Snowmobiling is a big deal here. In some communities, snowmobiling accounts for more business than even fishing. In fact, with more than 175,000 registered riders spending $40 million, it accounts for more money in some parts of the state than angling, hunting, and skiing combined. In Snowgoer magazine, reader polls have ranked northeastern Wisconsin and Minocqua best overall, eclipsing better-known, better-financed Rocky Mountain operators. Antigo passed ordinances giving snowmobiles rights similar to those of cars on city streets. Restaurants and nightspots often list their addresses according to the snowmobile route you’ll find them on.

In total, the state maintains 25,000 miles of interconnected trails, so well linked that you can travel on them continuously from Kenosha in southeastern Wisconsin all the way to Lake Superior in the northwest. Nearly half of the 42 state recreation trails permit snowmobiling; so do 15 state parks and forests; and the national forests are wide open.