The first weekend in March (Friday, March 2 – Sunday, March 4) offers a unique opportunity to reduce your cabin fever. Bayfield Winter Festival provides a series of activities organized for the benefit of the Bayfield Recreation Center and Mt. Ashwaybay Ski and Recreation Area. Whether a spectator or participant, all activities are designed to have fun and celebrate winter in Bayfield and the Apostle Islands.
Some highlights of the weekend:
- Candlelight Walk on the Brownstone Trail (Friday Evening)
Join the Bayfield Regional Conservancy at Big Water Cafe & Coffee Roasters at 6:30pm for hot drinks and treats. Around 7:00pm, the group will head over to the Brownstone Trail for a magical walk amongst hundreds of luminary’s set along the popular hiking trail. - Bayfield’s First Friday
Downtown Bayfield stores are open late to welcome Winter Festival revelers with demonstrations, door prizes and sales. Take advantage of these special evening hours, 4:00pm – 7:00pm, at 16 business locations. - Run on Water (Saturday)
Race to Madeline Island and back on the ice road. Choose your own course (it’s hard to get lost…). All non-motorized methods of transportation are allowed – run, walk, snowshoe, skate, ski, bike, skijor… Awards to the top three finishers in each category. Register at www.midwestevents.com or from 10:00am – 11:00am on Saturday. Race begins at 11:00am. If ice conditions do not permit, the event will be a “Run by the Water” on Bayfield’s Brownstone Trail, and maintain a distance of 4 miles
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- Mt. Ashwabay WinterBASH (Saturday Evening)
Finish the day in style at Mt. Ashwabay’s WinterBASH from 7:00pm – 11:00pm. This event will include a giant bonfire, South Shore Beer, food, tubing, horse drawn sleigh rides, and multiple bands including The Ringtones and Alpha City with sound by JD BASS inside a heated pole barn. $5 suggested donation/person at the gate. There will also be a cross-country luminary ski from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Ski amid the sparkle of hundreds of candles illuminating the darkened woods at Mt Ashwabay! Visit mtashwabay.org for ski hill information. - New event! On Sunday you can test your endurance during Mt. Ashwabay’s WinterDASH starting at 1:30pm. This “ultimate winter 5-km run and obstacle course” will require no gear – just guts! Go to www.bayfieldwinterfestival.com to register.
Yes, we do like to have fun up here in Northern Wisconsin! Enjoy this Winter_Festival_Flyer offering more detailed info. And if you’re still needing lodging, Pinehurst Inn still has a few rooms open!
As we all know it’s been a bit of a non-Winter. There hasn’t been much snow, and I think there may have been more days above freezing than not in January. That said, here in Bayfield, February has been panning out to be much better! There was just enough snow for very successful Apostle Island Sled Dog Races, and tonight is the Annual Book Across the Bay, a 5 mile XC Ski race across the bay between Ashand and Washburn. It’s rumored that up to 4000 participants will be at this year’s “book.” This is an event that raises funds for grants for programs that encourage physical and mental wellness among residents of the Chequamegon Bay region. While it may be too late to participate this year, think about it for next year! We would love to have you.
