Hudson, WI Outdoor Activities

With its clubhouse occupying a renovated ivory barn originally built in the 1930s, CreeksBend Golf Course transports golfers back to a bygone era before embarking on a trip across a prairieland course replete with bucolic flourishes. As bluegrass fairways bob and weave across more than 80 acres of ponds and wetlands, quaint footbridges make the course navigable for clubbers and caddies yet to develop gills. Water comes into play on nine holes across the 6,293-yard, par 71 course, including on the signature seventh hole, a 161-yard par 3 where tee shots must clear a creek and avoid hydraulic hazards left of and behind the green. Before rounds, golfers can roll orbs across the 10,000-square-foot practice green to prepare for the course's speedy bentgrass putting surfaces, or share a tender bonding moment with their 3-wood at the grass tee driving range. After rounds, players enjoy retiring to the clubhouse restaurant to refuel with refreshments and casual grill fare.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course

• Length of 6,293 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 70.6 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 131 from the farthest tees

• Four tee options

Tucked in the cool shadows of old, forest oak trees, St. Croix Valley Golf Course's nine-hole layout invites golfers to swing across 133 acres of rolling topography. Originally sculpted into the woods in 1925, the 3,060-yard course eschews sand traps and favors natural obstacles including ponds, trees, elevation changes, and indigenous photographers who snap their shutters during players' backswings. The golf experts that preside over the pro shop can sharpen swings with lessons, ensure trustworthy equipment with club regripping services, and offer rental clubs so players don't have to hit with the oversized gavel normally used to settle remote control disputes at home.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 36 course
• Length of 3,060 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 34.7 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 122 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options

Paige Olson always knew she didn't belong in a corporate cubicle. She never had the chance to test this theory, though, because after receiving a BA in natural resources recreation and tourism from Colorado State University, she leapt right into a master's program in adventure education and wilderness leadership from Prescott College in Arizona. Three decades later, she's led numerous groups of youth on wilderness adventures that include backpacking, downhill skiing, kayaking, fly-fishing, and mountain biking. She caught her breath long enough to open Kinni Creek Lodge and Outfitters a little more than a decade ago in her native state of Wisconsin. There, she began by accommodating vacationers with six rental canoes and three guest rooms. But it wasn't long before she transformed the small outfit into a year-round resort. Today, Kinni Creek is spread across 180 feet of private, scenic shoreline along the Kinnickinnic River. Olson combines many of her outdoor loves with 45 kayaks for rent, a fly shop and fly-fishing school, and bed and breakfast cabin lodging.

While leading wilderness adventures, Olson has also developed a passion for ecotourism and empowering others to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. She implements green practices throughout Kinni Creek, such as illuminating rooms with incandescent light bulbs, recycling and composting when possible, and using locally sourced ingredients to start food fights.

As a girl, Lynette Weldon dreamed of horses and cleaned stalls in exchange for the opportunity to ride. But she was only allowed to take out horses known to be stubborn and difficult-the ones no one else wanted to ride. Over time, the experience toughened her riding abilities, allowing her to grow into a trainer with a knack for bonding with troubled ponies.

At Lost Creek Ranch, Lynette guides students and horses along trails and streams during riding lessons. Eagles often glide overhead in search of fretted field mice, and tufts of woodsmoke climb from the campsites of ranch visitors. She also guides many of her riding students to competitive shows where horses are encouraged to settle their differences through equitation rather than bare-hoof boxing or telling yo' mare jokes.

Glacier-carved canyon walls framing the falls of the Willow River. Great blue herons stalking the wildflowers along the Kinnickinnic River. Owner and lifelong outdoorsman Mike Kealy and his guides lead kayaking trips past these and more dramatic sites, which typify the undeveloped riverbanks throughout eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Each outing begins at a select meet-up point, from which guides provide shuttle service to and from the launch sites. Along with unveiling the rivers’ untouched scenery, River Guide’s team can also add a fishing guide to each trip, taking guests into streams teeming with brown, rainbow, and zebra-striped trout.:m]]