XC Skiing at Love Creek County Park in Berrien Springs, Michigan

This is one of my favorite places to ski near Chicago because of its consistent snow. The trails are nicely groomed for skate and classic and the terrain is modestly rolling.

There are about 10K worth of trails with only one 2-3 mile reversible loop of skate skiing and one 5K loop of classic only.

Rentals are available at the Nature Center. The skis are 'shorty' style skis and not traditional length nordic skis making them 'easier' to control.

Call ahead or check the website for ski conditions.

Cost

Cost is $5 per vehicle plus $3 per person trail fee.

Rental cost is $10 for 2 hours but they don't really keep track.

The nearby town of Berrien Springs is very nice with a decent Chinese restaurant and two little ethnic grocery stores (Mexican/African and Asian).

Driving Directions

Love Creek County Park
9228 Huckleberry Road
Berrien Center, MI 49102
Phone: 269.471.2617

Cheap and Fast route:
Take 55th St. over to 90/94 S
Take 94 S to I-80 (also I-94)
Continue on I-80 going east (be sure not to continue on I-94 going north)
Exit at Highway 31 North (Niles)
Go north on 31
Exit on Walton Rd., turn right (very easy to miss this)
Go down Walton
Turn left on BUSINESS 31 North
Continue until you hit DEANS HILL ROAD intersection
Turn right on to DEANS HILL ROAD
DEANS HILL ROAD WILL SPLIT GOING RIGHT
Turn RIGHT on to HUCKLEBERRY
Entrance to Park on right.

Slightly faster route:
Take Lakeshore Drive South to Skyway/I-90 East
Take I-90 until it becomes I-80
Continue as above
This route costs $3 each way in tolls.

Very Slow But More Interesting Route:
Take Lakeshore Drive South/Stony Island until you get to Route 12
DO NOT GET ON SKYWAY
Take Route 12 all the way to Michigan and exit on Highway 31 as above. You will pass through downtown Gary, IN, under the Chicago Skyway, along the Indiana Dunes State and National Parks (need to enter to see anything), and a mixture of industrial and rural areas, including the giant steel mills along Lake Michigan.

Links

Love Creek County Park Homepage

Love Creek County Park Skiing Page Resources > Skiing > Love Creek County Park Michigan