Snow all day, and the sauna after.
Heritage Lodge sits across the road from Lake Superior, east of Marquette, Michigan, where winter means real snow off the lake. Ski, ride or snowshoe out, then come back to a sauna inside the house.
The pond freezes, the trails fill in.
The lodge stands on the bank of its own pond, the 2 trails cross the land, and Lake Superior’s shore is across the road. When the snow comes you ski, ride or snowshoe straight out of the door.
The trails from the door
What the winter brings.
About 100 inches of snow a winter at the lake in town, and about 197 inland.
Trails open and are groomed when there is enough snow, and the roads want care: allow extra time on M-28.
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December
Highs near 30°F, lows near 19°F, and 21 inches of snow at the lake. The sun is up for 8 hours 34 minutes on the 21st, from 8:31 am to 5:05 pm.
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January
The coldest month: highs near 25°F, lows near 12°F, and about 25 inches of snow at the lake. The mornings for sea smoke.
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February
Highs near 27°F, lows near 12°F, and close to 20 inches of snow at the lake. The month of the ice and the sled dogs.
2 weekends to plan around.
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January 22 to 23, 2027
Noquemanon Ski Marathon
The Noquemanon Trail Network’s big ski race, a 50K course in and around Marquette, with shorter distances for the rest of us.
Race details -
February 11 to 15, 2027
The UP200
A 228-mile sled dog race from downtown Marquette to Grand Marais and back, with 12 dogs to a team. The finish line is at the Ojibwa Casino on M-28, between the lodge and Marquette. Downtown is 14 to 15 minutes from our door.
Race details
Days out in the snow.
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Marquette Mountain
Downhill skiing, 14 to 17 minutes from the lodge.
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Fat biking
The Noquemanon Trail Network grooms trails for fat bikes, and its South Trails are 15 to 18 minutes away.
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The ice curtains
In February the seeps on the sandstone cliffs near Munising freeze into curtains of ice taller than a person. You reach them on foot or on snowshoes, about 34 minutes to Munising.
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Eben Ice Caves
Walls of ice on the sandstone of the Rock River Canyon in the Hiawatha National Forest, about 50 minutes away and a walk of about a mile from the parking area. They form in the cold of midwinter and go when it warms.
The lake, smoking.
On the coldest mornings, usually in December and January, very cold air crosses the open lake and the water seems to steam. Be up before sunrise and look out.
The lake across the road
Back before dark.
In December the sun sets at 5:05 pm. The lodge sleeps 10 in 5 bedrooms, and the evening goes like this.
- The sauna. Inside the house, ready for cold hands and tired legs.
- The great room. Sofas, rugs and the open kitchen beyond.
- Wet gear. A washer and dryer.
- The yard. A fire pit by the pond for a clear night, and 2 trails on the lodge’s land: the Iron Ore Heritage Trail and the North Country Trail cross it.
- Trucks and trailers. Parking on site for snowmobile rigs.
Your winter dates.
Choose your dates and the calendar gives the price of your whole stay. The lodge takes 2 nights at least, and up to 2 dogs come too.