Perched on a long ridge overlooking busy I-90/I-94, Cascade is considered the top day trip area in the Midwest. Chicago is three hours away, Milwaukee less than two, and Madison just a scant 30 minutes. Weekend crowds can be big, but the ski area is equipped to handle them. With 10 lifts including a high-speed, detachable quad, they can move a lot of skiers uphill quickly. Cascade is a pure ski hill. The 460-foot ski hill offers 34 trails, four terrain parks and two halfpipes. Cascades bump runs are legendary. They’ll make you wish for a teenager’s knees again. Mogul Monster, with Volkswagen-sized bumps, is open to expert skiers only. The ski area used to have a tough reputation, but over the years Cascade has added several new beginner and intermediate runs to help soften that image.

BASE: 820ft
SUMMIT: 1280ft
VERTICAL DROP: 460ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 10
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 8
Surface: 2