WINTER 2022 | DISCOVERIES
This page: Fattire bikers hit the wooded Cadillac Pathway. Opposite page: Lucky skiers take in the amazing winter views from the top of Caberfae Peaks and on its South Peak chairlift.
Rolling Out the White Carpet Cadillac blankets visitors with warm welcomes and outdoor delights
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n Cadillac, a ton of snow really is a good thing. “We’ve been blessed with being in a little pocket of some of the best snow in the Lower Peninsula,” says Pete Finch, owner of Coyote Crossing Resort, which welcomes snowmobilers, ice fishermen, skiers, and snowshoers when the temperature plummets each season. Tucked into northwest lower Michigan, about three and a half hours from Detroit, Cadillac is a popular and affordable hub for snowmobiling and other winter sports. With 200 miles of carefully
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By Ellen Creager groomed snowmobile trails, three scenic lakes, clear rivers, and the Caberfae Peaks ski resort, energetic Cadillac blankets visitors not just with snow, but with warmth. Want to try paddling in winter? Pine River Paddlesports owners Jacob, Mark, and Alaney Miltner will offer guided winter rafting trips down the Pine River. Spend 60 to 90 minutes on a rubber raft floating amid crystal splendor, then either hike back on the Silver Creek Pathway trail or ride in a warm car. The fast river doesn’t freeze, so rafting is possible. The winter trip (usually December through March) is magical, especially
after a heavy snow. “It’s the beauty — it’s hard to explain; it’s the constant changing of the river in the winter and the quiet,” Jacob Miltner says. “It’s a totally different experience than summer.” Snowmobiling might sound a bit intimidating, but K&R Outfitters in Cadillac arranges guided snowmobile tours for beginners, snowmobile included. Most trails wind through the million-acre HuronManistee National Forests, often stopping at the tiny Boone Country Store. Serious snowmobilers appreciate the meticulous grooming that makes Cadillac trails so smooth, according to Finch. “The
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