Trail Conditions: Good
Snow Cover: Base Snowfall: 12"
Date of Report: February 19, 2022
Area Report:
Wow! What a week it has been around here. We were down to one groomer again for a few days but now all 4 are fully functional. We also got a lot of snow Friday night into Saturday, hard to say how much but several inches for sure. There will lots of blowing and drifting so use caution. We will do the best that we can to keep up with the busy holiday weekend traffic. We appreciate your patience! Please check the facebook page for the latest updates. Ride safe, ride right, ride sober! Please scroll down for each trail.
—We’ve had a busy year, brushing, signing and performing necessary repairs on our 100 mile trail system and our equipment. Please see our Facebook page for pictures and updates on what our dedicated volunteers have accomplished. Thank you all for riding our trail system and supporting the businesses that support the Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association!—
-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.
-If you are staying in the Sault please look at our list of supporters on our web page and give them your business. Please do that in all towns you visit. The grooming entities are all made up of volunteers who want you to support those who support us!!!!!!
-Follow us on Facebook too!
-www.sootrails.org
*Sault Ste. Marie to Brimley, Trail #8 –
Good – groomed 2/19
*Brimley to Raco, Trail #8 and #480 to just west of Spile Dam
Excellent- groomed 2/19, may have some drifting just west of Brimley
When going across the bridge in Brimley make sure you go with the flow of traffic! Blowing and drifting occurs when you first leave Brimley.
Watch for trail change going south just before getting to Raco.
*Mission Hill trail #889
Excellent – groomed 2/19
*Sault Ste. Marie City Trail, Trails #497, #449, parts of #8 & #49
Good – groomed 2/18
Be sure to stop at the stop sign on top of the hill by the tunnel. It is very difficult for groomers to stop when they are going up hill so please stop and stay off to the side.
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 the street, not on side walks. Watch for closed streets that are posted, mainly around the hospital, university, and state trunk lines.
*Sault Ste. Marie to Kinross, Trail #49 –
Good – groomed 2/18
Make sure you follow the reroute once you cross the bridge going south at 7 Mile road .
*Kinross loop & south to Pickford, Parts of Trail #49, #472, and #494-
Good- will be groomed 2/18- watch for logging trucks between 21 an 22 mile road. Pull over and let them pass if you see them.
*Kinross to Raco & Rudyard, Parts of trail #472 & #480-
Good- will be groomed 2/18
There is a long stretch of road riding along Ploegstra Road before you get to the Spile Dam area where it is down to pavement when we do not have recent snow
Ride safe and stay warm!
Snowmobiling Information
Join us for the 54th Annual International I-500 Snowmobile Race and experience all the thrills of NASCAR on a one-mile oval ice track.
The I-500 is the BIGGEST event in the Upper Peninsula and in the entire snowmobile-racing world. No Hans devices. No padding. Just 100% raw courage!
When drivers accelerate to speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour on the straightaways, your heart will race…
If you enjoy NASCAR, you will love the I-500 Snowmobile Race. It’s, “NASCAR on Ice!”
Every snowmobile adventure requires one very important element: snow! Averaging more than 120 inches annually, Sault Ste. Marie is a snowmobiler’s dream and the perfect hub from which to explore hundreds of miles of groomed trails across the Eastern Upper Peninsula and beyond.
Connecting a variety of small communities and running through national forests, state forest lands and snow-covered hills and plains across the region, touring the EUP by snowmobile is both exhilarating and awe-inspiring. Watch for the abundant wildlife and be sure to leave time for hearty lunches and dinners at area restaurants and taverns.
Most, but not all, city streets are open to safe snowmobiling and allow riders access to businesses and lodging. A break from the trail is equally exhilarating at Kewadin Casino or in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, where a local brew pub, wineries and restaurants await you. Be sure to put the first Saturday in February on your calendar, when the International 500 snowmobile race brings NASCAR-style excitement to the snowy city.
