City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival
About this race
Growing from a once humble cross-country ski race in 2003, the City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival has come to be the staple event of winter in the North.
The City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival is a two-day festival that includes a variety of Cross-Country Ski, Fat Bike, Skijor Loppet, Snowshoe, and Kubb events. The fun continues the following weekend with the Luminary Loppet (the Loppet’s largest fundraiser of the year!) on the second Saturday in February.
Pick your distance
Skiing
30K Classic Ski Loppet
The 30K Classic Ski Loppet is one of the flagship events of the City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival. This long distance, point-to-point event is a truly unique cross-country skiing experience. The Classic Ski Loppet takes racers over the parkways and through the woods to a grand finish in front of The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Park. Skiers of all ages and abilities will be challenged and thrilled by this beautiful urban course. Go for your best time, or simply enjoy this unique ski experience that features an incredible mix of urban skiing and wooded natural trails.
20K Classic Ski Puoli Loppet
This 20K point-to-point ski event is a truly unique cross-country skiing experience. The Skate Ski Puoli Loppet takes skiers over the parkways and through the woods to a grand finish in front of The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Park. This event follows the course of the other big events, but skips most of the hardest hills. Skiers of all ages and abilities will be challenged and thrilled by this beautiful urban course. Go for your best time, or simply enjoy this unique ski experience that features an incredible mix of urban skiing and wooded natural trails.
10K Classic Ski Tour
Enjoy the beautiful urban wilderness of Theodore Wirth Park in this recreational event, perfect for skiers of all ages and abilities. The Classic Ski Loppet Tour is approximately 10 kilometers, making it a great introductory distance for novices and an enjoyable outing for veterans with a grand finish at The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Park.
Loppet Challenge
Do both the 31K distance events - Classic on Saturday and Skate on Sunday!
3K Skijor Loppet
5K Skijor Loppet
10K Skijor Loppet
1K Sit Ski
1K Next Generation Ski
The Next Generation Loppet is designed to inspire the next generation of Loppet skiers by providing all the fun and excitement of the longer Loppet ski events in shorter distances perfect for youth or junior skiers newer to the sport.
30K Skate Ski Loppet
The 30K Skate Ski Loppet is the City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival’s biggest skiing event! This long distance, point-to-point event is a truly unique cross-country skiing experience. The Skate Ski Loppet takes skiers over the parkways and through the woods to a grand finish in front of The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Park. Skiers of all ages and abilities will be challenged and thrilled by this beautiful urban course. Go for your best time, or simply enjoy this unique ski experience that features an incredible mix of urban skiing and wooded natural trails. This event also showcases elite-level competition in the first wave that is sure to be entertaining for spectators.
20K Skate Ski Puoli Loppet
This 20K point-to-point ski event is a truly unique cross-country skiing experience. The Skate Ski Puoli Loppet takes skiers over the parkways and through the woods to a grand finish in front of The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Park. This event follows the course of the other big events, but skips most of the hardest hills. Skiers of all ages and abilities will be challenged and thrilled by this beautiful urban course. Go for your best time, or simply enjoy this unique ski experience that features an incredible mix of urban skiing and wooded natural trails.
10K Skate Ski Tour
Enjoy the beautiful urban wilderness of Theodore Wirth Park in this recreational event, perfect for skiers of all ages and abilities. The Skate Ski Loppet Tour is approximately 10 kilometers, making it a great introductory distance for novices and an enjoyable outing for veterans with a grand finish at The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Park.
5K Ski
The Open Loppet 5K is open to skiers of all ages and abilities. Whether this is your first year skiing or your eighty-first year in the sport, this event is for you! A seeded wave start allows for skiers of varying abilities to all enjoy the event together. Teenagers whose race seasons have been cancelled this year can test their limits on this course which is the same distance as their high school races, advanced skiers will find this to be a fun and speedy course, while families looking for a non-competitive outing for both the kids and adults will be able to enjoy the beautiful trails, and new skiers hoping to complete their first 5K will be able to cross the finish line with big smiles on their faces! This event is freestyle technique, meaning you can classic or skate ski the course. While there are prizes for the winners, fun is the goal and costumes are encouraged!
Running
Ski-Orienteering Loppet
If you want an adventure that mixes the great outdoors with a bit of a scavenger hunt, give this unique event a go. Hosted by the Minnesota Orienteering Club, the Ski-Orienteering Loppet is a timed event in which participants navigate on skis using map and compass to find checkpoints located throughout Theodore Wirth Park. Orienteering is an activity that everyone in the family can enjoy, regardless of age or experience. All are welcome from experienced and competitive orienteers who fly through the woods to beginners and non-competitive orienteers who want to follow the trails and enjoy the park at a more leisurely pace. The Ski-Orienteering Loppet usually has two different courses available to fit your experience and fitness: Medium/Long (7-9k) and Short (4-5k). Participants will receive information on start location/details directly from MNOC. For more information on the Minnesota Orienteering Club and to see a complete list of events for the season, visit the MNOC website.
Recreational Kubb Tournament
Come on down to the Trailhead (we are back at Theodore Wirth Park this year!) on Saturday and enjoy the world’s largest winter Kubb tournament. Kubb is a Swedish lawn game, similar to Cornhole or bocce ball in the Midwest. Teams of 3-6 players will compete in a 16 team championship bracket or 64 team recreation bracket. There will be a round-robin stage followed by an elimination stage to determine the champions! Veteran experts may choose the championship bracket while those looking for a more casual experience may choose the popular recreational bracket.
Championship Kubb Tournament
Come on down to the Trailhead (we are back at Theodore Wirth Park this year!) on Saturday and enjoy the world’s largest winter Kubb tournament. Kubb is a Swedish lawn game, similar to Cornhole or bocce ball in the Midwest. Teams of 3-6 players will compete in a 16 team championship bracket or 64 team recreation bracket. There will be a round-robin stage followed by an elimination stage to determine the champions! Veteran experts may choose the championship bracket while those looking for a more casual experience may choose the popular recreational bracket.
2K Next Generation Ski
3K Next Generation Ski
10K Snowshoe Loppet
The Snowshoe Loppet is a point-to-point course from the Chain of Lakes to The Trailhead via woods and groomed ski trails (where snowshoers are not normally allowed). This snowshoe run / walk follows the same course as the 10K Classic/ Skate Ski Tours and is a perfect event to explore the beautiful woods of Theodore Wirth Park in a unique way!
Cycling
30K Fat Bike Loppet
20K Fat Bike Puoli Loppet
10K Fat Bike Tour
Typical race-day weather
Based on 5 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Minneapolis, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 7:26 AM and sets at 5:27 PM local time (CST) in Minneapolis on February 6, 2027 — 10h 01m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
Reviews
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Results — City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival
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Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 75 Minneapolis events
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