It looks like winter is back on track. After a weekend of warmer temps and rain our temps are dropping and we have a winter storm warning for today. Heavy snow is expected with accumulations of 8 to 16 inches of wet, heavy snow. We will keep you updated with the groomers report as soon as they are able to get one out.
Groomer Report
Overall Story:
Monday 12/30 9:00 am CST: Our entire system of OPEN trails was last groomed Friday night 12/27-12/28), except for 160. We will be inspecting trails this evening by snowmobile and will look to get out grooming tomorrow once the snow dies down a little. Tremendous amounts of snow is forecast and it has started!! There are important warnings and notices to be aware of below. By January 10th we are expecting 2-4 FEET of fresh snow.
WARNINGS AND NOTICES: We continue to see a spike in off trail riding issues and that must end. We had riders hit fences, take out fence posts and damage corporate property infrastructure a LONG ways away from trails. We are begging riders to ride off trail legally as there are 1-million acres of public land east of Wakefield to off trail ride on – please only ride legal areas!
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: GOOD
Last groomed 12/28/19. 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: GOOD
Last groomed 12/28/19. 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: GOOD
Last groomed 12/28/19. 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: GOOD
Last groomed 12/28/19. 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: OPEN – FAIR
The trail was opened Saturday 12/21 and groomed Tuesday 12/24/19. STAY ON THE TRAIL!!!!!! 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.
Yesterday our drivers from Marenisco rounded up some people that have vacation houses in Marenisco to help clean up the mess on trail 13. Thanks guys for donating your time to help keep up on the trails during this unpredictable weather.
Last night and this morning we got a lot of rain! This is going to open up the wet spots even more. We are trying to keep up with the issues, but can’t get to everything in one day. As of right now the groomers are parked. They are doing more damage to the trail including getting stuck.
Use caution when riding the trails, as wet areas are creating holes that may appear that wasn’t there an hour ago. When the temperatures drop and snow falls we will be back out grooming. Looks like that will happen soon.
Lake Gogebic Area is experiencing a bit of a warm-up after our Christmas holiday – but looks like 12/26 is the worst and temps drop back below freezing on Friday and there’s a big storm coming in on Saturday. We’ve received so much snow that a little melt is ok – as it will help to compress some of the snow on the trails as well as the lake and with colder temps on the horizon – that will help firm wet spots and help ice conditions. Gogebic Area Groomers report good overall conditions and were out over Christmas filling in some of the wet problem areas on our trails and will be out nightly when temps are below 30 degrees. There are some areas where water it showing – but the cold temps will help out.
Trail 1N: Good to excellent. White Pine to Silver City is fair with a couple wet spots appearing with the warm temps. There is a bridge out in Silver City, but you can carefully navigate around. Lake of the clouds is excellent and groomed last night.
Trail 1S: crews were out brushing and signing and got the trail opened up. They made snow bridges – just use caution with our warm temps today.
o Trail 1S from Trail 100 to Trail 8: Closed until further notice as logging is taking place until the end of December.
Trail 8 West: Groomers were out filling in wet spots over Christmas – use caution.
Trail 8 East: Gets thin past Ewen. There are 2 logging areas on Trail 3 North between trail 2 and 8. (near Bond Falls Area)
Trails 13 North: good condition.
Trails 13 South All trails on South end are reporting good.
o Past the Root Cellar, there is more logging. 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 102 (South Boundary Road) is in excellent shape and groomed last night. 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 Stagecoach 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)
Please stay on the trails, respect private property, do not drink and drive, and above all else, drive safely. Be mindful that there are a lot of families and kids on the trails this week. The signs on the trails are there for rider’s safety so please DO NOT remove or destroy them.
Groomer Report
We are grooming daily.
Trail #3 from the Wisconsin border to Paulding, good condition except the road areas they are poor, 2 logging project on this trail one north of Forest Rd 5250 and the other is north of Bond Falls Rd so please use caution and respect the loggers
Trail #2 west of Watersmeet, good condition again except the road area it is poor, 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
