We are going to Wisconsin the end of January to go snowmobiling. Have to rent them and we are finding that no one near Milwaukee rents them. Have to head north and everything I've checked out seems to be north of Green Bay. We are not experienced in driving in snowy conditions and just need some input as to possible road conditions up above Green Bay - or, does anyone possibly closer to Milwaukee rent them? We really wanted to fly into Milwaukee but it sounds like the trek to upper Wisconsin would be rough. Please, any input would be appreciated.

Milwaukee only averages 47 inches of snow for an entire winter, and recently we havn't had snowy winters. Right now, there's no snow on the ground. That may be why you can't find a place near Milwaukee to rent snowmobiles.

And even if you could rent them - where would you ride them?

Snowmobile rentals are kind of a "Northwoods thing" in Wisconsin. Unless you happen to be driving DURING a snowfall, the roads are cleared and well-maintained. Here's an example of a snowmobile rental outlet in Minocqua:

http://www.minocquarentals.com/

Northern counties have hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails available, but the great majority of the activity is from people who own their sleds.

Here is a rental place in Eagle River:

http://www.snowconditions.com/sponsor.htm#rrentals

Central Wisconsin Airport is around 80 miles south of Minocqua and 100 miles from Eagle River. In my opinion, it offers the best air service to that part of the state because connections are offered by feeders for Northwest, United and Midwest Airlines. From there, you would rent a vehicle. It is mostly four-line highway to Minocqua.

Winter can be a BUSY tourism season with snowmobilers, ice fishing and special events. Be sure to reserve your accommodations and snowmobiles in advance!

I agree with the others. .. fly into northern Wisconsin or maybe Duluth, Minnesota.

a couple of years ago I rented snowmobiles in Shawano, WI which is near Green Bay. We stayed in GB.

Minocqua and Eagle River are the centers of Northern snowmobile rentals and trails as previously mentioned with several possibilities in nearby towns.

Don't worry aobut the roads. Going North and South in WI is mostly by interstates.

thanks a bunch for all the info. we're from atlanta and are clueless about all this but really want to go. after looking around, i noticed that you can also fly into rhinelander. is that better/worse than flying into central wisconsin? and once you are there, are there any good resorts to stay at or any recommended places to eat, etc?

I'm from NW Wisconsin - so this is my take on it even though I personally don't snowmobile. However, my sister does. Fly into MPLS/ST PAUL (probably cheaper flights?) Then you can drive to northwestern WI - anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours depending on where you'd like to go. The Eagle River area is a BIG winter recreation area as well as Spooner or Hayward. Just do a search on any of these towns and you'll probably find a ton of information on where to stay, where to rent snowmobiles, etc. Agree that the roads are usually in good driving condition - they keep them salted and sanded if we have a snowfall. We currently have snow where I live but not really enough to snowmobile on yet. However the further north you go (Spooner, Hayward, Eagle River, Rhinelander) the more snow you'll find. You should be able to find that out on the internet as well. Good luck and enjoy our Northwoods!
Pam

riddlekitty, you certainly CAN fly into Rhinelander and your two alternatives from Atlanta would be Midwest Airlines (via Milwaukee) and Northwest (via MSP). Flights are less frequent, so there are less options if you have a weather situation, etc. You'll have to check for the fare impact. I'm guessing it's going to be higher, but that can be mitigated with Northwest zone fare coupons, for example. There is no question that it will save you some driving for a destination like Eagle River. I don't know what the situation is for things like rental cars; it's a small operation. (They list rental car affiliations with Avis, National and Alamo available.)

Riddlekitty,

You don't have to go far from Milwaukee to rent snowmobiles. While the Northwoods might offer the ultimate in Wisconsin snowmobiling, a trip to Lake Geneva/Delavan might be what you are looking for. Lake Lawn Lodge would be a good choice to stay and you'd have ice skating, sleigh rides and ice fishing at the resort and miles of snowmobiling trails all around. I'm sure that the Lodge can set you up with rentals - or you could find them yourself (Jerry's Marine in Lake Geneva and Brown's in Delevan come to mind). You'd have lots of restaurant choices and the drives wouldn't be difficult.

Good Luck on your trip,

Kevin

Can't speak for the snowmobile thing, but most of my family lives in Wisconsin and I've visited there during the winter. Driving conditions are fine, as long as you are not driving during a bad snow storm. You will mostly be using the main highways and they are kept clear. Even small towns (as where most of my family lives) are kept clear enough that this So Calif "near native" can navigate the roads. (And this coming from one who absolutely hates snow, so won't even chance going to the mountains here when it snows!)

Just got back from a week in door county. The snow for the first 3 days was great, then it rained and all the snow dissappeared.

I don't know if this happened farther north or not, but if you are only going to go snowmobiling, check the weather and snow conditions. These past several years we have had very little snow. (this was the first white christmas in door county for the past 7 years, and in Madison we had NO Snow to speak of).

You may want to choose a destination that has more than snowmobiling appeal just in case there is no snow.

And for driving, the snow removal/salting crews are very efficient, unless a large blizzard hits they are usually out all night keeping main roads as clear as possible, and within a day everything is easily driveable. There has only been 2 times in the past 10 years that they actually took the crews off the road until the snow stopped here in the Madison area.

Just ask any of the high-schoolers I work with, they have not had the luxury of a snow day in 3-4 years!!

Yeah, but...

Just because the roads are fine 95% of the time doesn't mean you won't have bad luck.

Husband and I flew into Milwaukee once and had a nightmare of a time driving from there to Madison. My husband, born and raised in WI, and a very confident bordering on agressive driver, had to drive white-knuckeled 35 mph behind a snow plow most of the way. It was terrifying to me, and we saw many, many cars on the side of the road in snow banks where husband said they would be spending the night. They actually closed both the airport and the interstate that night right after we got in.

We also had a hair-raising drive from Chicago to Madison once due to sudden very light rain on roads that had been extremely cold prior to the rain. Unexpected patches of ice had cars sliding everywhere. That was on the interstate too.

I say fly as close to where you want to go as possible.

You'd have much better snow and far better scenery the farther you head to the northwest, i.e. Bayfield, Wis., or Duluth, Minn.

The scenery in that area, especially along the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota, is stunning and they get much more snow. You can fly into Duluth or Minneapolis (three hours on freeway.)

Doing this will increase your chances for a success trip greatly. Plus there's a chance of seeing moose if you head up the Minn. side. There's about three feet of snow there now.

http://www.snowmobiletrails.com/

Thanks for all the input. Took heed of your suggestions to go further north. Have actually made reservations in Rhinelander. (Live in Atlanta by the way) Flying to Minn, cathing a plane to Rhinelander Airport. Already have snowmobiles rented. Got a question though...Looks like there are trails open to tourists like me and then there are some for clubs. Am I going to be really restricted in where I can ride? And is there plenty of snow in this area? Have checked on snow conditions of travelwisconsin.com - Says 4-6 inches/fair. Is that good? Thanks again and can't wait to see some snow -Living in the ATL - it's been 70 all week and we haven't seen snow in years!We get an inch and the place shuts down.

Four to six inches is barely workable.

Minn. North Shore is a much snowier -- and much, much more scenic option.

Perhaps you don't want to look at this, but ...

http://www.snowmobiletrails.com/

Hi riddlekitty,

I live just outside of Milwaukee. I'm not a winter sports person, but have been to Rhinelander in the summer. The resort I stayed at has miles upon miles of snowmobile and cross country ski trails. The place is www.holidayacres.com. For more information on their snowmobile trails go to http://www.holidayacres.com/snotrail.html.

We've got a foot of snow in the Milwaukee area now!

Eagle River is the place to go! You can rent from Tack Side, Heckel's, and St. Germain Sport. Not to mention that there are many other places! Wild Eagle Lodge is beautiful! Chanticleer is another place, but older. The Derby Inn is another place and right near the derby races if you are in town for that! Snowmobile races are fun to watch too! The trails are in super condition right now! The Ice Castle in town is a definate pix moment! Places to eat. . .Pine Gable's, Riverstone, Soda Pops, Nero's, Michael's, Fox's Pizza, Brew Moon, Twelve Pines, Knocker's Pizza, Taco Joe's, White Spruce, and Donna's Cafe are all ones that come to mind right away. When you are out on the trails, you'll find other good spots too! Many bars in Eagle River too for after your ride.

Just got back from our trip in Rhinelander Wisconsin. Had a blast! Plenty of snow, snowmobiling was awsome. Quaint town, super friendly people. Rode 30 miles or so to Eagle River (rode 200 miles total!) Would do it again in a heartbeat. Plenty of bars/cafes right on the trails. A wonderful experience - Got back to Atlanta and folks are like, What's in Wisconsin? They just don't have a clue!