From the Iron Range to the Apostle Islands, there are a bunch of outdoor activities taking place this weekend around the Northland.

Laskiainen – the Finnish sliding festival – returns to Palo on Saturday and Sunday.
There will be Finnish food, sleigh rides, music and – of course – the chance to slide down the big ice chutes specially constructed for the event.

Activities run from about 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day at the Loon Lake Community Center on Highway 100. Most events are free.

There will also be a free sliding party at Chester Bowl in Duluth on Saturday from 5-7 p–m - remember to bring your own sled.

The 15th annual Apostle Islands Sled Dog Races begin Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

There are four races of varying distances. They start at the Echo Valley Gravel Pit on Wisconsin Highway 13, about 10 miles northwest of Bayfield.

The racing continues on Sunday. For more information, go here.

The fourth annual Kaye Johnson Memorial Vintage Snowmobile Ride starts about 10:45 a.m. Saturday at the Fireside Restaurant in Northwoods Beach. That's on County Highway K south of Hayward.

The event raises money for the American Heart Association; for details, go here.

The Winter Carnival in Solon Springs starts about 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Pius Church.

For more information, go here.