For me, cross country skiing has turned winter from several months to endure inside into a reason to look forward to 3 or more inches of snow. Several areas in South Dakota offer beautiful skiing. I’ll detail a few that we have tried, and list other sites for you to explore at the end of this post. You can chime in with yours in the comments.

My favorite cross country skiing trails are in Big Sioux Recreation Area. In Eastern South Dakota, this gem of a nature area near Sioux Falls hides some beautiful deciduous-and-evergreen trails. Many follow the Big Sioux River.

In the Upper Midwest, we live with a certain truth: winter sometimes starts in October and can last until early May. Oh, there are warm days here and there - even stretches of several - but we know Old Man Winter can come creeping back at any moment until we make it past Mother’s Day. So you have to learn to love it, or stay inside for months on end.

My family chose to love it.

Part of loving winter is finding fun things to do to get our blood pumping. Cross country skiing does just that.

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​One of my hobbies is trying out new running trails in gorgeous settings. I have run trails in Montreal, Vancouver, Chicago, and in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Here are my top eight favorite running trails. 

My first subzero run on snow and ice was an epiphany.

For years, I stopped running when the first snow came. I was worried about slick running paths and had no idea how to handle the cold temperatures. But the year my husband and I undertook our first half marathon, I felt it essential to start training in January - which meant running on snow and ice, often in temperatures below freezing.

It opened up a whole new world, with gilded trees, frosted meadows, and frozen rivers. Winter beauty is much different than other seasons, but just as spectacular.

Freedom. Elation. Gratitude.

I could now run all year round — with the right equipment and technique. Here are 9 things I find essential for winter running: