Fresh snow arrives in time for Cook County’s Winter Tracks Festival

Cook County, Minnesota hosts family-friendly festival, February 1-10, 2013

Grand Marais, MN – January 25, 2013 – Hold onto your long johns! Recent weather systems dumped nearly a foot of snow on Cook County, Minnesota, refreshing its hundreds of miles of ski, snowshoe and snowmobile trails and creating picture-perfect conditions for the annual Winter Tracks Festival.

From February 1-10, families and snow-lovers are invited to seize the season with Winter Tracks, an annual celebration of winter that spans Lutsen-Tofte, Grand Marais, the Gunflint Trail, and Grand Portage.

“We have some of the best trails in the Upper Midwest,” says Sally Nankivell, Executive Director of the Cook County Visitors Bureau, which hosts Winter Tracks. “This festival is our way of showcasing all the different ways to enjoy them.”

Visitors are encouraged to explore the county’s more than 400 km of groomed cross-country ski trails—the largest such system in North America—and log their progress at www.VolksSki.com. (The name Volks Ski comes from the European tradition of Volksmarching.) Every ski day logged wins you an entry in a drawing to win a Cook County adventure vacation.

Winter Tracks kicks off on Friday, February 1 with Lutsen Mountains Family Fun Fest, a chance for families to experience downhill skiing in a fun and affordable way. On Saturday, February 2, snowmobilers can tour some of the area’s 450 miles of groomed trails with the Ridge Riders Snowmobile Fun Run or the Easter Seals Snowarama.

Throughout the 10-day festival, visitors can enjoy snow sculptures, luminary-lit ski trails, guided snowshoe tours, live music, winter plein air art exhibits,  and dogsled or horse-drawn sleigh rides.

More information about Winter Tracks and a full schedule of events can be found at: www.VisitCookCounty.com/WinterTracks.