Reports

Reporter:Ely Chamber of Commerce/Explore MN Visitor Center

Trail Conditions: Poor

Snow Cover: 3-6 inches

Date of Report: January 9, 2025

Area Report:

Ely Area Trail Conditions
January 9, 2025

Taconite State Trail, Arrowhead State Trail, Putnam/Fishing Lakes Trails, and Lake Vermilion Soudan Underground Mine State Park Tails: The rain and warm temps we got after Christmas further depleted our snowpack, and it also caused the snow surfaces to harden, especially in those areas without tree cover. With the following few days of colder temps and no additional snow, swamps were able to add ice, but they still need more to support grooming equipment. We continue to hope for cold temps to increase ice thickness in the swamps, followed by consistent snow to provide groomable trails and good riding!
The main message this week: use extreme caution when riding through swamps and beaver ponds. Swamps still have thin ice in places, and we are seeing more shelf ice than normal in beaver ponds. We are also seeing that many beaver ponds have substantially less water than usual, meaning more hummocks and stumps to watch out for. Also, the dams have turned into a large, steep berm in the middle of the trail. Watch out for these conditions, especially in the following areas: from Big Aspen to Pfeiffer Lake and from Black Bear Trail to the Y Store Trail on the Taconite State Trail and on the Arrowhead just south of the Hwy 1 crossing at the Frazier Bay shelter, and in the Elephant Creek/Blackduck grade segment north of Elephant Lake. There is active logging in a number of locations throughout the Grant-in-Aid and State Trail system. In those areas, slow down and give trucks and logging equipment space.
The trail corridors remain open, but the trails are not groomed, and there is not much snow on them, which means there are exposed rocks and ground in places with a lot of sun.
The main message to anyone riding trails this week is to use extreme caution when riding.
Snow: 6-14 inches with little to no base. Groomed: No Condition: Poor
Babbitt Golf Course Trail: There is not enough snow to groom.
Babbitt Birch Lake Plantation: As of January 2nd, 2025, the trails are unskiable due to lack of snow.
Bear Head Lake State Park: After the soaking rain and warm weather earlier in December, there was no snow, so the groomed ski tracks had melted.
You can snowshoe anywhere in Minnesota’s state parks and recreation areas, except on trails that are specifically groomed for another activity, such as skiing or snowmobiling.
Reminder: Activities such as walking or snowshoeing that damage any part of the groomed ski trail are unlawful.
You can snowshoe anywhere in Minnesota’s state parks and recreation areas, except on trails that are specifically groomed for another activity, such as skiing or snowmobiling.
Skiing Base: 1-2 Inches. Conditions: Poor Groomed: No
Snowmobiling conditions: Trail Base: 1-2 Inches Poor. Base: 2-3 inches

Along with the DNR trail conditions website (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snow_depth/index.html), continue to monitor these clubs’ websites (www.ridetheborders.com/trail-report.html & www.snowmobilevacation.org/trail-updates) for the most current Arrowhead State Trail conditions.