LAKE VILLARRICA, CHILE

The view from the docks in Villarrica is post card quality:across the expanse of the pristine lake, a snow-capped volcano seems to rise out of the water. Such are the sights in Chile's Lake District, where the country's two greatest resources - mountains and water - come together in majestic beauty. Amidst the series of glacial lakes scattered over 500 miles south of the nation's capital and spilling over the Argentina border, Lake Villarrica is the district's jewel. The lake stretches 15 miles from Villarrica to Pucon, its two anchor towns. When the state railroad company built the Grand Hotel Pucon on the black volcanic ash beach in the '30s,tourists would take the train to Villarrica then travel by boat across the lake to the large luxury lodging. These days, a scenic drive skirts the southern shore and the discerning traveler is more likely to spend the night at Hotel Antumalal, a single-story, Bauhaus-meets-Frank Lloyd Wright-style hotel perched on top  a huge boulder among 10 acres of wooded flower gardens. With only 18 rooms - all fronting the water--Hotel Antumalal's guest book has been signed by celebrities and royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II.

Since Chile's summer occurs during our winter, days are warmer during a visit from December to mid-March and rain less likely, but the evenings are cool. Pucon, South America's version of Boulder, Colorado attracts the outdoorsy and artsy set, with bandanas and wool socks bunched above hiking boots as the dominant sidewalk fashion. The town is a gateway for fly-fishing trips, whitewater rafting expeditions and mountain biking excursions, a place where you can hire a guide, rent equipment or join a tour on almost any street corner. The region's pristine lakes and streams are among the world's best for trout fishing. Kayaking, wind-surfing, water-skiing and fishing are popular activities on Lake Villarrica itself.

Rustic trails through a national park allow one to make the four- hour hike to the rim of the Villarrica volcano and peer through the sulfurous smoke at the blazing red magma gurgling near the surface. Of Chile's 2,085 volcanoes, Villarrica is one of the 55 still active - it erupted 10 times over the past century. The 2,840- meter perch also affords stunning vistas of the district's lakes and mountains. Or, one can enjoy the view of the volcano's peak from a safe distance along the shores of Villarrica.

INTERLAKEN

Tucked in an alpine valley, Interlaken is best approached by rail, on tracks that slice through the dramatic Swiss Alps with breathtaking views nearly every mile of the way. Standing in the center of the town square,one can drink in the pure air and savor the magnificent views to the south of the triple-peaked Jungfrau, rising to its highest point of 13,642 feet. But, sandwiched as it is between two lakes, Interlaken (which means, "between lakes"), feels the water's influence throughout the town of 13,500.

Both long, skinny lakes, Lake Thun stretches 13 miles to the east with its widest point two miles and Lake Brienz runs nine miles to the west with shores two miles apart. Once upon a time, the lakes were connected, but sediment deposited over the centuries separated the two and formed the 14-square mile foundation for Interlaken, originally settled by Augustinian monks in the 12th century. Europeans prefer Lake Brienz, but Americans favor the traditional resorts of Lake Thun, nicknamed the "Riviera of the Bernese Oberland."

  

During winter months, the lakes remain open, freezing only partially at the ends, and are appreciated more for their aesthetic than functional virtues. Interlaken staked its reputation as one of the world's favorite winter playgrounds on other assets. Alpine and Nordic skiing in the Jungfrau region are not only excellently situated, they offer their cheapest rates in January and February. The Murren ski resort hosts a popular downhill skiing competition open to all-comers in January. One can also ice skate in town on outdoor rinks. The Hotel Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa, a richly ornate Victorian-style landmark building from 1865, has attracted the likes of the emperor of Brazil, the king of Siam and Mark Twain. Located in the town center, most rooms open to mountain views, and the hotel's two restaurants offer a choice of gourmet formal dining or rustic ambiance with traditional Swiss dishes.

LAKE I TASCA

Lake Itasca, surrounded by almost 50 square miles of state park, provides an intimate rendezvous with nature. With few distractions, there's not much to come between you and the forested lake. Serene and undisturbed, the remote lake and 20-year-old woods offer a tonic to the rush of city life. The lake is best enjoyed in the stillness. Standing along its frozen shores on a winter day, one can hear the wind whisper through the pines, watch otters slide across the ice and glimpse the many shades of blue in the fresh snow. If you're quite still, you can even hear the muffled sound of clumps of snow falling off branches into snowdrifts - amplified by the quiet.

     

About a four-hour drive from the Twin Cities, Minnesota's oldest state park is navigable by cross-country skis, snowshoes and, along the park's periphery, snowmobile. The famous headwaters of the Mississippi, which begins its 2,552-mile journey with a trickle over some rocks at the lake's edge before becoming the mighty river that separates the continent east from west, does not freeze and is accessible by foot. Most of the wishbone-shaped lake does freeze, however, making it a popular spot for ice fishing, along with another 100 smaller lakes scattered throughout the park.

Douglas Lodge shuts down for the winter months, but one can find accommodations within the park at the Mississippi Headwaters Hostel and on the park's north side at Bert's Cabins. Neither offers four-star luxury accommodations - in fact, they're both quite simple - but if they did, it would seem out of place, spoiling the park's natural, rustic beauty. The log cabin hostel, housed in the original park headquarters, is privately managed. Bert's Cabins, bounded on two sides by the park, are log cabins set among towering pines. Meals can be cooked on site or found in the restaurants of nearby Park Rapids, Walker and Bemidji.

LAKE SUPERIOR

Lake Superior celebrates winter on a grand scale. The world's largest freshwater lake - measuring 383 by 160 miles across and 1,300 feet deep - the lake only freezes along the edges during the coldest of winters. Once the gales of November start blowing on the big lake they call Gitche Gumme - the same legendary gales that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald - the lake is best appreciated from its rocky shores, where a plethora of winter activities abound.

Lake Superior's size, some 2,730 miles of shoreline bordered by two countries and three states, also provides dramatic winter scenery. From the thick steam seen rising from the waters on cold Canadian mornings to the icicles hanging from outcroppings near the Apostle Islands on the other side, from ice formations coating the rocky coasts of Crystal Cove to the thick snow along Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Lake Superior's winterscape is a vast kaleidoscope of arctic images.

         

The moist air over the open water condenses into snow when blown over the surrounding shores, providing the base for most of Lake Superior's winter playground. Over 16 feet of snow falls on Michigan's Upper Peninsula each winter, and the North Shore along Minnesota receives the most snowfall of anywhere in the state, an annual average over 10 feet. Not surprisingly, snowshoeing, skiing (Nordic and alpine) and snowmobiling are popular recreational activities around the lake. Dog-sledding, ice climbing and curling are some of the more exotic winter activities fostered by the lake's snow and ice.

Lutsen Resort, one of the lake's most beloved resorts, is resplendent in wintertime. Halfway up Minnesota's North Shore, Lutsen is home to the Midwest's largest ski area. Lutsen "mountain" boasts 61 downhill runs and a vertical rise of 1,088 feet, while another 196 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails wind through the neighboring forest. A variety of accommodations--from log cabins to modern condos - are available. In the historic lodge, the Lutsen restaurant has upgraded to fine dining under the direction of a new chef, and on the slopes, Papa Charlie's Saloon & Grill has proven a lively night spot.

LAKE TAHOE

The Heavenly Ski Resort calls the view of Lake Tahoe from its slopes their money shot: the pristine lake shimmers beneath 10,000- foot mountains. Seems every time one rounds a corner in the Tahoe Basin, there's another breathtaking view of the continent's largest alpine lake,22 x 12 miles of pure, clear water reflecting the peaks of the Sierra Nevada range.

Alpine skiing here is not in short supply. Indeed, the 15 ski resorts in the Tahoe Basin are the largest concentration in the country. Including the Resort at Squaw Valley, host of the 1960 winter Olympics, the slopes are internationally-renowned. There's also an ample supply of Nordic ski trails and areas to snowshoe.The lake does not freeze, so one can enjoy a Sternwheeler cruise even in the wintertime or rides in a sled pulled by dogs or in a sleigh pulled by horses.

At nightfall, the lake's shores light up. Tahoe straddles the state line dividing California and Nevada, and four major casinos animate the Nevada banks. In addition to their restaurants, gambling and free booze, the casinos feature headline acts. Folks like Jay Leno and David Copperfield forego Vail and Sun Valley for Tahoe. Looking for something more? Get married. That's what more than 15,000 couples did on Tahoe's South Shore in '98. Over 20 wedding chapels in the area make getting hitched a cinch.

Lodging abounds along the commercial south shore and the more rustic north shore with over 11,500 available rooms. The Black Bear Inn, a luxury bed and breakfast fashioned from handhewn logs, offers a welcome variation on the casino and resort theme. With rooms in the main lodge and several cabins for rent, the Black Bear Inn has been heralded for filling a niche since it opened in South Lake Tahoe last year.

LAKE LOUISE

Drop a glacial lake in the midst of the mountains. Welcome to Lake Louise. The lake's teal waters set against the backdrop of the Canadian Rockies have been immortalized by nature photographers giddy at the sight. Lake Louise's beauty is even more spectacular in person. Come winter, the water freezes, snow bends the boughs of pine trees and the Rockies look like they've been smeared with frosting. Set in Banff National Park, 2,500 square miles of Rocky Mountain landscape, Lake Louise's beauty is bottomless.

Aspen without the attitude, Banff and Lake Louise, the national park's two towns, attract Hollywood royalty and international heads of state seeking the romance of a fireplace with a framed view of the lake, itching for the Rockies' famous skiing and desiring fine dining fit for sophisticated palates. Hardly a culinary boondocks, the park area features a smorgasbord of top ethnic restaurants, from Korean to Mexican, French to Japanese. Three ski facilities offer some of the world's finest skiing. Ten minutes from the lake, Lake Louise Ski Area, Canada's largest, has more than 100 runs spread over four mountain faces and coated with 15 feet of natural snow. You can strap on downhill, telemark or cross-country skis, even snowboard, to swoosh the trails through the Canadian Rockies. Or, for an adventure not soon forgotten, you can hop a helicopter (from any of four such services in the area) that will drop you off atop the 10,000-foot peaks to ski virgin fields of snow. Aprés-ski, be it tame or wild, you can soak in natural hot springs or curl up by a fireplace.

There's no place finer in the park to warm your toes by the fire than the luxurious Chateau Lake Louise, a stately 500-room hotel sitting proudly at the lake's east corner. Dubbed a "diamond in the wilderness" and truly a sight to behold, it's hard to decide which is more impressive, Chateau Lake Louise's profile or the spectacular views of Lake Louise and Mount Victoria framed from within. The Chateau has recently undergone a renovation without sacrificing any of its old world charm.

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LAKE VILLARRICA

Hotel Antumalal
Tel.(56) (45) 441011
www.antumalal.com

Chile Tourism Office
995-4888

INTERLAKEN

Hotel Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa
Tel. 800-223-6800

Swiss Tourism Office
Tel. (212) 757-5944

ITASCA LAKE

Mississippi Headwaters Hostel
Tel. (218) 266-3415

Bert's Cabins
HC 5, Box 1
Lake Itasca, MN 56470
Tel. (218) 266-3312

Itasca State Park
HCO5, Box 4
Lake Itasca, MN 56470
Tel. (218) 266-2114
www.dnr.state.mn.us/

LAKE SUPERIOR

Lutsen Resort
Highway 61
Lutsen, MN
Tel.(800) 258-8736
www.lutsenresort.com

Lutsen-Tofte Tourism Association
Tel. (888) 616-6784

LAKE TAHOE

Black Bear Inn
1202 Ski Run Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Tel. (877) 232-7466
www.tahoeblackbear.com

Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority
Tel. (530) 544-5050

LAKE LOUISE

Chateau Lake Louise
Lake Louise, AB TOL 1E0
Tel.(800) 441-1414
www.cphotels.ca

Banff/Lake Louise Tourism Bureau
Tel. (403) 762-8421
www.BanffLakeLouise.com

By John Rosengren

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