Badlands Sno-Park & The Kinney Family - Our Hosts

Badlands Recreation was opened in 1970 by Peggy and Bernard Kinney and their eleven children. The idea for Badlands came from the desire to offer affordable winter fun for the whole family could enjoy. Sno-tubing had already been around for a few years, and after seeing how much fun it was the Kinney's knew it was just what they were looking for. After visiting other tubing areas and working with the state of Wisconsin, what emerged was Badlands. 

The land just east of Hudson is known as the Hudson prairie. A bit further east, the terrain changes into a hilly area known as the "badlands". Our original tubing chalet was the farmhouse where Bernard's father was born in 1888.

Changes to Badlands have been made over the years as sno-tubing has become more popular.  Two of the adult children now manage the operation, and have added new runs, snow making equipment, improved grooming capabilities, and a new chalet. Badlands continues to evolve, but still strives to offer winter fun that the whole family can enjoy. In fact, you will still see the fourth generation of Kinney's out on the slopes or enjoying a cup of hot chocolate in the chalet.

Thank you to the Kinney family for sharing their beautiful land and facilities with us for this trial and for all the work they do to help make it successful.