27 WINTER 2026 VOL. 07 / ISSUE 01 SNOWGOER. COM 28
that had us sliding our rumps back and forth across the seat while enjoying the tree-lined scenery.
We stopped for an early lunch at the woodsy Pine Lake Lodge, which was already teeming with snowmobilers, then continued in the general direction of Mercer to briefly test the trails of the Mercer Area Sno-Goers. We then ran a broad loop to the west, enjoying traditional Upper Midwestern snowmobiling at its finest.
The best part about riding in this part of Wisconsin is its hyperrural nature. Once riders get west of Highway 51, road crossings are very rare, and the trees outnumber the population by about a billion to one. The mix of hardwood trees and pines were holding on to the falling snow as best they could on this breezy day, while the trail surface had an interesting roll.
The path takes riders in and out of the 175,000-acre Iron County Forest, past cottage-lined lakes and over well-maintained bridges that cross creeks and narrow rivers. The trails were in immaculate shape and traffic was surprisingly light given all the sleds we saw in town. That allowed for a full mental and physical escape as we absorbed the scenery and enjoyed the outing.
We started with the twisting and turning trails 12 and 8, which reflected a true deep-woods experience. Lewis then led us up the more north-south Trail 15, an unplowed forest service road that was wide and mostly straight, allowing us to cover terrain in a hurry. A few curious white tail deer watched us as we hustled down the trail, but they stayed in the neighboring clearings.
A kink to the east allowed us to skirt the aptly named Island Lake