Sault Ste. Marie Area Trail Report – 01/05
SAULT STE. MARIE UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association – 01/05 1/5/25 Brimley Bill headed out very early this morning in the Bay Mills and Raco area on part of 480, the powerline, and 889. Here’s his report- “I groomed the Powerline and the Mission Hill Loop early this morning. There’s still some wind, but not as strong as yesterday. Open areas still have some drifting. I was able smooth out all the chatter from traffic and drifts. The trails are in really good shape.” Thanks Bill! Have a great ride everyone! ❄️❄️❄️ <> <> Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Facebook Page <> SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/7/25 update SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/7/25- We just received further confirmation, this time from the U.S. Coast Guard, that the ice on the bay in Brimley is unsafe. They conducted training there today and broke through. Please stay off of the ice. Take trail 8. It’s groomed, and dry😉🥶 #soo WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Today will see some of the strongest lake effect snow of the week for Marquette and Alger counties with light lake effect snow expected elsewhere along Lake Superior. Chances for snow gradually decrease through Wednesday, leading to a dry Thursday. Temperatures, especially overnight lows, remain below normal. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaToday will see some of the strongest lake effect snow of the week for Marquette and Alger counties with light lake effect snow expected elsewhere along Lake Superior. Chances for snow gradually decrease through Wednesday, leading to a dry Thursday. Temperatures, especially overnight lows, remain below normal. WEATHER UPDATE via TV6 & FOX UP >> Light lake effect snow showers develops near Lake Superior resulting in a couple of inches by tomorrow. A more prominent band sets up in Eastern Marquette and Western Alger counties, which result in more than three inches. Check out the timeline. FORECAST: www.uppermichiganssource.com/2025/01/07/lake-effect-snow-increases-some/ #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLight lake effect snow showers develops near Lake Superior resulting in a couple of inches by tomorrow. A more prominent band sets up in Eastern Marquette and Western Alger counties, which result in more than three inches. Check out the timeline. How are the trails around lake gogebic? WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Flurries and light lake effect snow showers continue over the UP tonight with the interior west falling to the single digits for overnight lows. Tomorrow, lake effect snow picks up, with the area around the Marquette/Alger county line potentially seeing up to 2-4 inches of fluffy snow, with up to an inch expected elsewhere along Lake Superior as highs climb to around 20. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaFlurries and light lake effect snow showers continue over the UP tonight with the interior west falling to the single digits for overnight lows. Tomorrow, lake effect snow picks up, with the area around the Marquette/Alger county line potentially seeing up to 2-4 inches of fluffy snow, with up to an inch expected elsewhere along Lake Superior as highs climb to around 20. SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/6/25 6:30 pm update on the water hole near the tunnel on city trail 49! WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Light lake effect snow will continue to be the primary feature of the weather forecast for this work week alongside cold temperatures bottoming out near 0 Thursday morning. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLight lake effect snow will continue to be the primary feature of the weather forecast for this work week alongside cold temperatures bottoming out near 0 Thursday morning. SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Old Soo Line Grade Lodge >> 01/06/25 - Staying cold! #soo #snowphotos WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Light snow showers along Lake Superior will continue tonight as cool air and blustery northerly winds push the wind chills to the single digits above and below 0 tonight. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLight snow showers along Lake Superior will continue tonight as cool air and blustery northerly winds push the wind chills to the single digits above and below 0 tonight. SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/5/25 8:30 PM update Question for you guys...I have 3 sleds coming up. One is a four stroke viper, with modified trail exhaust. Not super loud. Any issues with this in Michigan? Fines penalties? Also looking for best option for gps based trail guides for a garmin unit. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Tks SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Old Soo Line Grade Lodge >> 01/05/25 - Holding at around 8” … #soo #snowphotos WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> We wouldn’t blame you if you thought the forecast ahead sounded like a broken record. Consistent light lake effect snow is expected through the first half of the week ahead with a fluffy 1-2 inches of snow expected daily in the NW wind lake effect snow bands. Meanwhile, highs will mainly be in the teens to lower 20s with lows in the single digits. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaWe wouldn’t blame you if you thought the forecast ahead sounded like a broken record. Consistent light lake effect snow is expected through the first half of the week ahead with a fluffy 1-2 inches of snow expected daily in the NW wind lake effect snow bands. Meanwhile, highs will mainly be in the teens to lower 20s with lows in the single digits. Hopefully more than the predicted amount! 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Good morning all!
I got out early enough so that the trail had some time to set up before any sled traffic.Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
Sunny skies and coooooold temps are the story here today. Definitely welcome the cold to help us freeze up the few remaining trouble areas on 49 south of 12 mile.
We haven’t received any new snow since the lake effect came to an end on Sunday morning. Not anything significant in the forecast this week as of right now.
Lower weekday traffic and no new snow means grooming will likely be slowed down. I know that the Pisten Bully is coming in for repairs since it’s a good time to do it. Nothing major and it’ll be back in the Raco and Bay Mills area in no time.
Everything should be pretty flat. Trail 8 sees the most traffic, and will likely see some choppy areas due to thin spots, but absolutely rideable. I’d call it fair to good.
For info on what has been groomed most recently, please subscribe to Groomer Tracker.
We have a board meeting tonight, and we’ll discuss getting the high school trail open, among other things. Members are welcome to attend. 6 pm at the Soo groomer barn, located at 1205 W 9th Street.
Thanks all! Ride safe, ride right, ride sober! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo 
FORECAST>www.uppermichiganssource.com/2025/01/07/lake-effect-snow-increases-some/
Pete and Jay formulated a plan to seal this bugger up, and I’d say it was a huge success! They met after work, grabbed the tractor from the barn, which is thankfully really close to where this hole was. They worked carefully to pack the hole with snow, then used the drag to smooth it over. Like it never even happened! Currently 15 degrees and going down to single digits tonight so it’ll freeze up nicely. We shouldn’t see this again til April. Thanks guys! You rock! #soo #snowphotos
Run down of where we are at. Like all of you, I’m a rider too and I try my best to give you accurate info. I realize everyone has a different perspective of what is good and bad. I feel like I’m pretty fair, and often times more critical of our trails because I want to be as honest as possible. So here we go-
The Soo definitely got the most out of the lake effect snow event from Thursday to this morning. Not as much west or south of us on our trail system.
Trail 8 from the Soo to Raco gets thinner as you head west to about a mile or two west of Irish Line, then sees a bit more coverage as you approach the 480 intersection. Open areas saw snow get blown off the trail, and our operators use the blade as best they can to pull snow in from the sides. There are some thin areas, most notably just west of 6 Mile where those doggone slag rocks are popping up for about 100 feet. I stop and toss them off when I see them. We’ll try to pick the drag up in that section to keep them from pulling up. More snow will bury them back up.
8 on the powerline to Ranger Rd had more snow on it than I expected and is great.
889 is also great.
Met some of our other volunteers for a ride today coming from Kinross. They took 472 to 480 to 8 and they said it was good. A few ruts left from some wheeled vehicles during the warm up. Nothing major.
Rider reports from 49 south of M80 and the 494 loop reported both as excellent.
The city trails, with the exception of 449 and the now closed Kewadin trail are also in good shape. Pete is out there now, and will have a report for us that I’ll share.
I’m going to pin the post about 449 and the Kewadin Trail for easy reference.
49 from Alberta Ln south of the DonDee Lanes (great food!) remains ungroomed. Lots of wet spots still. The cold weather should do the trick and allow it to freeze up nicely. We’ll run it as soon as it makes sense to do so. It is ungroomed from there to Gaines Hwy in Kinross. Sleds have been riding it, but you need to know it’s at your own risk, and is likely very rough.
Overall, we could use more snow to freshen up most areas, but things overall are good with some fair areas, and some excellent areas!
I hope that helps! Ride safe! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo