Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Skiing
The highest ski hill in the state, Rib Mountain's
Granite Peak
(715/845-2846,
www.skigranitepeak.com
)
hasthesecond-longest vertical dropintheMidwest atjustunder
700feet.Thereare74runs(bunnies,steepchutes,andevenforestglades)plusanenormous
originalchalet.Itdoesagreatjobonkid-centricactivities,too.Pricesvarywildlyaccording
to season and day/night periods.
For
cross-country skiing,
apersonalfavoriteisthehidden,classical-style
Ringle Trail,
a three-plus-mile trail for beginners in isolated hardwood stands east along WI 29 and then
north on Highway Q, and east on Poplar Lane.
Kayaking
Lumber boomtowns in the Fox and Wisconsin riverways notwithstanding, Wausau lays
claim to the most persistent set of rapids. No longer powering the mills, the water now at-
tracts thousands of white-water aficionados and pro kayakers to make use of its downtown,
dam-controlled white-water course in national and international competitions. Not many
other cities can brag about a course right through the city, complete with bankside seating.
The city's program garnered kudos from the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Team, which has made
Wausau its top training site. The Wisconsin River and Lake Wausau are part of a popular
water trail; portaging is required.
Biking
Wausau's segment of the
Mountain-Bay Trail
is an 83-miler constructed along the former
Chicago and Northwestern Railroad railbed and stretching from Weston to Green Bay. The
trailhead begins by the Weston Community Center, 5500 Schofield Avenue. A daily pass
($4) is required and can be obtained at the trailhead.
GINSENG: WISCONSIN'S GOLDEN ROOT
WisconsinmaybeAmerica'sDairyland,butintheWausauarea,thereveredrootgin-
seng is an—if not
the
—economic mainstay. Between 90 percent and 95 percent of
the United States' ginseng crop comes directly from the somewhat secretive farmers
of Marathon County, now the world's fourth-largest ginseng producer at a half-mil-
