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Best Western Travel Programs

Minnesota

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Sign up for our FREE rewards program for racing fans and start earning points or airline rewards with qualifying stays at Best Western hotels worldwide. Speed Rewards points can be exchanged for free hotel room nights, retail gift cards and much more!

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Members of AAA, CAA, and ARC Europe receive discount rates at approved hotels throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Join the AAA Preferred Rewards program and receive even more exclusive offers.

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Winter Recreation in Minnesota

Sledding, Snowmobiling & Skiing in the North Star State

Don’t hide out in the Mall of America during your winter break in Minnesota. This year, choose from an extraordinary menu of outdoor activities – but only if you’ve got the appetite for skiing and snowboarding, ice fishing, and snowmobiling.

Join the fun at Saint Paul's Winter Carnival when visiting Minnesota, or stick around for the City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis – a cross-country skiing celebration happening in February. However, you don’t have to stay in the Twin Cities for some solid winter fun; venture out into the Minnesota cities and countryside for unforgettable ski areas, miles of snowshoeing and snowmobile trails, and classic, kid-friendly fun like snowman building, snowball fights, and even ice skating.

Find your favorite winter spot in the North Star State, because you’ll be back next year for sure.

Skiing & Snowboarding

Minnesota plays host to a long and sturdy winter, perfect for snow sports of all skill sets and interests. Plan on bringing your snowboard and skis? Check out Minnesota ski areas like the Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area in Bloomington, or the Buck Hill Ski Area in Burnsville.

Set in northeastern Minnesota, the cozy port city of Duluth rests against the shore of Lake Superior. Once you’ve arrived, get directions to the Chester Bowl Ski Area – a 117-acre city park home to a 175-foot drop for alpine skiers. Ride the double chair lift for your turn down this alpinic adventure, and be sure to take in the view of Duluth once you’re at the top. You and your family may also take advantage of ski lessons provided by the Chester Bowl Improvement Club, or try other winter activities at Chester Bowl like ice skating and cross-country skiing. After you’ve had enough action, dust the snow off your shoulders at the Best Western hotel in Duluth – just three miles from the Chester Bowl Ski Area.

This winter, head to Mount Kato Ski Area – another great ski area this time set in southern Minnesota in the city of Mankato. Bring your skis – or take advantage of the full-service rental shop – and make your way down one of 19 ski trails. These excursions include four beginner trails, eight intermediate trails, and seven advanced trails, plus eight chair lifts and four terrain parks for you snowboarding fans. With an onsite tech and accessory shop, you know you’re in good hands at the Mount Kato Ski Area – and of course the Best Western hotel in Mankato.

Ice Fishing & Snowmobiling

They don’t call it the Land of 10,000 Lakes for nothing. A Minnesota tradition, ice fishing is a highly awaited winter activity anticipated by both visitors and residents of the North Star State.

Guarded by the giant walleye pike, Mille Lacs Lake is a fixture of central Minnesota. Come winter, the lake comes alive with recreation like snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and of course, ice fishing. Rent a fish house on Mille Lacs Lake come the beginning of December, look into ice fishing guide services, and take advantage of nearby bait shops. Trout season starts up in January, so get the gear ready and spend your winter on Mille Lacs Lake – just an hour’s drive north of the Best Western hotels in St. Cloud.

Just south of Mille Lac Lake is the sleepy destination town of Onamia – a hotspot for snowmobiling and gateway to the big lake. Just north of St. Cloud on U.S. Highway 169, you can take a scenic day trip up to Onamia for everything winter fun. Rent a snowmobile in town, and zip past stunning landscapes and beautiful evergreen and birch trees. Choose from the Soo Line snowmobile trail, or head down over 140 miles of snowmobile pathways maintained by the Mille Lacs Trails Snowmobile Club. When you’re ready to hop off your snowmobile, a warm room awaits at a Best Western hotel in St. Cloud, or settle into the nearby Best Western hotel in Alexandria.

Cross-country Skiing, Snowshoeing, & Sledding

In Minnesota, winter means one thing: Snow, and lots of it. In southeastern Minnesota, the city of Rochester can accommodate any snow sport craving you may have during your time in the North Star State.

Once you find yourself in southern Minnesota, head to the Quarry Hill Nature Center – just three miles from the Best Western hotel in Rochester – for a day of cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and some epic snowball fights with the family. Open daily until 5 p.m., the 320-acre Quarry Hill Nature Center features ski and snowshoe rental, and allows the family dog to tag along. Ready to learn a thing or two? Take advantage of Quarry Hill’s many winter classes, like Winter Nature Photography, and winter survival courses.

Continue your winter recreation tour of southeastern Minnesota at Judd Park and Schmidt Park – home to great cross-country skiing, and some pretty intense downhill sledding. For more cross-country skiing, head to Whitewater State Park for six miles of ski trails, and snowshoeing opportunities throughout the park.

When you think you’ve had enough time in the snow, head back to the Best Western hotel in Rochester for a warm night in. This winter, when you’re looking for great ski areas, snowmobile trails, and ice fishing, all you have to do is keep Minnesota in mind.