Tornado Alley
- 0.3 mi
- round trip
- 58 ft
- climb
- 1,619 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Tornado Alley is a cross-country ski route in northern Wisconsin, about 8.5 miles from the town of Rantz. It is a short, moderate outing, with a total round-trip distance of about half a mile and a total climb of about 58 feet. The route is an out-and-back, and the steepest part comes early, at about 2% grade. Winter is the natural season for skiing here. Typical averages from the nearby Minocqua weather station show January highs around 20°F with lows near 1°F and about 10 snow days, while March still brings highs in the upper 30s and snow on six days. Summer is warm, with July highs around 77°F. Several other ski routes sit close by. Nutcracker and Windy Ridge are each about 0.1 mile away, Base Loop is about 0.4 mile away, and Squirrel's Tail is about 0.5 mile away.
- NutcrackerCross-country skiing0.1 mi
- Windy RidgeCross-country skiing0.1 mi
- Base LoopCross-country skiing0.4 mi
- Squirrel's TailCross-country skiing0.5 mi
- SidekickCross-country skiing0.5 mi
- Flambeau LakeLake fishing8.9 mi
- Round Lake Loop EHiking9.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Windy RidgeCross-country skiing · Next door
- Tornado AlleyCross-country skiing · Next door
- Mellow MeadowCross-country skiing · ~3 min drive
- NutcrackerCross-country skiing · Next door
- Tornado AlleyCross-country skiing · Next door
- Island HopCross-country skiing · ~3 min drive
- Squirrel Hill RoadCross-country skiing · Next door
- Base LoopCross-country skiing · Next door
- NutcrackerCross-country skiing · Next door
- Tornado AlleyCross-country skiing · Next door
Best time to visit Tornado Alley
Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
20° / 1°
11 wet · 10 snow
Feb
25° / 3°
8 wet · 7 snow
Mar
37° / 13°
9 wet · 6 snow
Apr
49° / 26°
11 wet · 4 snow
May
64° / 39°
12 wet · 1 snow
Jun
73° / 51°
12 wet
Jul
77° / 54°
12 wet
Aug
75° / 52°
11 wet
Sep
67° / 45°
12 wet
Oct
52° / 34°
13 wet · 2 snow
Nov
37° / 22°
12 wet · 6 snow
Dec
25° / 9°
11 wet · 9 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Minocqua, WI, 9 mi away at 1,601 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors