Wilderness Lodge is among the first, if not the first, privately owned cross country ski resorts in the United States. We are still here operating as a small family business because of hard work, a desire to succeed and the location. We have snow when many other areas of the country have none. If our old family farm had been anywhere else outside of a mile and a half radius of this spot, we would have been out of business years ago.
Today, we operate an extensive trail network over varied terrain between the seam of Pennsylvania and New York. Our land and the area we use is over 1,000 acres. The trails are very scenic and the vast majority are sheltered by woods.
We groom with specialized snow equipment developed by Yellowstone Track Systems which has been use in the last two Winter Olympics. Our two full time groomers are out in every kind of weather to provide the best snow surface conditions available for skating and traditional skiing.
This year, Wilderness will host the Erie YMCA Quad Ski Race to be held January 21st., the Wilderness Wildcat Dash, a youth event, January 27th and the Pennsylvania Cross Country Ski Championship, sponsored by PACCSA, on February 4th.
The Lodge welcome families, groups and youth skiers and are proud to support the Wilderness Wildcats, a separate non-profit youth program administered by volunteers, a Special Needs group affiliated with the Erie School District, and a Ski program for sightless and limited sight individuals from the Sight Center of Western Pennsylvania.
Frankly, we enjoy seeing happy, friendly people out in our woods. It’s a special place and it is our pleasure to share it.