We stayed in a one-bedroom unit at Telemark in Cable, Wisconsin for one week in mid-May, 2023…read morethrough an RCI timeshare exchange. Rentals are also available directly through the company. We were very much looking forward to an outdoorsy vacation, as Cable is known as "Trail Town USA". We planned to do some hiking in Wisconsin state parks and the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, and perhaps some kayaking in the local lakes.
STAFF (4/5). Staff in the office were helpful upon check-in, and answered our questions about activities in the area. Maintenance staff was not particularly helpful when we called after hours with a safety concern. (More on that later).
OUR UNIT. (Rating: 3/5). We were assigned to one of the "B" units, which are somewhat less desirable because they feature only a partial kitchen -- the fridge and dishwasher are small, and the stove is only a 2-burner unit. There's no oven, but there is a microwave. Most needed kitchen wear (plates, cups, silver wear, glasses, pots, pans, utensils) was provided but there was limited space for groceries.
The living area had a comfortable couch and chair that faced a fireplace (that we didn't use) and tv, and the dining table which separated the living area from the kitchen. There was also a heating and air conditioning unit. (More on that later). There was also a much-appreciated washer and dryer in that area. There was a good-sized bathroom with shelves providing A LOT of storage space for our toiletries and other items. Finally, the bedroom featured a queen-sized bed which, unfortunately, was rather uncomfortable because it was lumpy. There was a good amount of storage space between the dressing and closet. There was an additional tv in the bedroom. One really nice feature was a screened-in porch off the bedroom that had a table and chairs. This overlooked the forest and felt very private.
Overall, the unit felt dated and needed some maintenance (window), but it was clean and met our needs. After being in the unit for a day or two, it turned cold and we decided to turn on what we thought was a heater. We couldn't get it to work, so we called maintenance. It turned out that there were only heat sources in the bedroom and in the bathroom. However, the maintenance guy added that he wouldn't trust the bathroom unit!
THE RESORT. (1/5). There is significant construction going on at the property. The roads leading to the check-in office were what seemed to be the gravel that is laid before a road is paved. There were numerous construction vehicles. Some prominent buildings (for instance, the Lodge) that had been there have been torn down. There was, however, a fire pit that some neighbors used most evenings.
ACTIVITIES. (1/5). These were almost nonexistent. Information for tenants indicated that there were kayaks to be rented that are stored on-lake at a sister property five miles down the road -- but, when we tried to rent these, we were told that they had already been rented out for the full week. A canoe was available to rent, also at the sister property. The resort did not rent bikes but these might be available to rent in Hayward (about 16 miles away).
As for nearby hiking, there's a paved path and separately a hike to the top of Mt Telemark on-site, as well as the 100+ kilometer Birkie (cross-country skiing) trail. Downtown Cable has the Cable City Trails. Many state parks and the national forest also feature hikes but many were 45-60+ minutes away. We did the hike up Mt. Telemark and one of the Cable City Trails hikes, and then basically gave up. We were overwhelmed by mosquitoes and, when we got home realized that we were also carrying a large number of ticks. (This was in spite of wearing insect repellent and wearing head nets). For the rest of our vacation, we drove long distances -- to Bayfield, for instance -- to try to enjoy activities that were away from the forest and the mosquitoes.
HANDLING OF A SAFETY CONCERN. (0/5). It was dry in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, and we had been passing Smokey the Bear signs that warned of extreme fire risks. As mentioned, the resort had a fire pit that was outside of our kitchen window that neighbors had been using in the evenings for campfires. Before bed, we looked out the window and found that an unattended fire was still crackling and we could still see occasional sparks flying from it. We called after-hours maintenance. At first, the gentleman who answered was unconcerned but then remembered that there were piles of dry raked leaves near the fire pit that could catch fire. He had spoken with those at the fire earlier but didn't know what unit they were in (to ask them to put it out). He couldn't come to extinguish it because he just put his son down to sleep. So, my husband went out into the mosquito-filled darkness at 11 pm to extinguish someone else's fire. Better safe than sorry.
