About Mt. Ashwabay Ski & Recreation Area
Mt. Ashwabay Ski & Recreation Area is the Bayfield peninsula's community-owned ski hill, its name stitched together from the towns it serves — Ashland, Washburn, and Bayfield. Set on Ski Hill Road three miles south of Bayfield, the nonprofit hill has been the region's winter gathering place for generations, with views out over Lake Superior from the upper runs.
Winter brings thirteen downhill slopes for skiing and snowboarding plus roughly forty kilometers of groomed cross-country trails for both classic and skate technique, winding through mature hardwood forest. Snowshoers, fat bikers, and skijorers get their own trail access, and the chalet anchors lessons, youth programs, and equipment rentals so newcomers can gear up on site. In summer the trail network flips to marked multi-use mountain biking terrain, and the hillside hosts Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, the canvas-tent concert venue famous across the Midwest.
As a volunteer-powered nonprofit, Ashwabay keeps day passes and season passes deliberately affordable and even runs financial assistance programs so local kids can ski. It is small-hill skiing at its best: uncrowded runs, deep community roots, and a genuine all-season recreation hub.
