Category Archives: News

Items for the News Archive — usually front page items go here, especially once no longer on front page

Fall Color Day September 23rd

Fall color across from the Brant Cabin where the new store is located, September 20th, 2023.

September 23rd we will have a “Fall Color Day” at Maplelag. This day will simply be a time for people to come out and enjoy the trails or property taking in the fall colors. We will have the new store open (located in the Brant Cabin) and also Wood Fire Pizza food truck will be on site from 12-5.

Wood Fire pizza food truck will be on site September 23rd, 2023 12-5pm.
Maplelag store, located in the Brant Cabin will be open in the afternoon, September 23rd, 2023.

September 10th Update

Touch of fall color on the maples near the cabooses.

September is here and it is starting to feel and look like fall! After a unusually warm Labor Day weekend, temperatures have cooled down with a little bit of much needed precipitation.

Jason and Ben ready to break ground on the Candy Store addition!

We kept the tradition going of hosting our annual mountain bike race, Laddies Loppet which was the 33rd running. It was the longest running event before the fire on October 10th and we were very happy to host it again this year. It was so good to see familiar faces, many who have been coming back for decades including a few that have been here and supported since the first year! We have forged some great relationships over those years and always great to connect on life and family happenings. We want to thank again the sponsors, the support and volunteer staff and the officials who combined with the racers made it a great day despite the heat. We ran the race out of the warming house and had the start and finish near the cabooses for the first time. We learned some things and already have a list of things to improve on in the future.

We will be having a Fall color day on September 23rd. We will have a food truck here, Wood Fire pizza and the store will be open. The trails will be open for hiking, mountain biking to take in the beautiful fall colors. Our peak is a little earlier than what most maps will show and begins around the third week of September. With many trees already changing, it won’t be long until everything is vibrant with brilliant orange, yellow and red.

The beginning of this week kicked off a busy one as we began construction on the Candy Store cabin, one of the cabins we are remodeling and adding onto for this upcoming winter season. We will be adding a full kitchen to the south entrance for people to prepare meals that are staying in this cabin.

We also finalized plans for the remodeling of the Six Swedes cabin where we will also be adding a kitchen. We will begin construction on the Swedes in a week or so.

Other projects in the works including the continuation of staining of select cabins. Pat has been here for almost a month and getting closer to wrapping up phase one of this project. It’s nice to see the cabins get a fresh look on the exterior.

We also have been working on the cabooses preparing those for rental this winter. Also on the cabooses you might notice equipment which is in place to improve on our networking. Thanks to Bruce and Bjorn Adelsman for their work on this project. We are getting closer to taking reservations and look for more details in the next post early next month. Thanks to everyone that has inquired and shown interesting in staying at Maplelag this coming winter season.

Keith installing a new counter top in the red caboose.

Finally we continue to build inventory in the store and getting product for the winter season. We are excited to be one of the few places in the area to carry the colorful and purposeful Skida brand hats.

Thanks to everyone that stopped into the store over the bike race weekend. We continue to build up inventory before the winter and will post days we will be open in the coming months.

Lastly as the leaves begin to turn and fall to the ground, we will begin leaf clearing off the ski trails. This will continue right up until the ground freezes and snow flies. Having the trails cleared with no debris and grass cut low allows us to open on minimal snow.

Fall grooming will be in full force until the snow flies!

Laddies Loppet Mountain Bike Race

Kids Comp racers lined up for the first race of the day, Laddies Loppet 2023.Thanks everyone that came for the final race in the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series. Thanks to all the volunteers, race officials and support personal that helped make it a great day despite the warm temperatures.

The mountain bike trails will remain open until November 1st. Latest MTB report click here.

August 18th Update

It’s been a busy month working on projects as we prepare for the next chapter at Maplelag after the fire on October 10th that destroyed the main lodge. The main focus has been renovating the Brant cabin which will be the new hub for day use and will include a store. We’ve tried to maintain the feel of the old lodge using signs we had kept in the maintenance shop. Our plan is to have the store ready for a “soft” opening by Laddies Loppet mountain bike race, which is to be held on Sunday of Labor Day weekend. We will post hours we plan to be open on the website and social media later this fall.

Once we begin and make progress on the next projects, adding kitchen units to the Candy Store, Six Swedes and enhancements to the Red and Orange cabooses, we will begin taking reservations. We appreciate everyone that has inquired about winter reservations. The loss of the main lodge has taken time to recover from, on many different aspects. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we navigate the next steps and restore energy, passion and commitment to serve our guests in this next chapter.

Entry to the Brant cabin which will be the new hub for day use and include the Maplelag store.August 18th, 2023.
Exterior of the Brant cabin after a fresh and new color of paint!
Sitting/lounge area in the Brant cabin for day users.
Original painted trail signs on display in the Brant entry.
Store area in the Brant cabin soon to be stocked with items including clothing and local artists.
Eira, the “snow baby” wearing a Skida Hat. We are excited to carry Skida this coming winter in the store with a custom Maplelag hat! We discovered Skida recently and was able to visit the headquarters in Vermont which was a area of inspiration when we visited Nordic centers out East last winter and spring.
Pure maple syrup harvested on the shores of Little Sugarbush lake will be available for sale.
Pat and Amber staining and painting the Brant cabin. Other buildings on tap for a fresh look that will be a component in the next chapter will be the sauna, Sava Sauna cabin, Six Swedes cabin and Candy Store cabin.
Remember the numbering system on the trail signs?
The creative work of local artist Wendy Roy will be on display and for sale in the Brant cabin.
Summer grooming on the ski trails. Once we begin and make progress on the next projects, adding kitchen units to the Candy Store, Six Swedes and enhancements to the Red and Orange caboose, we will begin taking reservations.