Yes, we know a little warm up is coming. No, it’s not going to ruin the trails. In fact, it may even help them as things thaw and refreeze.
I’ll be away from 2/22 - 2/26, headed to the western Yoop to hit the trails over that way, and up to the Keweenaw. I’ll do my best to update as our volunteers share reports. Don’t forget, we’re also on the Groomer Tracker app!
We won’t be grooming above 30 degrees, but we’ll be out when temps are below that. There is a ton of snow still, and this isn’t going to hurt anything.
Maybe get a sweatshirt ride in! After a week of super cold temps, it’ll be a nice change.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Ride safe, ride right, ride sober!
2/18/25
It’s Tuesday, so time for another trail report from Steve. Here we go!
“Yesterday was an emotional roller coaster leading up to our Monday night grooming run.
With both groomers in the Soo barn broke down and waiting on repairs, Dennis and I spent the day tossing around ideas of what we were going to do with our first free Monday night in a long time.
Things changed around 3 pm when our groomer boss Mike called with some good news and bad news.
The good news was, we were going to be able to still groom. The bad news was, the available groomer was sitting down in Kinross.
I spent some time reflecting on the five-year sentence I served grooming out of our Raco location and decided driving to Kinross from the Soo wasn't all that bad. Time wise, it is about half as long as driving to Raco after work.
Dennis and I made a plan that worked for both of us to do our normal Soo to Kinross run on trail 49 in reverse.
I drove to Kinross and warmed up the groomer before heading north. Our groomer sits outside there and it really made me appreciate the barn in the Soo where everything is warm and thawed out before starting our runs.
I had an uneventful trip into town. I met lots of sleds and received thumbs up from most of them.
I reached out to Groomer Lane just south of the Soo. He had made the last trip into town from Kinross and groomed all the way to Trail 8. I decided at that point to groom the east side of town and went to the casino and also to the high school. Most of our city trails have now been groomed in the last few days, utilizing our Kinross groomer.
Overall, trails are in great condition. The top layer of snow on the trail is soft. Trails are pretty flat and should be enjoyable to ride.
There is still utility work going on inside the city limits around the trail to the casino. It is signed well and one section of trail is blocked off. I was able to sneak the groomer around the area and keep a safe path through. Please use caution in this area as they are working in many spots along the way.
Hope to continue to see sleds enjoying our trail system.
Thank you to all of our volunteers, especially to those that have put in extra time and rearranged their schedules to help us out while we are down 2 machines. I rode yesterday and you’d never know it. They are all doing a fantastic job!
Stay warm if you’re out the next few days. It’s brutally cold, and trails are very hard packed, especially in the morning so scratchers are recommended if you have them. No significant snow in the next few days, but there’s tons around. We could use a break from shoveling and plowing LOL.
2/11/25
Dennis P hit the Kinross west loop this morning. This is 472 west and 480 through the Delerium Wilderness and the Spile Dam. Looking awesome, Dennis! Reminder, deer are still active so please be mindful of them. If you see cedar forests, you can bet that there are deer in the area.
2/6/2025
The Pisten Bully is back in action in the Raco and Bay Mills areas after coming in to thaw out and get some routine maintenance done Tuesday night. Warren said trails are the best he’s seen them all season. I’m hearing much of the same from our operators in other areas. Dave groomed the city trails last night and saw only 5 sleds, so it should have set up nicely.
Snowing currently, with a few more inches expected.
We truly are having our best winter in many years here, and it just keeps getting better!
2/2/2025
Another report for you, this time from Sugar Island Chris and Karen after their groom on 49 from the Soo to Kinross and back. Here’s what Chris had to say-
“Karen and I just finished 49 Soo to Kinross , lots of new snow and drifting but groomed up well and was able to take out the small chatter.”
Chris, Tammy, Brian, Kurt, and Dan also worked the booth in the vendor tent at the I500 yesterday and helped raise a lot of money for the club. Also to Karen for helping prepare! Huge thanks to them, and to all who stopped to help support us!
1/29/25
Just in from Groomer Warren on his run on part of 8, part of 480, and 889 in the Raco and Bay Mills area. He said easily 10” of new snow. Looking beautiful! Thank you, Warren!
1/22/2023
Looking awesome in the southern part of our trail system! Thanks to groomer Pat for running the Kinross east loop. This is 49 south of M80, and the 494 loop around the Kinross airport, one of my favorite loops!
Around 3” of new snow down that way was enough to really freshen it up!
Still a bit thin around 20 Mile, south of where 49 and 494 meet. Otherwise, he calls the loop excellent!
Looking awesome, thanks Pat!
1/21/25
Good morning, everyone! It’s a chilly one here today at -6 with a -17 windchill
Our operators have been out all hours to make things as good as can be for all of you.
Here’s Steve’s report from his (and others!) run down 49 to Kinross last night.
“Last night we made the run from the Soo to Kinross on Trail 49. With the recent cold weather, we were able to safely make it through the swamp south of 12 Mile and stay on top of the ice.
Last night's run was a team effort with many club members involved. The run takes five hours if everything goes perfect.
We decided to spend some time on the courtesy trail to Chippewa Motors again before leaving town. We also wanted to swap out groomers in Kinross and bring one back to the barn for normal maintenance. These added tasks make for a long night. Thankfully, we have a great group of volunteers who work great together.
The courtesy trail is a tricky stretch until we get the trail set. We have had some confusion with where exactly the trail should be. We were able to set the edges again last night.
Thank you to Groomer Nathan for starting the run early and following the map we provided to Chippewa Motors. He made it through fine and only pushed up water in one spot.
I then took control of the groomer and headed south towards Kinross. Had a wiper fall off just south of town. I made a temporary repair and it stayed on for another six miles. It then fell off again and I ran over it with the groomer. I did retrieve it but I am not sure it can be saved.
I made my way to Kinross and worked my way to the groomer staged down there. Thank you to Groomer Lane who followed me on Groomer Tracker and met me when I got there. He had the groomer warmed up and ready to go for me. Temperature was right around zero and it is much appreciated.
I made my way north and met groomer Dennis at Walmart where he made the last hour or so of the run.
Including our Trail Boss Mike who coordinated the run, there were five volunteers who made this one trip happen. It is nice to share once in a while what happens in the background on a regular basis keeping our trails maintained.
Overall, I was happy with how the trails turned out. It was so cold the snow was chunky and hard to work with. I knocked down the bumps and leveled out the drifts that formed over the weekend. From the Soo to 10 Mile, there was plenty of new snow to work with. It thins out the further south we go.
I hit heavy snow squalls on the return trip. Not sure if it accumulated but it certainly reduced visibility.
The trail is still in great shape in my opinion. Hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy it.
Thank you to all involved!
Stay warm if you head out. Be sure to be prepared for a breakdown and don’t ride alone in this bitter cold.
Ride safe, ride right, ride sober!
1/19/2025
Groomer Pete just finished the city trails and calls them excellent! This is part of 8, part of 49, 449, and 497, as well as the courtesy trail to the Holiday Inn. He got an extra treat and had zero sleds come through the entire time, so he got to see his work on the way back. The only tracks were from a Snowshoe Hare lol.
He also completely packed and smoothed out the Kewadin trail. You’d never know there was a water hole in there just a few days ago, or that this section had been completely impassable just 2 weeks ago.
Nice work Pete! On a side note- Pete is from NY and a big Bills fan. We are happy for him that his team won while he was spending his time in the groomer!
We got some nice snow last night and more is falling tonight.
Enjoy and please stay safe and warm if you head out.
1/14/2025
All trails are now opened and groomed. Watch for wet spots on 49 between 12 mile and Gaines Hwy in Kinross, and on 494 to Kewadin Casino. You can find the most up to date reports on our Facebook page. We are also on Groomer Tracker! Subscribe and see what has been groomed most recently. Thank you!
1/13/2025Good morning everyone!
We picked up close to 5” of new snow in the Soo since yesterday morning. This is exactly what we needed to freshen things up!
Lane was out in Kinross overnight and said they got some since fresh snow down that way too. Really helped make his groom on 49 south of M80 and the 494 loop even better!
More to come this week too!
Pete groomed the city trails last night and said those turned out good too. We are staying out of the Kewadin trail for a few days to let the water spots freeze up. There is a new water hole we haven’t seen before. It’s about 80’ long. Pete said sleds are getting around it just fine, but please take it slow through there! Thanks guys!
Photo from Lane on the Kinross run.
2nd photo from rider and club member Ann last night when her group saw Lane out there.
1/12/25
Raco/Bay Mills update from Brimley Bill-
“This morning I groomed the power line and Mission Hill Loop 889. The trails were beat up from the high sled traffic yesterday, but there was plenty of snow to work with. I was able to cut down and fill in the moguls, even in the winding section of 889. I was out and done before any sled traffic, so there trails should be set up nice and solid.”
12/23/2024
Good morning, all! It’s snowing pretty good here in the Soo! I’d love snow reports from Brimley, Raco, Strongs and Kinross from our followers in those areas. Sounds like this time snow is coming from the south. Our trails are in pretty good shape, except for behind Kewadin Casino and the high school on the city trails, and 49 from the Soo to Kinross. More on that in a minute. Trails were getting thin in spots, so this little bit of snow will help freshen them up. We do have a nice base over the majority of our 103 miles. Sounds like we are going to poke around on 49 tonight to see if the cold snap helped tighten things up. Sounds like sleds have been riding it which helps pack it. There was one troublesome water hole that I’m aware of south of 12 mile, but maybe it’s frozen up now. I’ll update you as soon as I hear on that. Yes, we know there’s a warm spell coming and the potential for a 4-letter word that starts with an R. I’m not going to say it. Lol That doesn’t mean that we just throw in the towel and give up. We’re doing all we can now to preserve what we’ve worked so hard to achieve. Get out and ride as long as you can!
12/22/2024
We’ve had a few days of super cold temps, and ice is starting to form on the bay in Brimley. I realize this is a popular short cut, but it is NOT SAFE! We’re getting reports that riders are trespassing on private property along the bay. I marked the area in question in red. Please don’t do this. It makes us all look bad. Take trail 8 around. The locals will let us know when people are crossing. With a warm up coming, it won’t be for a bit. Remember, there’s no such thing as safe ice, but there is still a ton of open water, so just don’t risk it.
12/19/2024
No groomers rolling yet, but I’ll keep you posted. We didn’t get much new snow, so there’s not a lot we can do with the trails. It appears we held on to the base, so that’s awesome! I would assume ice scratchers may be needed with the hard packed trail surface.
Also an important trail update: trail 472 has a signage change. Following the landowner dispute resolution that was reached, Ryan and Pete added stop signs at a driveway, just east of the intersection of 472 (Postma Rd) and Centerline Road. Law enforcement will be closely monitoring for adherence. There is currently a snow and ice pile in the middle of the trail, but will be removed by our groomer as soon as we can get out there.
12/16/2024
Trail 472 and Centerline Rd intersection update in the west Kinross area!
I wanted to update you all to let you know that a comprise has been reached with a landowner in the area.
We cannot groom until conditions improve, but we will be removing the snow mound that is blocking the trail.
There will be stop signs added in the coming days in that stretch. There will also be a DNR presence to enforce that sleds are stopping. Please be mindful of this. Come to a full stop, take it easy through there, stay on the trail, and you’ll have zero issues. It’s maybe 1/4 mile stretch.
A few bad apples upset a landowner, and we appreciate our DNR partners stepping in to help with a resolution for all.
I rode that way Saturday, and I sure am happy that I won’t need to ride the road again. No fun at all. Easy fix to make things better for the landowner and for us.
-There is now a plowed parking area at the beginning of trail #8 under the International Bridge, which has an all season porta John. Make sure you lock your vehicles and trailers.
-We now have a marked trail going to Chippewa Motors. It starts once you come out of the woods east of M-129 off #449. It comes into their parking lot from behind if you need parts or service.
-City curfew is from 1 am – 6 am. Remember most City streets are open to traffic 20 mph, stop at all intersections, and ride on the right hand side of street not on side walks. Watch for closed streets that are posted, mainly around the hospital, university, and state trunk lines.
-When the trail is running along roads make sure you go with the flow of traffic on the right side of the road.
-Remember trail base is the amount of snow between your track and the ground below not the amount of fluff piled up in the woods. 10 inches of snow compresses to less then a inch on the trail.
12/11/2024
City trail and Soo to Kinross trail 49 update- unfortunately, the city trails are still too wet/muddy for the groomer. Mike tried today and decided to turn back. It sounds like sleds are getting through most areas, but I cannot confirm that there are not still significant water holes. All I can tell you is to use extreme caution. Same goes for trail 49 down to Gaines Highway, just north of Kinross. If anyone has been on any of the trails mentioned recently, please let us know what you’re seeing. I will not be able to get out there until this weekend on my sled. We are not advising it, but we know some are trying it anyway, so figured I might as well ask for a rider report. Trail 8 from the Soo to Brimley was groomed this morning. More snow on the way, but we still really needs more cold temps on the city trails and in our southern areas. Thanks all!
12/4/2024
Not much new to share tonight. It snowed pretty much all day in the Soo, still holding around a little over 2’ here.
No groomers were out today but will be again tomorrow evening.
Again, we are warning folks to avoid the city trails, as well as 49 from the Soo to Kinross. Those trails are wet and dangerous, and simply need more time. Nothing we can do but wait for more cold temps. We have volunteers headed out to check trails on sleds tomorrow, specifically around the airport in Kinross and out west on 472 to 480 in the Spile Dam. We’ll report what they see when we hear back. For now, trail 8 from the Soo to Brimley and 889 in Bay Mills are the only truly rideable trails in our area, and maybe around the airport in Kinross, but I need to verify that. There are many forest service roads in the Raco and Strongs area that I bet are pretty fun right now. Of course, be safe and know where you’re riding is legal to do so if you do venture off trail. There are likely water holes and stumps, downed branches in those areas so use caution, as always. We will keep updating as things progress. Have a great evening!
