Buck Prairie Winter Recreation Area

Buck Prairie Winter Recreation Area is a popular cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing trail about 25 minutes east of Ashland. There are 17 miles of ungroomed trail loops accessible here, including a 4-mile loop and a 11.7-mile loop.

Both loops begin with a gradual descent for about a mile before the 4-mile loop splits downhill sharply to the right through trees on a single-track trail before some intermediate uphill work delivers you back to the parking area. The longer loop descends along a ridge of open viewpoints before a long steady climb back to the trailhead.