family friendly

For most parents, taking a vacation means leaving the little angels with the grandparents and heading to some tropical paradise to recapture the magic that the stress from work and home has squelched.

Enter: guilt.

You drop your kids off at school or daycare in the morning and pick them up in the early evening, run through McDonald's for a quick bite on the way to soccer practice and a baseball game. Your tired throng arrives home and heads straight for bed, only to get up the next day and do it all again. Do you ever stop on Friday and wonder what happened to the rest of the week? Are you lacking quality family time?

If you answered, "yes," a family vacation may be the answer.
And being snowmobiling folk, your decision is simple. But finding a snowmobiling destination that is equipped to handle the demands of your boisterous bunch is not as easy as it may seem. So, we've done the work for you and have picked out a few locations across the country and into Canada that will make your family getaway great.

Sportsman's Lodge and Cabins located in Colebrook, New Hampshire is the first stop on our tour of family friendly spots. This location is perfect for families with older children or teenagers. Here you will find cozy cabins tucked in the heart of 6,000 miles of trails. With an average snowfall of 269 inches, riding conditions are excellent. Although they do not offer
snowmobiling packages, their mid-week prices are very reasonable. Peak time runs from January 1 through the end of March.

But, there are some factors to consider if you choose this location. Great trails that are not packed with people means isolation and the closest airport is in Montreal or Manchester, New Hampshire- which is about a two-hour drive. This location no longer rents sleds, but you can rent from a shop in Pittsburg, New Hampshire which is a 45 minute drive from the lodge. But
the terrific trails you will find here are worth it. Parents should be aware that drivers must be sixteen and have a valid drivers license. For more specific information, it is a good idea to contact the state tourism office.

Our next stop is Sawtelle Mountain Resort in Macks Inn, Idaho. If you have gotten really courageous and completely thrown caution to the wind and decided to travel with a few other families, this resort can accommodate your horde. It offers a large room named "The Bunkhouse" which can sleep up to 50 people. But the resort also offers private rooms and a limited number of RV spots if you've chosen to keep things simple.

This resort is situated among some 600 miles of groomed trails and can outfit you from head to toe in gear and get you on the seat of an Arctic Cat snowmobile on site. Sawtelle offers two and three day rental packages and will do its best to customize your trip to meet the needs of your family. They will talk with you and determine exactly what you need and then discount the price from there. It is important to note that in Idaho, drivers are not required to have a drivers license, but if you are planning on traveling into Yellowstone, a drivers license is required. Peak time is during the month of February and the resort is about a 90 minute drive from the Idaho
Falls airport.

Beachwood Resort in Lakefield, Ontario, Canada is our next family getaway destination. This resort offers quaint housekeeping cottages with fireplaces and color televisions and great lake views. Beachwood offers snowmobile and gear rentals and discounts for families that book their stay over an extended period, as well as for groups of 15 or more. The resort is located right on the Buck Horn District Snowmobile Club trail system. This system
encompasses over 100 miles of trails that are interconnected to several other systems which offer you the opportunity to ride for over 400 miles, if you chose. With about 3 feet of snow, the riding conditions in this area last season were excellent and are expected to be the same this year. This resort is located about an hour and a half from the nearest airport. And peak time is from January 1 through mid-March. Again in this area, drivers
must be 16-years-old with a valid drivers license to operate their own sled.

The Black Bear Lodge in St. Germain, Wisconsin is our final destination stop. Located in the center of the Northwoods Area, this resort offers complete housekeeping units with full kitchen, bath and living area. To cater to the family, there is a restaurant on site with occastional live music and a children's menu.

When you book your reservation, Black Bear will take down your information and line up the rentals for you through a local sport shop in town. They will call whoever is necessary to get you what you need. The resort offers a special three-day rate, in which the third day is discounted, a great mid-week discount and a Christmas special called "The Northwoods Christmas." This special promotion is available from December 19-26 and prices are 35-40% off regular rates. Typically trails open early in December and snow conditions are usually very good during that time. But, if the trails were not open by that time, deposits would be returned.

Cottages and Lodge Homes, which are condos with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a fireplace, are available for rental. Peak time is from December 26 through the end of February. Trails run right through the resort and are groomed five times a week by the St.Germain Bo-Boen Snowmobile Club. You will find that the 100 trails maintained and signed by this club are part of the 1000-plus trails in the area. Trails are groomed daily and more heavily
over the weekend to keep them in top shape.

We have given you a start to help you find a great family getaway destination, but if these still don't give you what you are looking for, check out our Getaway Guide in this issue. AS

Interested? Want more info? Contact these great locations...

Sportsman's Lodge and Cabins

RR 1, Box 167

Colebrook, NH 03576

603/237-5211

Sawtelle Mountain Resort

PO Box 250

Hwy. 20 & Sawtelle Road

Macks Inn, ID 83433

208/558-7818

Beachwood Resort

RR 1

Lakefield, Ontario, Canada K0L 2H0

705/657-3481

Black Bear Lodge

1279 Halberstadt Road

PO Box 508

St. Germain, WI 54558

715/479-5778

Cowboy Village Resort

PO Box 1747

Jackson, WY 83001

800/543-2847 or 307/733-3121