Places to Ski in the Rockford Area

Skate Skiing

There are really only two places to skate ski in Rockford: Sinnissippi Golf Course and Rock Cut State Park.

Sinnissippi is groomed regularly and well. That said, it is a nine-hole golf course, so the groomed trail isn't all that long. It ususally takes about 5-9 minutes to ski a lap, depending on how fast you are going. MAP

Rock Cut is a wonderful place to ski, but it is groomed for skating very irregularly. When it is groomed, it takes 70-120 minutes to ski the entire system, depending on your speed. MAP

McMiller and Nordic Trails in Kettle Moraine South are both terrific places to skate ski. They are about an hour drive from Rockford and are groomed regularly and well. They are both Wisconsin State Parks, and so there are fees for parking and trail use. MAP

Classical Skiing

There are MANY places for classical skiing in and around Rockford. However Sinnissippi Golf Course is the only place where you will find groomed trails locally.

As soon as there is snow, classical skiers will be out there creating trails. For skiing in non-tracked areas our favorites include:

• Rock Cut State Park - Park at either the Lions Club or Hwy. 173 lots. You can't miss the trails.
• Blackhawk Spings/Espensheid Forest Preserves - Park at the Perryville Road entrance. Cross the bridge and turn right to get to the trail. At the trail, go left to access the hillier Blackhawk Springs trail network, go straight (under the automobile bridge) to access the more moderate Espensheid trails. MAP
• Deer Run Forest Preserve - Park at the River Road lot and walk in. Large network of relatively flat trails. MAP

Kettle Moraine South is, of course, another excellent place to classic ski, all of which will have groomed classic tracks. In addition to McMiller and Nordic Trials, Scuppernong is a classic only area. MAP