A truly northern experience is taking the seven-mile Rainy Lake Ice Road from the visitor center to Cranberry Bay and staking out an ice-fishing spot in a heated icehouse. The hum of snowmobiles replaces boat motors as they zip across wide-open lakes or on the hundreds of miles of forested trails. Trail conditions are reported weekly on the park’s web site. There also are cross-country ski and snowshoe trails. The Rainy Lake Visitors Center rents skis, loans snowshoes, keeps a fireplace stoked and offers hot cocoa. Winter naturalists present several family-friendly programs with topics such as making snowshoes, going on a full-moon hike or learning about bears and wolves.