Skier glides through more hidden gems in northern Wisconsin

Off the Couch contributor Sara Knutson had hoped for a ski season longer than 10 days, but she made the most of her recent time in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula. In the second installment of her Skiventure, Knutson shares impressions of the Watersmeet, Escanaba, Manito-Wish, Razorback Ridges and Raven Trails.

The graduate student from Shorewood returns to Boston College next week, no doubt fighting the temptation to extend her winter break and ski on the big batch of snow forecast to blow off Lake Superior Wednesday through Friday.

Day 6: Watersmeet Ski Trails

Talk about an unknown gem. I had barely heard of Watersmeet Ski Trails.

Its small internet presence and semi-obscure physical location - just over the border in the Michigan Upper Peninsula but far from the Nordic skiing epicenters - makes Watersmeet easy to miss.

That's a shame. These trails are fantastic.

Groomed by Sylvania Outfitters, the mostly classic trails snake through the rolling terrain of Ottawa National Forest. Connector trails expand the skiing to 32 kilometers of ungroomed trail in the Sylvania Wilderness.

We didn't need to go that far. The Watersmeet trails are single-track, matching the terrain and shape of the land, such that it successfully combines a backcountry experience with a groomed track.