Ironwood Trail Report – Gogebic Range Trail Authority – 12/01

All TRAILS REMAIN CLOSED: Active construction projects & poor snow conditions remain. No grooming activities have occurred yet.

The Gogebic Range Trail Authority is excited for the season ahead, but we have a few obstacles to work through before trails can open. We had a 1-2′ base but lost that around 11/29 when we received over a 1/2′ of rain. Snow is forecast for next week, however. All trails have been brushed for the first time in 2-3 years. We expect our guests to be impressed with the work accomplished. So far nearly 1,000 volunteer hours have been amassed preparing for one of the best seasons in recent memory!

TRAIL 2: We are currently reworking the trail section from Blackjack Rd. to Indianhead. There is heavy equipment on site actively reworking the trail. The project was commissioned to straighten the steep hill climbs as well as lessen the grade. Please stay out and away from the site so our contractors can complete the work. We are also working in conjunction with our Co-Sponsor club the (ORV) Western U.P. Trail Authority to continue fix the washed out bridge approaches. The GRTA worked with the US Agriculture Service to deal with the beaver issues and the re-route onto Dunham Rd. has been moved back onto the trail. We thank you for your patience as we worked to get that accomplished.

Trail 160: Trail will be closed until further notice. Due to the 1 in 1,500 year flooding event that NW Gogebic County endured we lost a major piece of infrastructure in the Mud Creek Bridge. The bridge was slated to be replaced this year as it was, but the flood changed the river channel characteristics forcing the GRTA to spec out and build a bigger bridge which our original timeline did not account for (drafted pre-storm). Our construction team feels we will get the bridge in this season yet, but it will not be until sometime in January. Please stay off the trail, it is fenced off at Trail 2 in Ironwood and signs will be up near the Montreal River as soon as possible.

Trail 8: Trail is in good condition and needs snow. It has been brushed with our mower to gain some width back and all signage has been addressed/corrected. The water holes by Bingo’s access need some good cold weather. Remember early season riding in the U.P. involves a lot of swamp country that needs good cold temperatures to freeze. A re-route remains on the northern edge of Trail 8 off of the county road due to logging. Please follow the signage and do not interfere with logging operations!

Trail 11 N/S: Both will remain closed for the season. Due to the condition of the club the 2016/2017 board of directors inherited the mission became obvious – maintain. We are actively looking for volunteers to help us clear the way for 11S this winter and into next summer. These two trail’s importance cannot be understated, but we simply did not have the opportunity to undertake the massive tasks in reopening them. Please contact us if your are available or interested in helping, we cannot get the trail open with current membership levels.

Michigan Trail Report

Ironwood Trail Report – Gogebic Range Trail Authority – 12/01