If you really want to go all the way back, Granite Peak's story began some two billion years ago, when intense heat and volcanic activity built a mountain toward the heavens. But you don't have to dig quite that deep to understand how the mountain became what it is today. A little more than seven decades ago, a group of Wausau residents came together with ambition and a fair amount of elbow grease. Together, they cleared out six runs by hand and build a stone chalet from the quarry nearby. A ski resort was born, which is now the tallest and largest ski area in Wisconsin and just four hours from the Chicagoland area.

Like the nation's love of quality television drama, Granite Peak has continued to grow over the decades. The steep and rolling terrain beneath its 700-foot summit, the tallest vertical drop in the Wisconsin or Upper peninsula, now encompasses a total of 75 runs, including beginner runs and mile-long cruising runs. High-speed chair lifts ferry skiers and snowboarders to the tops of these routes, and four terrain parks provide jumps, rails, and other features. The mountain is also lighted to allow for skiing and snowboarding after the sun sets behind the peak. Whatever the agenda of a snowy day, Granite Peak's ski patrol stays on-hand to keep things safe.