Minnesota

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one of the U.S.'s most visited wilderness areas in summer and fills with droves of fishermen and canoeists, but come winter, it’s deserted. Outfitter Paul Schurke runs day trips out of his Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge as well as multi-day camping trips. Opt for the latter to get a suggestion of the sort of wilderness Steger experiences on his own expeditions. Guests learn how to steer the Canadian Inuit sled dogs, build snow shelters, and camp in comfort in subzero temperatures, but the most memorable parts are immaterial—taking in the spray of night stars, the trees encrusted in white, and the other wonders of a vast silent wilderness."

The Arrowhead 135 race is long, difficult, and bitterly cold, but that’s all part of the fun. Right? Undoubtedly some competitors question this line of reasoning while standing at the starting line of this 135-mile (217-kilometer) ultramarathon in International Falls, Minnesota, a town that routinely registers the coldest temperatures in the Lower 48 and is more commonly known as Frostbite Falls."