February 13, 2015 at 4:44 p.m.
Playing and staying in a winter wonderland: Snowy conditions lead to tourism boom in the Northwoods
Playing and staying in a winter wonderland: Snowy conditions lead to tourism boom in the Northwoods
The proof can be seen everywhere, from trails packed with all manner of winter enthusiasts to lines of snowmobiles outside local restaurants and resorts.
"The winter tourism season, in general, has been very positive," said Dana DeMet, executive director of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce. "It's been a good year for us because of a combination of low gas prices and a concentration of snow in Oneida and Vilas counties. It made a lot of people head north for snowmobiling and other winter activities this year."
"We were fielding a number of phone calls, especially throughout January, from people from the Milwaukee, Green Bay and Madison areas looking for good snowmobiling, and we certainly had it," he added.
"Comparing that to something like last year, when pretty much the entire state had snow, we weren't getting as many people traveling, plus gas prices were higher. This winter was a little special in that we didn't have the entire state covered in snow and gas prices were where people could travel."
The proof is also in the numbers, DeMet said.
"Looking at quarter four, which is September through December and doesn't even include that busier time in January, we collected an additional $1,500 in room tax. So comparing the fourth quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2014, it was a really good winter, and if you remember, the fourth quarter of 2013 was a big winter, too, ... so that continued progression has been pretty good for us here," he said.
"We'll wait to see how the first quarter numbers are looking in 2015, but just based on the number of people that have been traveling to our area - what we've seen in January and so far in February - it should be pretty good through the end of winter."
For many, heading to the Northwoods for some winter fun is an annual tradition. Those visitors can be counted on each and every year.
Thanks to the abundance of snow the area has received compared to what's fallen on the rest of the state, another group joined those guests this year as well, many of whom were first-timers.
"Personally, I spoke to several people on the phone who were seeking specific trail information because they had never snowmobiled in the area before, so they were not familiar with the trails. We had lot a of questions regarding which of our resorts are on trails and have access to them, so that was an indication that we had a lot of new people coming into the area," DeMet said.
"In January 2015, we mailed over 102 inquiry packets to people from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Missouri - a wide variety of places. In (January) 2014, we mailed 27 of them ... and those were all Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and one went out to Maryland, so they were all Midwest except for the one to Maryland. To see that variety of people in the first month of 2015 ... makes it seem like it's going to be a pretty good year for winter tourism."
Local businesses that cater to those interested in winter activities have seen similar positive results, especially those who help get people out on snowmobiles and silent sports trails.
"It's been quite good. Our sales, not just for snowmobiles but our total sales for the month of January, doubled from the previous year. It was amazing," Jess Spiegelhoff, general manager at Shoeder's RV, Marine & Sports Center, said.
"Our rental business has been fantastic, too, and I think it's primarily because we're one of the few areas in the state that has had snow for such a long time. It's been off the charts great. We have 30 (snowmobiles available to rent) and they've been completely booked for three weekends in a row. It's been great."
"The trails have started to look a little rough, but then we got a little more snow and that's helped a lot because the trails are beautiful," he added.
"The local groomers do an awesome job. It's unbelievable."
The same can be said on the silent sports side of the equation.
"It's been very strong. We've probably got the best snow conditions in the state, so I think that's bringing a lot of people north that maybe otherwise wouldn't come. And it's been for everything, from skiing and snowshoeing to snowmobiling," said Greg Graves, manager of Mel's Trading Post.
"It's really been good. Our ski and snowshoes (rentals and sales) have been really, really strong. We've had snow on the ground since mid-November and that's been really helpful. We could use a little more snow now, but I think the ski trails are holding up nicely, which helps."
Of course, all of these snow aficionados have to have a place to stay. Area hotels and resorts have also reported positive results this winter.
"It's gone too fast. It always goes too fast," laughed Kari Zambon, owner of Holiday Acres Resort.
"We're having a good winter. We're loving the snow. It makes a huge difference. We've been getting a variety of business - skiers, snowshoers, hockey teams, cross-country teams, snowmobilers, really a good variety."
"The snow's been great," she added.
"We could always use more, but that's a given this time of the year."
While it does not have the luxury of being located directly on a trail system, the Days Inn and Suites has been able to ramp things up over the last month and a half.
"December was a little off compared to last year, and the first part of January was a little off, but we're not really on the snowmobile trails so that's not really our market. We've had a few stay here," said Ed Orlikowski, general manager of the Days Inn and Suites.
"Overall, our winter has been OK. The second half of January was good and February is looking very good for us to better than last year and last year was a record-breaking February for us, so that's quite good. We've got hockey teams in here and we've had people stay from the derby. We had some people stay here from pond hockey, which is an overflow from Eagle River."
"Our market for the winter are the hockey teams and silent sports. We've had cross-country skiers stay here and snowshoers, too. Our weekday corporate business has really picked up as well," he added.
All in all, things are looking up for tourism in the area.
"2014 was a good year," DeMet said.
"And it's looking like, based on the start of 2015, it should be pretty good (this year) as well."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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