The mark of a good trail destination, riding it once won’t do! I made a point to return this summer and take advantage of the many annual events on the CAMBA roster. Every summer, you can shred with some sisters at the Women’s Weekend Clinics held in May and June. Coming soon is the Cheq Challenge on Aug. 2 and the Chequamegon MTB Festival in September. If you’ve not heard the CAMBA call, I’d be happy to connect you with some juicy tidbits on why it should go on your must-ride list. Read on for CAMBA trail highlights and events.
About CAMBA
Not all trail organizations are created equal. CAMBA = Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association. CAMBA’s dedicated leadership and volunteers are “all in,” and their commitment to trail stewardship shows on every ride. The geo is Wisconsin’s Northwoods, encompassing almost a million acres of gorgeous forest in two counties in and around quaint towns like Hayward, Cable, and Bayfield. The towns are small but full of big woods and memorable Midwest-nice personalities. There’s an impressive amount of trail…. 135 miles of singletrack and growing, 70 miles of groomed winter track, and 200+ miles of gravel routes. There are so many styles of trail to tackle, plus the trails intersect with the 100+ kilometer American Birkebeiner XC ski trail system. When you add The Birkie to CAMBA, it makes for a multi-sport, four-season delight for bikers, hikers, and skiers alike.
Telemark Northwoods Lodging
The Women’s Weekend in June called me back to CAMBA; I came early and stayed after. My cozy condo rental was a short walk or pedal to trails. The bike-in, bike-out convenience is a tremendous asset. The condos are nestled in the adjacent woods of historic Mt. Telemark resort and the new Mt. Telemark Village, the current hub for both bike and ski activities. We have Tony Wise and HB Hewett to thank for their vision to turn a forested tall hill near Cable, WI, into Mt. Telemark Ski Resort. The resort was operational from 1947 until bankruptcy in 1981. In the 70’s, Mt. Telemark hosted over 70,000 skiers per year, and over 2,000 racers entered the Birkie XC ski race.
Today, Telemark Northwoods maintains five buildings on-site with various options from studio to two-bedroom suites. I took advantage of the spacious bedroom and king bed, full kitchen, whirlpool tub, and ensuite laundry. My favorite spot was the screened-in porch, where I enjoyed dark roast coffee in the mornings under the watchful eyes of the neighborhood deer.
For a bigger group of up to 6, check out the Telemark Pointe house on nearby Garden Lake. And gather up all your friends, (do you have 16?) for a stay at Telemark Pointe Deluxe. This shiny new construction is on Lake Namakagon with two levels, a full gourmet-style kitchen, and a private deck with pristine sunset views. No matter the size of your group or favorite activity: skiing, hiking, biking, paddling, or fishing, Telemark Northwoods is a fantastic home base brimming with amenities and local hospitality.
CAMBA Trail Highlights – Hatchery Creek
From my homebase at Telemark Northwoods, I found new and undiscovered trail jackpots every day for a week. I warmed up my legs on the drive in with a stop at Hatchery Creek trailhead in Hayward. There’s a bike park and skills area for a good warm-up before diving into a singletrack loop. I hopped on Misty (my Transition Sentinel), and we headed north to Mosquito Brook. This out and back is an approachable intermediate under 10 miles, rolling, flowy singletrack with some nicely placed rock features and jumportunities. I pedaled through giant ferns and thankfully a shady and vivid green forest. The final descent back to the parking lot is a fast fun downhill rip. I was all smiles and ready for lunch.
CAMBA Trail Highlights: Dirt Candy, Ojibwe
More new trail candy was in store, this time on a local fave Dirt Candy. I was stoked to have a riding buddy this time (Erin, who I met at the women’s clinic). We rolled out from Mt. Telemark Village on the Trek Trails, churning uphill on Wisenup to Nirvana, which connected us to CAMBA’s Missing Link and Dirt Candy. It’s a sweet rollicking downhill that starts out with a giant wooden corkscrew feature. Choose your own adventure here, tortoise or hare style, that continues to rock drops, jumps, and zippy corners. We gobbled up the candy, fist-bumped our fun, then connected via gravel to Ojibwe for a return loop. This section took us through tight and rugged singletrack and occasionally through sunny open logging areas. After 13 miles in the saddle, we landed back at the hub for an A/C and beverage break.
CAMBA Women’s Weekend (June 20-22, 2025)
Held annually in mid-June, this women’s specific clinic brings 75+ women together for a weekend of learning, comradery, confidence-building, and plenty of hell yeahs. The new Mt. Telemark Village was the hub of activity for check in, meals, and indoor sessions. Recently completed, the hub is home to a large gathering area with giant windows looking out to Mt. Telemark. On-site businesses include New Moon Ski & Bike, Backroads Coffee, Trek Bikes, and the Birkie Store/Museum. Oh, and the all-important restrooms and water refill stations were ideal for an exceptionally hot weather weekend.
I was fired up for the Friday check-in that included a stocked goodie bag and free bike checks from the Trek mechanics. It was a fun meet and greet as everyone rolled in and started crafting their bike name plates. I kept mine simple and focused on gabbing with a roomful of new dirt sisters. The intro session included time to meet coaches, a No Dumb Questions – Q & A, and entertaining female-specific advice on chamois choices. It’s confirmed, 5 out of 5 coaches agreed, NO, do not wear underwear AND a chamois/pad!
Saturday was steamy but everyone persevered through an excessive heat warning! It was still cool enough in the morning for hot coffee and homemade pastries followed by a giant group Zumba warm-up led by Coach Val. For the morning session, we split into groups of 7-8 with our coaches and headed to various cone zones for some skills brush ups. We worked on bike handling, body position, and wheel lifts over random squeaky toys. We sweated, we popped our suspensions and cheered many wins. In my group, our coaches guided us through a morning of skills training to prepare for the afternoon’s feature, jump, or drop work on the trail. It was a great pivot, less sun and more shade.
After lunch at the hub in cooler air, we regrouped and then headed into the woods on Once and Evenflow, relishing the shade and self-made breeze. We gathered to session a rock roll, cornering a berm, and progressed on several levels of wooden drops. There’s also a lookout tower at the top of Mt. Telemark that we climbed the stairs for a group shot…the backdrop a panaromic view of the Chequamegon Forest.
Optional evening sessions included: How to change a flat, managing obstacles/fear, and learning basic bike maintenance skills. Before heading for some rest, I signed up for a Sunday ride experience; I added my name to the list for Intro to Gravity.
The heat and humidity continued so a half-day Sunday romp was a solid plan. Ride experiences ran the gamete from chill trail rides to bike park fun, or gravity runs. Continuing my work on air affairs, I joined Kelly’s group for sessions down the signature run: Jumptimus Prime. We found several jumps for a coach demo then we followed up with session work for anyone ready to fly; Kelly offered up tips and video for each rider to assess progress and determine ways to improve. After a second run down Jumptimus, it was time for goodbyes and rest. Happy and tired goodbye hugs ensued, so the buzz of the event could fade into the vanishing weekend. I pedaled slowly back to my condo home away and melted into the couch for a luxurious nap.
Lucky me, I had an extra day to ride bikes before crossing the pond back to the Mitten. I found some chill lakeview singletrack at the Wilson Lake trailhead to complete my CAMBA tour this time around. I relished another day of forest bathing, soaking up an easy pedal with a few stops to smell the wildflowers and catch some waterfowl on Patsy and Wilson Lakes. I took a lunch break on my condo porch and decided to tack on the New Moon TNR (Tuesday night group ride), conveniently starting from Mt. Telemark Hub. It was a nice exclamation point ending to my trip, a Tuesday two-a-day. Call anytime, CAMBA; let’s ride again soon.
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