Cross-Country Skiing Near Alexandria, MN: Groomed Trails, Rentals, and a Downhill Day at Andes Tower Hills
Winter on Lake Miltona is not just ice fishing and snowmobiles. A short drive from the cabin: groomed trails at Lake Carlos State Park, a downhill hill with rentals at Andes Tower Hills, and county parks with sledding hills. Here is where to ski, what passes cost, and how to rent gear.
Cross-Country Skiing Near Alexandria, MN: Groomed Trails, Rentals, and a Downhill Day at Andes Tower Hills
Most people plan a winter trip to Lake Miltona around a fish house or a snowmobile trail. Both are good reasons to come. But the Alexandria area has a third winter going on at the same time, on skis.
Within a short drive of the lake you can ski groomed trails through a tamarack bog at Lake Carlos State Park, rent skis at Andes Tower Hills and spend the afternoon on its downhill runs and tubing hill, or take kids to a county park with a sledding hill and a warming house. None of it requires owning equipment.
This guide goes in the order we would send a group staying on Lake Miltona: state park first, ski hill second, then smaller parks, rentals, and the two passes.
Start Here: Lake Carlos State Park
Lake Carlos State Park (2601 County Rd 38 NE, Carlos) is the cross-country anchor for the area. The park grooms six miles of trails for classic cross-country skiing, through the same maple-basswood forest and past the tamarack bog that make it a favorite hike in October. In January it is quiet, white, and mostly empty on weekdays.
- Snowshoeing is allowed anywhere in the park except on the groomed ski trails. Skiers get clean tracks; snowshoers get the rest of the park, including the shoreline and off-trail woods.
- Snowshoes are available to rent at the park office, during office hours. If your group wants to ski and snowshoe the same day, this is the easiest place to do it.
- There is a sledding hill near the beach, so non-skiers have something to do besides watching.
- Watch for the candlelight events. The park's candlelight ski and snowshoe nights, with luminaries lining the trail and fires at a warming house along the way, are the best winter evening in the area when they run. Dates depend on snow, so check the park's DNR page before planning a weekend around one.
You need two separate things to ski here: a state park vehicle permit for your car, and a Great Minnesota Ski Pass for each skier 16 and older. Both are explained below.
Andes Tower Hills: The One-Stop Ski Day
Fifteen miles west of Alexandria, near Kensington, Andes Tower Hills (4505 Andes Rd SW, Kensington; (320) 965-2455) is where you send a mixed group, because it is the only place in the area where everyone can do a different thing at the same address.
The hill has been family-owned since 1980 and runs 16 downhill runs served by two triple chairlifts, a quad chairlift, two carpet lifts, and a rope tow, with snowmaking covering the whole ski area. That snowmaking matters in a thin-snow December: Andes can be open when natural-snow trails are still waiting on weather. There is a terrain park, night skiing, lessons, and rentals on site, plus a tubing hill for anyone who wants the downhill part without the learning curve.
For cross-country skiers, Andes maintains more than 15 kilometers of trails, with classic and skate options, and you can rent cross-country skis and snowshoes right at the trailhead. If nobody in your group owns gear, this is the lowest-friction ski day in the area: drive up, rent, ski, return, done. Plan it as a day trip from the cabin; groups fill a day here without trying.
The Smaller Parks: Brophy, Runestone, Spruce Hill, Glacial Lakes
For a second ski day, the county and state parks fill in the map:
- Lake Brophy County Park has groomed cross-country ski trails, a groomed sledding hill, an ice skating rink, fire rings, and a warming area with indoor bathrooms. For a group with small kids, that warming area is the whole ballgame: ski a loop, warm up, sled, repeat.
- Kensington Runestone Park, the 380-acre county park on the farm site where the Kensington Runestone was unearthed in 1898, grooms cross-country trails in winter and has a sledding hill with a warming house.
- Spruce Hill Park is on Explore Alexandria's list of groomed cross-country locations and is the quiet pick, the one to use when you want a trail to yourself.
- Glacial Lakes State Park, farther south near Starbuck, offers ungroomed trails. Ungroomed means breaking your own track through prairie hills: slower, harder, and exactly right for experienced skiers.
Renting Gear When You Own None
Owning skis is not a requirement. The rental picture near Alexandria:
- Andes Tower Hills rents downhill skis, snowboards, cross-country skis, and snowshoes on site. This is the only rental stop you need if your group is doing a mix.
- Lake Carlos State Park rents snowshoes at the park office. Bring your own skis there, or rent skis elsewhere first.
- Alexandria Community Education has rented snowshoes, cross-country skis, and poles at very low daily rates in recent seasons (listed at $3 a day, youth and adult sizes). Rates change by season, so call first, but if it is running, it is the cheapest way to put a whole cabin of people on skis.
One practical tip: rent for the whole weekend, not the day, if the shop allows it. The best ski of the trip is usually the unplanned hour before dinner, and nobody wants a rental-counter drive first.
The Two Passes, Explained Once
This trips up first-time Minnesota ski visitors, so here it is plainly:
Great Minnesota Ski Pass. Anyone 16 or older needs one to ski on groomed trails in Minnesota state parks and state forests, and on state and grant-in-aid trails. Per the Minnesota DNR, it costs $10 for one day, $25 for one year, or $70 for three years. Buy it online through the DNR before you leave the cabin, sign it, and carry it (a photo of both sides on your phone works). Kids 15 and under ski without one.
State park vehicle permit. Separately, any vehicle entering Lake Carlos State Park needs a permit: $7 for a day or $35 for a year covering every Minnesota state park. The annual permit pays for itself if you come back for the candlelight event or a spring hike.
Andes Tower Hills is private, so it runs on lift tickets and trail fees instead of the state passes. The county parks do not use the state park vehicle permit; check Douglas County's park pages for any current trail requirements before you go.
How to Build a Ski Weekend From Lake Miltona
Friday: Arrive, buy ski passes online, and sort rentals so Saturday starts on trails instead of at a counter. Evening at the cabin: fireplace and an early night. Our winter cabin packing list covers the layers a ski weekend needs.
Saturday: Lake Carlos State Park in the morning, when the grooming is freshest. Ski the loops, put younger kids on snowshoes, and be back at the cabin for a late lunch, the cedar sauna, and the game room. If part of the group would rather fish, they can be on the ice on Miltona while you ski; our Lake Miltona ice fishing guide covers that half.
Sunday: Andes Tower Hills. Downhill and tubing for one half of the group, cross-country trails for the rest, rentals returned on site.
If your group leans motorized instead, the same cabin base works for the DATA snowmobile trails. Plenty of groups split: sleds one day, skis the next.
Why Base on Lake Miltona for a Ski Trip
The trails are the day trips; the cabin is the rest of the weekend. Legendary Log Cabin sits on Lake Miltona, north of Alexandria, within an easy drive of every trail in this guide:
- Sleeps up to 12 across 4 bedrooms, so skiers, sledders, and the people who came just for the fireplace all stay under one roof
- A private cedar sauna, which after a January ski is not a luxury item, it is the plan
- A stone fireplace and a game room with a pool table for the evening
- A full kitchen and a washer and dryer, so base layers are dry by morning
FAQ
Where can you cross-country ski near Alexandria, MN?
The main options are Lake Carlos State Park (six miles of groomed classic trails) and Andes Tower Hills near Kensington (more than 15 kilometers of trails, rentals at the trailhead). Lake Brophy County Park, Kensington Runestone Park, and Spruce Hill Park also have groomed trails; Glacial Lakes State Park is ungroomed.
Do you need a pass to cross-country ski in Minnesota?
Yes, if you are 16 or older on groomed trails in a state park, state forest, or on state or grant-in-aid trails. The Great Minnesota Ski Pass costs $10 a day, $25 a year, or $70 for three years, per the Minnesota DNR. Vehicles entering a state park also need a vehicle permit ($7 a day or $35 a year). Skiers 15 and under need no ski pass.
Can you rent cross-country skis near Alexandria, MN?
Yes. Andes Tower Hills rents cross-country skis and snowshoes at the trailhead, Lake Carlos State Park rents snowshoes at the park office, and Alexandria Community Education has offered low-cost daily rentals in recent seasons. Confirm current rates before your trip.
Is there downhill skiing near Alexandria, MN?
Yes. Andes Tower Hills, 15 miles west of Alexandria near Kensington, is a family-owned ski area open since 1980 with 16 downhill runs, full snowmaking, a terrain park, night skiing, lessons, rentals, and a tubing hill.
Can you snowshoe at Lake Carlos State Park?
Yes. Snowshoeing is allowed anywhere in the park except on the groomed ski trails, and snowshoes are available to rent at the park office. The park also has a sledding hill and hosts candlelight ski and snowshoe events when snow allows.
Where should a ski group stay near Alexandria, MN?
In a cabin that fits the whole group near the trails. Legendary Log Cabin on Lake Miltona sleeps 12, with a sauna, a fireplace, a game room, and a full kitchen, within a short drive of Lake Carlos State Park, Andes Tower Hills, and the county park trails.
The Quiet Side of Winter Here
Ice fishing and snowmobiling get the headlines, and they are excellent here. But some of the best winter hours happen at four miles an hour, on a groomed track through a tamarack bog, with nobody else in sight. If your group has never built a trip around the ski trails, this is the year to try it.
Check availability and book direct at legendarylogcabin.com. Booking direct skips the marketplace service fees, and winter weekends around good snow go earlier than people expect.