Not a lot to report yet.It’s 19 degrees and has been single digits and below zero the last few days. Good for ice making and firming up the swamps. We have some base snow, but need more before we could open. Our main groomer went down yesterday. Keith, John, and Nick are working on it now. Something about splines in the front end. Ever watch Kelly’s Heros? ” I just drive ’em, I don’t know what makes ’em work.” Our club, as are many, is blessed with several guys that know how to wrench. The more we can do, the less we need to hire out. Volunteers make this sport happen. I spout out a lot about getting involved. Join a club, get involved. Whether you push a broom at the groomer barn, or attend AWSC meetings or conventions, a lot of people do a lot of work to make this sport what it is. KAOS, Next Gen Riders, MS Riders. Do some googling. Will keep an eye on the snow, and let you know. Mark
Happy Holidays!! Time for a weekly update. It’s been quite cold the past week… dipping down into the negative digits for a few days this past week. Snow cover remains at about 4-5 inches for our area. Trails are freezing up nicely with the cold temps and the snowfall we have received… makes for a great base and good riding once we receive a little more snow.
We will continue to update as we receive additional snow and trails improve. Until then, we all wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Iron County.
News and Reports:
Michigan offers a “Free” Ice Fishing weekend in February. Conditions should be great for this event. Lots of ice building on the lakes over the past 4 – 5 days.
Winterfest is set for January 18th, 2025 – Event will be held at the Young’s Recreation Complex on Chicaugon Lake! There are a ton of activities that day – Event begins at 10:00am.
New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Torch Run December 31st, 2024 – Events will be held at Ski Brule. Again, many activities to be held throughout the day ending with the Fireworks display and mountain Torch Run.
Lots of fun packed events coming your way this winter season. “Stay Tuned” 🙂
Snowmobile Information:
Michigan’s “FREE SNOWMOBILE WEEKEND” no permit needed this year is January 17th -19th, 2025.
Permits can be ordered online in advance… or picked up at Holiday & Krist Gas Stations throughout the county.
Trail Maps can be picked up at several local businesses, such as local motels & gas stations throughout Iron County.
Snowmobile Report – December 13, 2024
The Ashland County snowmobile Trials are CLOSED. Trail officially opens on December 15 IF conditions permit. At this time not enough snow on the trails.
The Barnstormers have been busy getting trails ready for opening. We’ve cleared trails of fallen trees & brush. We are scheduled for inspection by the DNR on December 17 (all clubs must have their trails inspected before they are allowed to open). We’ve been out with our roller packing the little bit of snow we have in order to help create a firmer base. Essentially, all we need is for the frost to get a bit deeper and then more snow!
As of today, there is still no set date that the trails will open. Remember, all 11 clubs in Vilas county must be ready as we all open at the same time. Some clubs have a fair amount of swampy areas that need to freeze before they can go through with their equipment. Thankfully, the Barnstormers don’t have swamps to deal with, but we still have to wait until ALL clubs are ready.
Then, we just need snow!! We’ll keep you all posted as things develop.
TGIF everyone and what a great weekend it’s looking to be! Temps sunk below zero yesterday which will help to freeze up wet spots on the trails as well as to make some good ice on the lake.
Trails 1n, 1s, 8e, 8w and all feeder trails to local businesses were covered this week. 8w still has some pretty good water holes opening up.
Conditions are improving daily and Gogebic Groomers have one machine running with a drag and the other without a drag fixing or working on problem areas. Trail’s aren’t perfect (yet) but are improving daily. Ride with caution and enjoy!
Don’t forget – Gogebic Area Grooming Christmas Trivia Fundraiser is December 21st at AJ’s!! Details may be found at www.ajslodgeandoven.com or on facebook!
Most of the SNOW east of Eagle River has been Lake Effect. 4 inches +-. West of Eagle River a little less. Fridged below zer COLD at night continues til Saturday when it will be single digit above zero. Then we head into a warm up for the weekend & Monday the 16th.
START DOIN A SNOW DANCE! Need way more SNOW to be able to open the trails.
All the hunts are done so Sno-Eagles & the other 10 clubs have completed trail work. With exception of few reroutes. See below. Inspections began last week and will be completed December 19th.
Sno-Eagles are using the roller to help drive the frost down & have been panning to build a hard icy frozen base. There is a re-route of the Trail 3 aka Manske Swamp that is still being worked on. When all done I will post a map with the trail updates. Trail 17 aka Hiawatha Trail has be rehab-ed. No more going in that wet mushy section just before Kick Back & Hiawatha motel. Alt Trail 13 that heads south to Three Lakes remains CLOSED. Trail 17S that connects with the Sugar Camp trails remains the same but there is a short re route where Eagle River Sno-Eagles connect. Another landowner closure. Map of that to follow too.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to renew your membership and purchase your discounted Trail Pass from the AWSC. Sno-EaglesAWSC Click on these links to do both
Keep THINKIN’ COLD! A loud SNOW DANCE IS DEFINITELY IN ORDER!!
See Ya On The Trails real soon! In the meantime UP of Michigan opened December 1 & has a ton of SNOW!
January 7, 2025 – BOD meeting 6 pm – World snowmobile HQ January 9 – 12, 2025 – 24th Vintage World Championship Snowmobile Races @ WCDC January 16 – 19, 2025 – 62nd World Championship Snowmobile Derby @ WCDC January 23, 2025 – General Meeting 7 pm – LP Pizza & Pasta (Buckshots Downtown) January 31, 2025 – February 2, 2025 – Weekend Away – Mercer WI February 7, 2025 – February 9, 2025 – USA Pond Hockey – Dollar Lake February 13, 2025 – Legend Laps – WCDC February 21, 2025 – February 23, 2025 – World Series of Racing WCDC February 20, 2025 – General Meeting 7 pm Chanticleer Inn – E. Dollar Lk Rd off Hwy 70E March 4, 2025 – BOD meeting 6 pm – World snowmobile HQ March 14, 2025 – March 15, 2025 – AMSIOL National Sno-Cross @ WCDC March 15, 2025 – Groom to Ride @ Trackside – Drawing at 5pm
BRRR, it has been brisk here the last couple of days. The trails remain CLOSED. The earliest the trails can open is December 16th, Vilas County aims to open all the trail systems at once. If they do not open on the 16th the next Vilas County Alliance meeting is December 18th where they will discuss and vote on opening the trails. We will be sure to keep everyone informed. Winter is here!
Thanks for the continued support,
Boulder Junction Snowmobile Club
News and Reports:
Upcoming Events:
December-March: Gooch’s Pizza fundraiser starts, stop in and support him and the club by ordering a pizza!
January 18: Food sales at Wittig’s Point Resort Ice Fishing Tournament 11am-2pm
January 19: Breakfast Fundraiser from 8:30-11am at the Boulder Beer Bar
February 8: Trailside Brat Fry 11am-2pm at the Groomer Shed
February 16: Breakfast Fundraiser from 8:30-11am at The Guide’s Inn
March 1: Cabin Fever starting at 4pm at Gooch’s 2
Find all event details on our website at boulderjunctionsc.org!
Snowmobile Information:
Now is the time to renew or start a new membership! You can find all the information on our website here: https://boulderjunctionsc.org/join-our-club/ or contact the club directly at boulderjunctionsc@gmail.com.
We are getting closer. We continue to have small snow showers every few days. We had a brief warm up last weekend, but the cold returned today. Lakes are starting to freeze over, and waiting for swamps to freeze up. We have been busy finishing up signs and clearing trees from trails so we can have the county do their inspection.
Keep doing that snow dance!
Snowmobile Information:
Sno-Buddies Events
Dec 13th – Annual Christmas Party at Lanny’s Fireside 5:30-9pm
Dec 22nd – Annual Poker Run Starts and goes till March 1st
Jan 11th – Trailside Roast at Intersection 500 near Blong Rd 10am-2pm
Jan 14th – General Membership Meeting at Club 45 5:30-8pm
Feb 11th – General Membership Meeting at R&R Twin Lake Pub 5:30-8pm
Mar 1st – Poker Run Draw Party at R&R Twin Lake Pub 1-4pm
Mar 11th – General Membership Meeting at Bauer’s Dam 5:30-8pm
Mar 15th – Groom-to-Ride Raffle Drawing at Track Side, Eagle River 1-5pm
Mar 17th – St Paddy’s Day Corned Beef Dinner at Club 45 4-8pm
Trails are closed; earliest possible opening date is December 16th. Currently it is about 10 degrees with a low of -3 for tonight. The forecast is looking wonderful to help freeze up the swamps and thicken the lakes.
The Frosty Club Benefit Breakfast is this Saturday, December 14th and Sunday, December 15th. Hope to see many of you there! Breakfast is 7:30 – 11 AM both days and cost is $15 per person.