Making Tracks

The official name of this lodge—Maplelag Destination Cross-Country Ski Resort and Conference Center—is far too formal for the humble lodge. Plus, Maplelag really says it all. It’s a combination of Maple, clearly a reference to the sugar maple forests surrounding the lodge, and the Norwegian term lag, which loosely translates to group or gathering.

Sitting in the lodge, guests are surrounded by the murmur of polite conversation and collections of metal lunch boxes, handmade snowshoes, and old railroad depot signs that adorn the walls. Slowly, the guests begin to stir—Clang! Clang! Clang! The unmistakable beckoning of the dinner bell fills the giant hall. Guests respond by strolling into the dining room, where massive wooden tables display a sumptuous offering of filling fare.

Suppertime at Maplelag definitively portrays the character and personality of this award-winning cross-country ski resort located twenty miles northeast of Detroit Lakes. New guests are directed to find a seat predetermined by nametags placed by the staff—a nice touch that requires guests to leave their comfort zone and converse with those outside their traveling party. The main building is more of a community center than a lodge, and the guests are more like the members of a huge, extended family returning each year for a Maplelag reunion.

After a short round of introductions, another de-fining aspect of Maplelag’s charm is soon revealed. A high percentage of guests are repeat visitors, some of them marking a dozen or more visits a year. They first came in parties of single skiers out for a fun-filled skiing weekend. They enjoyed it so much they return every year, bringing growing families with them each succeeding season. Some even met their spouse during a previous trip to Maplelag.

But step outside the comfy lodgings at Maplelag and discover why the resort really shines. The resort features more than sixty kilometers of well-groomed, double-track trails that loop and interconnect through 660 acres of land dotted with maple trees and kettle lakes. Advanced skiers and beginners alike will find trails well suited to their experience levels. Beginners are encouraged by the short, flat loop called Mother Hen, while advanced skiers test their skills on Kamikaze Hill, an ominous mound along the four-kilometer-long Skater’s Waltz run. Trails vary from one to six kilometers in length, with a few longer exceptions, and routes pass beaver dams and remote lakes, traveling over country that is shared with deer, moose, and even an elusive pack of wolves. All intersections are clearly marked, enabling skiers to combine routes through a seemingly endless but nonthreatening maze of trails.

The resort staff also offers services, including  personalized instruction, daily trail grooming, and a full rental and repair shop. These little touches put Maplelag in the running as a first-class cross-country resort—the lodge was even voted as the number one cross-country ski lodge in a poll sponsored by Fischer cross-country skis.

It’s not hard to see why Maplelag has so many returning guests. Since 1974, when owners Jim and Mary Richards bought the fifty-six acres of property on Little Sugarbush Lake, the lodge has faithfully focused on the modest needs and casual comforts of its guests. Those first years were spent turning maple sap into a lucrative syrup business that produced more than 400 gallons in one season. Soon the Richardses were entertaining lodgers over the weekends. Guests would bring their own food and sleeping bags, and this seedling of a lodging business took root.