Western U.P. Trail Report – Western U.P. Bureau – 12/16
Gogebic Range Trail Authority
Trail Condition: Excellent
• Last Groomed: December 16th, 2019
• Base Snowfall: 36+”
• Reported On: December 16th, 2019 @ 9:25am
Groomer Report
Overall Story:
Monday 12/16 9:00 am CST: What a busy weekend! We saw tremendous traffic and trails got whooped up fast Saturday afternoon. Why? Well, if you have followed these updates you’ll know we’ve said we’ve been packing trails for weeks. With 100″ of snow for the season, bumps get formed and new snow keeps us from reaching down and cutting them. Our groomers have been working for weeks to not introduce more snow from the sides of the trails and to focus on cutting and relaying the base. Groomers were out all night Friday, all day Saturday, throughout Saturday night and all day Sunday. Trails are INCREDIBLE! Nearly all of the wet spots have frozen in and we’ve even frozen in some of swamps that we normally don’t get access to until January already! We do have a few trail closures noted below, but we hope to open one of them this coming weekend if everything comes together.
WARNINGS AND NOTICES: TRAIL 160 IS CLOSED DUE TO BRUSHING ISSUES. If you get caught riding the trail you better be brushing or you’ll receive a ticket.
BASE SNOW FALL: This is current ground snow depth.
NWS Marquette, MI Next 24 Hours Snow Forecast: click here
John Dee Snow Central Forecast: click here
Trail 2 from Hurley to Ramsay US-2 Crossing:
Overall rating: EXCELLENT
Last groomed 12/16/19. Please do not ride on side walks near Holiday and try to keep noise down in town.
Trail 2 from Ramsay Crossing to Wakefield:
Overall rating: EXCELLENT
Last groomed 12/16/19. The entire stretch is in excellent condition! Featuring a brand new section to enjoy this season, the club eliminated Prospect road route and moved the trail completely into the woods eliminating 1.5 miles of road route. PLEASE STAY ON THE TRAIL AND RESPECT THESE LANDOWNERS!
Trail 2 from Wakefield to Marenisco:
Overall Rating: EXCELLENT
Last groomed 12/15/19. There is logging 4 miles east of Wakefield. Please yield to logging traffic, they are working and you are playing!
Trail 8 from Wakefield to Tula Crossing:
Overall Rating: EXCELLENT
Last groomed 12/16/19. Tremendous snow depth on this trail. It is an unplowed county road and is a treat to ride!
Trail 160 from Walmart to Montreal River (WI):
Overall Rating: CLOSED
Trail needs tremendous amounts of brushing. It is CLOSED, so if you are on it on your snowmobile you better be under direction of the club or you will get a ticket. PLEASE stay on the trail through the farm fields. This is our most scenic trail and is a treat to ride! There are several scenic vistas on the trail such as Bald Mountain “NORTH” lookout viewing Madeline Island/ mouth of the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior, the Bald Mountain “SOUTH” lookout viewing Gogebic Range (Powderhorn, Copper Peak), the Montreal River Gorge look out and finally the amazing Superior Falls Waterfall Complex. Stay on the trail in the farm fields. Over 25 landowners are involved to make this trail a reality, please respect them and ride responsibly.
11S (Wakefield, MI to Winchester, WI):
Overall Rating: CLOSED
CLOSED FOR THE SEASON DUE TO LOGGING OPERATIONS THAT THE CLUB WAS UNABLE TO FIND A REROUTE AROUND.
11N (Wakefield, MI to South boundary Rd/White Pine): Closed indefinitely. Seeking local community support with ideas on how to reopen it. 200 yards of private property closed this 25 mile trail.
Lake Gogebic Area Groomers
121/12/19
We’ve received at least another foot and a half of snow in the last week, and it looks like we are forecasted for more on the way. Cold temps have done a nice job to firm up our wet spots. Gogebic Area Groomers will be working on trail 1 south on the West Shore this Thursday working to open it up. Volunteers are welcome and both the Gogebic and AJ’s Walleye Lodge are offering complimentary rooms for volunteers for that effort
Gogebic Area Groomers were out last night and report that all trails are in good to excellent condition.
Trail 1 N: Good condition
Trails 13 North and South Groomer went South on 13 breaking trails once more. Past the Root Cellar, there is logging and you will have to travel on East Shore Rd approximately 2 mile further then before to get back onto trail 13. A new reroute will take place. Please follow the signs marked 13. (Permanent Re-Route for the 2019-2020 Season).
Trail 8W Trail 8 between Bergland and Wakefield. Groomers filled the wet spots in, but predicting that they will open back up with the amount of water running through them. Once they open back up we’ll be putting a culvert in and placing snow back over them. EVEN THOUGH, the trail looks ok, DON’T ride fast. Use caution when riding this incase something emerges.
Trail 8E: is open and in good condition
Trail 102: there is a new reroute about 4 miles before trail 11. The trail is marked well and the reroute was a very nice turn out. (Temporary Re-Route)
Trail 100: Logging is happening between Stagecouch Rd and the Slate River (very end of Lake Gogebic) Marshall Creek Bridge has been fixed so you can get to Marenisco from trail 100. (Permanent for 2019-2020 season)
Watersmeet U P Thunder Riders
Dec.11, 2019
We will be grooming daily as long as the temps and snow conditions permit.
Trail #3 from the Wisconsin border to Paulding, good condition, north end has a logging project so please use caution and respect the loggers
Trail #2 west of Watersmeet, good condition, may have a small water hole that is passable about 20 miles west of Watersmeet
Trail #2 east of Watersmeet to Trail #107, good condition
Trail #13 south to Cisco Chain, good condition