In the heart of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula - tucked between the great lakes of Superior and Michigan unforgettable fun beckons:

• Harness and mush your own dogsled team for a day-long adventure
• Snowshoe and cross-country ski in the pristine Northwoods
• Hike to magnificent icefalls
• Explore unforgettable Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
• Gaze at millions of stars on a night hike thorugh the Northwoods.

Day 1

Winter turns Tahquamenon Falls into an
icefall extravaganza and XC-skier’s delight

• Depart on our luxury motor-coach at 7 am from Palatine,IL. Then relax for the 7-hour trip with a movie, nap, good book, and getting to know your fellow adventurers. Enoy lunch at Culver’s
• Settle into your comfy room at the Quality Inn in Newberry, the moose capital of Michigan.
• Savor a delicious, healthy Northwoods dinner catered to our hotel, and meet our dogsled guides.
• After dinner, Tasha, owner of Nature’s Kennel, will talk about dogsledding (including numerous Iditarods), describe your upcoming adventure, and answer questions.

 

Day 2

Enjoy the Inn’s complimentary hot, hearty breakfast buffet.

Explore Tahquamenon Falls: We’ll spend the day together at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, 50,000 acres of Upper Peninsula (UP) wilderness. The scenic Tahquamenon River was made famous in Longfellow’s poem, Hiawatha; its beauty will make it legendary for you, too. We’ll have multiple guides for our activities, so you can go at your own pace.

• Hike… Take an hour long hike to fantastic ice formations sculpted by Tahquamenon Falls, the 2nd largest waterfall east of the Mississippi.
• XC-Ski… Cross-country ski for 2 hours through lovely snow-fringed, old-growth forests to the phenomenal falls.
• Snowshoe… Enjoy a 2-hour snowshoe through the picturesque lower falls area.
• Eat at the park pub… Savor dinner at the park’s yummy restaurant and pub, decorated in Northwoods style — and owned by the granddaughter of the man who once owned this land.
• Explore the woods at twilight … Snowshow through the quiet woods at night on a trail illuminated by old-fashioned kerosene lanterns and starlight

Snowshoe by daylight … and hike by lantern light.

If you wish to XC ski while at Tahquamenon, bring your own (or rented) skis with you to the UP; there are no rentals near where we stay. The park DOES loan snowshoes for free while we’re there.

"This was the best experience I’ve ever had!"~Timber Wolf
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"When I look at the pictures, it just makes me smile. Now I know why people go back again and again." ~Kudie
*****
"I felt like a kid again What a blessing!" ~Daisy

Day 3

Savor the silent splendor of mushing…

Group 1: Dog-Sled! Half of our group will dogsled from 8:30am - 3pm at Nature’s Kennel, owned and operated by Ed and Tasha Stielstra. They have two sweet kids … and 200 happy canines, including Iditarod racing veterans. Ed is an 8-time Iditarod race finisher; Tasha also runs long-distance races.

On your day-long adventure, you’ll learn the basics of harnessing the dogs and driving the sled. Then, experience the thrill of driving your own team of 4-5 dogs on a 10-mile ride, while following experienced musher guides. You’ll be on the trail about 1 hour.

While some ladies are mushing, others will have a chance to hike through the pretty Northwoods and play with the friendly Alaskan huskies back at the kennel.

Enjoy a yummy lunch of hearty home-cooked soups, hot drinks , and dessert around a crackling fire. (A comfy warming house and washroom are also open to us all day.) After lunch, the two groups at Nature’s Kennel will swap activities.

Other dogsled options:

• Opt to ride in a guide’s sled rather than drive your own.
• Ride in a guide’s sled AND drive your own sled... do one before lunch and once after lunch.
• Drive your sled two times ? once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Explore a wonderland of ice sculptures
at Eben Ice Caves.

Group 2: Explore UP hidden treasures: While half of our group is at Nature’s Kennel, others will explore treasures near Munising, MI. Hike to a frozen waterfall and then to the shores of Lake Superior. There, view amazing icefalls along the shoreline... and if the lake is frozen, go walk on water! We’ll also trek a short portion of the famed North Country Trail, which stretches 4,600 miles from North Dakota to New York State (the longest trail in the National Trails System). Lunch is provided on the bus.

Pamper your muscles. After our day’s adventures get a 1/2 hour massage… at our inn. We’ll schedule appointments with two registered massage therapists who we’ve worked with for years.

Dine in! Kick back on this casual evening, get to know one another better, and share stories of the day while munching pizza and Caesar’s salad with grilled chicken. Feel free to bring your own beverages.

"Your trips push me to do things I didn’t think I could!! And there’s always such a wonderful group of Wild Women who are open to adventure! Thank you!" ~Hiking Stick

Day 4

Savor the food, ambience, fireside, and
live music at Chamberlin’s.

Enjoy the inn’s complimentary hot breakfast buffet.

Swap adventures.Our two groups will swap activities.Group 1 will head to Munising while Group 2 dogsleds at Nature’s Kennel.

A magical evening. We’ll dine at Chamberlin’s Ole Forest Inn, a gracious country inn on Big Manistique Lake. Built in the 1800s, this inn has the best food and ambience around, plus fun live music. Simply magical!

 

 

Day 5

Enjoy the inn’s complimentary breakfast buffet.

At 9AM, we’ll fill the bus with adventurous women, laughter, great stories, and friendship and return to Palatine by about 4:00 pm. We’ll stop at Culver’s for lunch on the ride home.

Features of this unforgettable adventure!

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Enjoy winter at its best!

Standard cost of $1,685 includes: Lodging for 4 nights (double occupancy) Luxury motor coach throughout our trip 6 1/2-hour dogsled adventure A trip to Munising icefalls and Lake Superior Fun-packed day at Tahquamenon Falls Guided hiking, snowshoeing, and XC skiing Guided twilight hike Catered dinners Tuesday and Thursday Yummy lunches each day Hot breakfast buffets each morning 2 Trailbound guides throughout the trip Snacks & water througout the trip Snowshoes at T-falls(or bring your own) Fact-filled packet with area info, trip tips, packing list, and more Mesh backpack you can use during our trip Hundreads of online photo memories Professional photos of our dogsledding Free parking for your car while we’re away Park permits and entrance fees Gratuities for the bus driver, dogsled guides, XC ski and snowshoe guides, and hotel staff. Amazing memories and friendships "I did it!" bragging rights

Trip Standard and Option Costs

• The standard trip cost of $1,685 includes the chance to drive your own dogsled team one time for 10 miles. But consider the other options below.
• Ride once with a guide for 10 miles and drive your own dogsled team once for 10 miles. Add $150 to the standard rate for a cost of $1,835.*
• Drive your own team 10 miles in the morning and 10 miles in the afternoon. Add $250 to the standard rate for a cost of $1,935.*
• Ride in the guide’s sled only. If you choose not to drive your own sled, you can deduct $100 from the standard rate, for a trip cost of $1,585
• For a private room at the Quality Inn, add $260 to the cost of the above option you select.

* To provide mushers more personal attention, Nature’s Kennel limits the number of riders & drivers each day, so most options are available on a firstcome basis. In addition, Nature’s Kennel schedules their guides, races, sleds, and dogs according to our sign-up. Respecting this schedule, we cannot change your ride request or issue ride refunds within 45 days of our event. And, as in all physical activities, there’s the possibility of fatigue or injury that day, for which we also cannot issue refunds. Thank you for understanding!

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Testimonials:

• I felt like I had to venture out of my comfort zone, and it made me feel confident! ~Zippy
• It helped me to find girlfiends who are about my age and like to do things that I do. ~Sled Belle
• It was a winter fantasy. I loved the beauty and fun of snowshoeing. The dogsledding was fabulous. The scenery was spectacular! The trip was an unforgettable experience. Thank you for all your efforts. I am blessed to be one of your travelers. ~Indy
• It was fun to try new activities like dog-sledding, snow-shoeing, and just traveling with a group of people I didn’t know. Carol and the other leaders are very good at creating a safe space where everyone is valued and nobody is judged. This sets the perfect tone for exploring new activities. ~Quetico
• I continue to be amazed by the vitality and strength of character of the women I meet on these trips.
• No matter what I do with Trailbound, I have a great time. Keep doing these trips. They feed my soul. ~Little Bit
• The trip gave me a new appreciation of the beauty of nature and the enjoyment of a simple way of life. ~GiGi
• I am lucky to have become a member of this group and the new adventures you have opened up for me, and for all of us. It was beautiful. I loved every minute. ~BW
• This was a wonderful experience I will cherish forever. ~Yoga Girl
• This trip exceeded my expectations; I could not have anticipated such a well-planned trip. I learned to enjoy winter again! ~Anonymous
• Thank you for making my 1st adventure trip with the "wild women" a great experience. I just loved getting to know so many wonderful women — sharing stories, experiences, knowledge, laughs, games, and just plain FUN! The support I felt from you leaders from beginning to the end was so inspiring. I can’t stop talking about the trip to friends and family and can now check off mushing and snow shoeing from my bucket list … along with drinking glogg out of plastic cups, eating venison chili, meeting day-old Alaskan Husky pups, and dancing with an 80-year-old fellow "wild woman." Thanks for the memories. ~Musher
• Passing through forests that reflect the ages, I felt my little spirit is but a brief visitor. ~Jet
• My favorite part of this adventure was getting to be a part of such a diverse group of women, all of whom were brought together by one activity — dog-sledding — but who gained friendship and laughter in the trip. ~DP
• I met wonderful women who were great inspiration on how to embrace life. ~Tree Hugger
• I smile every time I think about this trip… ~MN
• I just want to thank you for such a great trip to the UP. It was really great and well planned. I thought you did a great job of keeping the expenses relatively low. I think one of the hardest things I run into as a wife/spouse/woman is spending money on myself, but I can tell you it was money well spent. I’ll look forward to seeing you all again on another adventure! ~Mountain Mama
• I am in awe! I’m so glad to have found you and Trailbound Trips. Can’t wait to plan our next outing. ~Lark
• I miss being in the UP very much! Thanks to you for the amazing opportunity. ~Merilee N.
• Again, thank you for the opportunity for such a wonderful experience...so well planned, such wonderful company, and so many unforgettable experiences! We certainly had the chance to enjoy life to the fullest these past several days, thanks to the opportunity you provided. You and your organization are truly a blessing!! ~Pat J.
• Awesome trip! Thank you so much for a wonderful time! Trailbound really knows how to throw a party! ~Trail Runner
• Still on a natural high from such an amazing time!! My husband wonders if I’m ever going to stop talking about it - I doubt it !! ~Gram Cracker
• I had great time meeting you and my new "wild women" friends in the U.P. It was so amazingly beautiful, exhilarating, and heart-warming — even in the sub-zero temps! You do a great job organizing all the events that created such a wonderful adventure and will touch the hearts and souls of all who challenged themselves to participate. ~Pink
• A truly awesome trip! ~Sierra
• Thank you for such a wonderful adventure in the UP, it was the BEST! I was telling my son how you have opened new doors of adventure for me. I am so happy you and Trailbound came into my life. You always plan the best of trips. Thank you. ~Frisky Filly
• What an absolute joy to go on a Trailbound Trip. Thank you for everything. ~Bluebonnet
• This was such an incredible experience! Can’t wait to do it again. ~Pat J.
• Year #2 of dogsledding with you… Excellent! Gets better and better all the time. ~Musher
• Thanks for a great trip…the dogsledding was unforgettable. ~Georgia
• You really spread the joy of traveling and think of everything! I can’t wait to go on my next trip with you. ~Dances with Dogs
• How cool was that? ~Fireball PI
• You throw an awesome trip…so wonderful! ~MooseTrax

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