trails at Maplelag. Click here for most recent map. (Note: There are a few reroutes on the map but everything will be tapped off. No riding allowed on AMA land and please stay on designated trails at all time. Assume all risk and take responsibility for your actions) We are working on a new trail map that will feature many new trails built last summer and fall.
Start of the “Kids Comp” race, Laddies Loppet XC, September 4th, 2021.Enjoying the primo dirt on Sunday afternoon post racing, September 5th, 2021.Short track racing action, September 5th, 2021.
A Family Owned and Operated Destination Cross-Country Ski Center
