The Brant cabin, now called “Hygge” is home to the Maplelag store, rental shop and warming area for day users and sitting space for “brown bag” lunch/snacks. There is no food service available. (bring your own) The store is open when we have lodging guests and select days during the week when we have day skiing or biking activities. Store items are not currently available online but we plan to have an online store in the future. Bathroom and shower facilities available for camping/sprinter guests.
Exterior of the Brant after a recent snowfall, January 2024.Sitting area for “brown bag” day users.Maplelag custom sinks made with oak logs harvested from a storm blowdown. Lower level of the Brant which has additional sitting areas for day users. Custom table made by “Cedar Sense” in the Brant cabin.Upper level lounge area in Brant for day users. Lower level of the Brant which has additional sitting areas for day users.
With the ice going off Little Sugarbush Lake next to Maplelag on April 6th, a new season is ushered in and welcomed.
Calm morning on Little Sugarbush Lake, April 15th, 2024. The vibrancy of waterfowl and wildlife is one of our favorite times of year on the lake is the spring before the lake sees the summer traffic.
April has been a typical mix of weather with cool and damp days (including a late April snow event that allowed us to sneak in one more ski) and warm almost summer like days. The trails have dried up nicely and we opened the mountain bike trails last weekend. (Latest report on the bike trail report page.)
Pair of loons enjoying the calm waters on Little Sugarbush soon after the ice was off.
We have had a lot of windy days which has blown down a lot of deadfall but we are not able to be on the trails and start doing trail work. (Latest trail and woods report) The end of this month and start of May we will begin planting trees. This is something we take great pride in having planted 100’s of thousands trees since the beginning of Maplelag in 1973.
Blowdown from recent storm on mtb singletrack and ski trail! It is a year round process clearing deadfall and keeping trails cleared.
The woods has been slow to green, naturally, but a few signs emerging. Being surrounded by nature’s beauty is something we do not take for granted and grateful for every day. As we move forward with “rebuilding” after the fire in October of 2022, our focus remains to share this with as many people as possible whether it would be overnight stays or day visits. With that said, here are some updates and reports on projects we have been working on.
Lapland Lodge
We have made great progress on phase 2 of the Lapland Lodge, completing the exterior work during a mild late February and March. Work has now shifted to the interior as we finish up the sheet-rocking, tile work and flooring. The final phase will be the installation of the fully equipped kitchen and finishing work. We are very excited how this cabin is taking shape and can’t wait for the final stage to be completed! This lodge will be available to rent this summer once it is completed. We have already booked weekends for next winter so if you are interested, check back for photos and full description in a month or so.
The Brant cabin has seen a big time makeover with the store being phase one. We appreciate everyone that made a visit and purchased items. We still have a longer term goal to sell online but first need to complete other projects before venturing into online selling. This spring we have added more seating space for day users and currently are remodeling the main level bathrooms. Keith has done a fantastic job and grateful for his skills. On a side note, we know it was difficult for many long time guests that were loyal to the Brant. No major decisions are easy and know this was not a simple decision.
Sitting space in the Brant for “brown bag” lunching.
The Candy Store continues to see improvements after the major renovation last fall. Thanks everyone who visited and stayed there this past season! The reviews have been good and after the winter season, we have done some upgrades in the bathrooms and bedrooms.
Bedroom enhancement in one of the CandyStore bedrooms featuring print of one of the images captured at Maplelag this past year. We will be adding prints to the cabins in various locations of our favorite nature scenes.
Fall grooming on Bullhead lake trail, November 15th, 2023.
We’ve had a great final fall grooming push on the outer trails as we prepare for the colder and snowier days ahead. Overall the trails are looking great and ready colder weather and the real snow to come! Latest trail report on the trail report page.
It continues to be very busy at Maplelag as we work on construction projects and prepare the trails for the upcoming winter season. click here for daily trail report November has been an interesting month, weather wise, with winter to start the month followed by warmer temperatures then snow again followed by yet warmer weather this week. Pretty typical of Novembers of Maplelag which can vary. We did get out to groom a little the first snowfall and enjoyed a few days of special early season skiing.
Fresh cordurouy after early November grooming. Most of the trails we can open on just 3″ of snow with detailed off season preparation.
We had the store open last Saturday and want to thank everyone that came out. We will have the store open on a more regular basis once we open for the ski season. Hours will be posted on our social media handles and the store website page located here.
Jonell has the store stocked nicely and continues to add as we prepare for the winter months to come.
Progress continues on various projects as we have mentioned in previous updates. We have also been very busy on the trails with one more fall grooming push, focusing on the outer trails and touching up the inner ones. Overall the trails are looking great for winter and ready for snow.
Fall trail grooming on Roy’s Run. Ready for snow!!
Last week we finished the upgrades in the Red Caboose and getting very close on the Six Swedes cabin. We are now working on the Orange caboose and on phase 3 on the Candy Store cabin. Once we complete these projects, we will begin phase 2 on the Lapland cabin.
Interior view of the new full kitchen in the Six Swedes cabin.
Photos of the Red Caboose can be found here and the Six Swedes cabin can be found here. As we put the finishing touches on these projects, we will update the content with more photos as well. For those interested in making reservations or any questions, please email us at [email protected]
Cozy Red Caboose with some of the new upgrades featured.
A Family Owned and Operated Destination Cross-Country Ski Center
