Paul Bunyan Ski Hill Family skiing in the heart of Wisconsin's Northwoods
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Paul Bunyan Ski Hill

A ski hill brought back to life

Old-school Northwoods skiing in Lakewood, Wisconsin.

Our story

Paul Bunyan is an independent community ski area in Lakewood, Wisconsin. Detailed history wording and founding-date language require owner confirmation before final publication.

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Vintage Paul Bunyan Ski Hill patches

Public history sources list an original opening in the 1960s (Midwest Lost Ski Areas Project notes 1966). Exact “founded” wording will be finalized with the owner before it is treated as official.

Comeback timeline

A static history outline — refined as the owner confirms preferred wording and archival photos.

  1. 1960s Original ski-area era begins in Lakewood’s Northwoods community.
  2. 1967 Hall T-Bar — the vintage lift that still defines Paul Bunyan’s classic Midwest character.
  3. 1995 The hill closes and falls quiet for roughly twenty-five years.
  4. 2021 The Kerscher family reopens Paul Bunyan after clearing trails, restoring lifts, and rebuilding snowmaking.
  5. 2020s Night skiing, tubing, expanded lodge life, and — for 2026–27 — full Indy Pass participation.

From the hill

Night grooming and snowmaking — the work that keeps a small Northwoods hill skiing.

Night grooming

Snowmaking

Why the surface lifts matter

Paul Bunyan does not hide its T-bar and rope-tow culture. Short, repeatable laps and authentic Midwest ski heritage are the point — especially for Indy travelers, families, and anyone who wants skiing without the corporate mega-resort script.

T-bar lift on the hill at Paul Bunyan