Treetops Resort Celebrates 65 Years of Winter Fun

Dianna Stampfler January 13, 2020January 23, 2020 anniversary, gaylord, pure michigan, skiing, treetops, winter sports, winter trails

Michigan’s Most Family Friendly Winter Playground

Treetops Resort in Gaylord is proud to celebrate 65 years of ski and snow operations this winter. It all started on January 2, 1954 when Lin Meade developed and opened Sylvan Knob Ski Area with Michigan’s FIRST Poma Lift, two tow-ropes, six slopes, and one “School Slope” for Ski School participants. Selling the first lift ticket for $3.00 per day Meade wanted to keep the ski hill as family friendly as possible. Since then Treetops Resort has grown immensely, with a continued commitment to provide family friendly skiing and snowboarding through some of Northern Michigan’s most pristine wilderness.

“Mr. Meade was laser focused on creating a place where families could come and make memories. We believe that we have done so for 65 years. Furthermore, our focus on family fun and creating Michigan’s Most Spectacular Winter Family Playground remains today,” said Barry Owens, Treetops Resort General Manager. Proving true to that tradition the Treetops Resort team has taught 125 kids by way of the local ski club on a weekly basis for over 25 years. The Treetops Ski School team has also taught in excess of 275 kids each year in the popular Puppy and ski week programs.

With those benchmarks in mind, Director of Ski and Golf Kevin McKinley says, “We have taught over 10,000 kids to ski over the years, and a true multi-generational story prevails as many of whom first learned the sport at Treetops now bring their kids and grandkids to learn to ski here at Treetops Resort”.

Over the last 10 years Treetops Resort has:

Increased snowmaking capacity by 15%
Replaced snow cat groomers with state of the art Prinoth groomers
Added new terrain parks
Expanded Cross-Country trails
Ski School paired with downhill rental skis, boots, poles, and snowboards
Retail shops that are stocked with the latest gear

Today Treetops Resort offers some of the finest and family friendly terrain in the Midwest for downhill skiing and snowboarding featuring over 80 acres of terrain with a 1,345’ summit elevation and features a nice long cruising run a ¼ of a mile. There are 23 runs for all levels. Winter escapes also feature miles of cross country trails, and dozens of snowshoe and hiking trails. When coming for a week or a weekend getaway with the family, guests are treated to a variety of lodging – all with a northern Michigan comforting flare. The resort includes 5 lodging locations, 226 standard and deluxe accommodations, condominiums/townhouses, and 6 food and beverage locations including the popular Sports Bar featuring one of Michigan’s largest collections of Michigan Craft Beer.

Fast Facts:

Treetops has over 25,000 square feet of meeting and banquet facilities, outdoor/indoor pools and hot tubs, spa & salon, tennis courts, state-licensed day care facility, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, tubing, real estate and much more. Treetops Resort is home to 81 holes of golf including North America’s #1 Par Three golf course. Michigan’s Most Spectacular Resort – Treetops is located in Gaylord, Michigan just off I-75 at exit #282.

To reserve a Treetops Resort Getaway visit Treetops.com or call 888-TREETOPS.