Where Beauty & Nature intersect

Weekly Fishing Report Submitted by Smokey Hills Outdoor Store The ice conditions are great on the Park Rapids area lakes. Most lakes have at least 16″ of good ice; cars and trucks are driving out on many of them. The biggest walleyes are being caught early morning from 6am to 8am in 16 to 22 […]

Weekly Fishing Report – 1.7.14 Submitted by Smokey Hills Outdoor Store Most of the slush and water on top of the ice is now frozen. Fish Hook Lake has good ice, the west side of the lake has ice as thick as 18” while the east side in front of the Assembly Grounds has around […]

The new year begins with a thick blanket of snow. It’s beautiful, layered on the branches of pines and covering the landscape as far as the eye can see. Snowmobilers have already hit the hundreds of miles of groomed trails through scenic forests and networked between destinations where there are places to pause for a […]

Smokey Hills Outdoor Store www.smokeyhillsoutdoorstore.com Slush and flooding are still a problem on most of the Park Rapids area lakes but there are many areas of good ice if you know where to go. Fish Hook Lake has the best ice in the area, the west end of the lake has an average of 11 […]

Nevis Trailblazers Snowmobile Trail Condition Reports for Hubbard County snowmobile trails connecting Park Rapids, Nevis, Huntersville, Walker, and Bemidji. Over the past two days we have had a fairly steady and light snowfall. Probably had about two inches of accumulation over this period. Had a lot of  snowmobile traffic over this last weekend which was […]

Smokey Hills Outdoor Store www.smokeyhillsoutdoorstore.com Jack Frost has a firm grip on northern Minnesota’s lakes and the ice is getting thicker by the minute. Over a foot of snow is on the ground and the snowmobile trail groomers are already out on the main trails. The snow did cause flooding on a few of our […]

We’ve pulled the winter coats, hats, mittens, scarves and flannel lined jeans out of the closet. It’s time to celebrate winter, family and friends.   For some, a trip up north has become a tradition, a way to observe the holidays away from the stresses of the daily routine, as important in winter as it […]

Autumn’s colors have fallen and the leaves are crunching under our feet. It’s a time when traditions prompt many of us to prepare for the days ahead: pull out the flannel sheets, put the grill away and pile straw on the flower beds. Ready or not, ice will soon cover the lakes and snow will […]

Fall is tiptoeing around the lakes area this year giving visitors many more days and weekends to enjoy the change of seasons. Most years, colors peak at the end of September, but the full on beauty hasn’t arrived yet.   Gardeners are still harvesting tomatoes from diminished, but not yet frost damaged patches in their […]

The Labor Day weekend brings an unofficial end of summer and changes in the rhythm of everyday life. Flocks of geese are already gathering for their noisy retreat. School buses and trucks hauling farm implements signal it’s time for serious work. Soon fall colors will paint the northern landscape with a fresh coat of orange, […]