Making the most of winter in northern Minnesota

Canadian Inuit dogs from Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge take a rest after pulling a sled across White Iron Lake in northern Minnesota. ( Kelly Smith/Chicago Tribune )

Chicago Tribune

Dec. 24, 2017 2:47 PM PT

Four millennial women have winter fun - think dog sledding, snowshoeing and sauna time - in northern Minnesota, an area that’s popular with outdoor fans in the summer but blissfully sedate when the temperatures drop.

Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge’s half-day tours range from $125-$150 for kids and $175 for adults. ( Kelly Smith/Chicago Tribune )

Guides with Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge cross-country ski as they lead visitors across a frozen lake. ( Kelly Smith/Chicago Tribune )

A Canadian Inuit dog from Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge rests on White Iron Lake in northern Minnesota. ( Kelly Smith/Chicago Tribune )

A team of dogs pulls a sled into a forest near White Iron Lake in northern Minnesota. ( Kelly Smith/Chicago Tribune )

Kavita Kumar, left, of Minneapolis and Katie Humphrey of St. Louis Park, Minn., snowshoe across Hegman Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Ely. ( Kelly Smith/Chicago Tribune )

Prehistoric Native American pictographs on Hegman Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness can be seen by canoe in the summer or by hiking, skiing or snowshoeing about 2 miles across the frozen lake in the winter. ( Kelly Smith/Chicago Tribune )

The main street of Ely, Minn., is nearly empty in the winter as business in the tourism town slows down outside peak summer months. ( Kelly Smith/Chicago Tribune )