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Trail Report – : Eagle River, Wisconsin – January 24, 2025

Reporter:Holly t

Trail Conditions: Early Season

Snow Cover: 6+ inches with thin ice base

Date of Report: January 24, 2025

Area Report:

January 24. 2025 – 12:32pm – 11 degrees – High 14 – Low tonight 13

Sno-Eagles
EAGLE RIVER TRAILS
OPEN – Very Early Riding Conditions

Temps have popped up bringing SNOW tonight.  1 inch tonight with more SNOW Saturday afternoon.  No totals on the Saturday SNOW. Next SNOW looks to be next Tuesday. Current SNOW total 6+ inches. SNOW DANCE!

Here is a trail panning/grooming & partial condition report

  • Trail 10E – Early riding condition
  • Trail 1N – Groomed 1/24/2025 – Expect bare spots, icy corners, rough
  • Trail 1S – Groomed 1/18/2025
  • Trail 13N – Groomed 1/24/2025
  • Trail 10W13N aka Wisconsin River – Groomed 1/24/2025
  • Trail 1S aka GrampGrahm – Groomed 1/14/2025
  • Trail 3 aka Whiskey Creek(Manske Swamp re route) – Slow down
  • Trail 17N – Groomed 1/24/2025
  • Trail 10W/7S – Groomed 1/18/2025
  • Trail 70W – Groomed 1/23/2025 – High hill area across from WI River very snirty
  • Trail 7N/17S – Groomed 1/23/2025 – REMINDER THIS CONNECTS TO SUGAR CAMP/ONEIDA TRAIL THAT ARE NOT OPEN
  • Trail Alt 13S – Groomed 1/19/2025 –  Not a through trail – ends at Loon Lake Rd
  • Catfish Lake & Eagle Lake Trails are marked – STAY BY THE BARRELS

2024-2025 Sno-Eagles trail re-routes.  So check out below.

Trail 17 aka Hiawatha Trail has be rehab-ed. No more going in that wet mushy section just before Kick Back & Hiawatha motel.

 

If you haven’t already,  it’s time to renew your membership and purchase your discounted Trail Pass from the AWSC.  Sno-Eagles  AWSC Click on these links to do both.

Riding is adventure sledding right now.  Not perfect.  Not bad!!  See ya on the trails!!

Holly Tomlanovich
Sno-Eagles Snowmobile Club
Proud Groomers of THE SNOWMOBILE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD® – Eagle River
Remember……RIDE RIGHT
Eagle River Visitors Guide or Trail Map Click or Call 715.479.6400

News and Reports:

SNO-EAGLES  & EAGLE RIVER EVENTS

  • February 23-25, 2025 – Women on Snow – Eagle Waters Resort
  • January 25, 2025 – Trailside Campfire 11-3 @ Peaceful Pines
  • January 31, 2025 – February 2, 2025 – Weekend Away – Mercer WI
  • February 7, 2025 – February 9, 2025 – USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships
  • February 13, 2025 – 3rd Legend Laps@ WCDC
  • February 20, 2025 – General Meeting 7 pm @Chanticleer Inn
  • February 21, 2025 – February 23, 2025 – World Series of Snowmobile Racing@ WCDC
  • 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 Raffle drawing – Track Side (note a move from the Derby Track) – Drawing at 5pm

Trail Report – : Ely, Minnesota – January 24, 2025

Ely, MN Chamber of Commerce

Reporter:Ely Chamber of Commerce/Explore MN Visitor Center

Trail Conditions: Poor

Snow Cover: 9-11″

Date of Report: January 24, 2025

Area Report:

Taconite State Trail, Arrowhead State Trail, Putnam/Fishing Lakes Trails, and Lake Vermilion Soudan Underground Mine State Park Trails

Trail conditions are similar to yesterday with a few additions/changes. Here is the updated message:

With the new snow we got this past weekend, we have been able to get groomer equipment out on the our trail system in most places and get an initial groom in. Where the trails go through swamps and exposed areas, they are showing grass and ground after the first grooming pass. But overall trail conditions are much better than they were before grooming.

We will be grooming as much of the Arrowhead and Taconite State Trails as possible before this coming weekend. As mentioned in previous trail reports, the two segments of the Taconite from Big Aspen to Pfeiffer Lake and from the Blackbear trail to the junction with the Arrowhead are rough and have areas of shelf ice. These two segments may remain ungroomed until we get more snow, but stay tuned for further updates over the next couple days.

 The Putnam-Fishing Lakes Trail and Lake Vermilion Soudan Underground Mine State Park trails remain ungroomed. Stay tuned for further updates over the next couple days.

We still need more snow throughout our trail system, especially in the swamps and beaver ponds. Use caution especially when riding through these areas, as we are still finding shelf ice and even open water in places. Watch for hummocks and stumps in swamps and ponds.

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 Tower area received 2″-6″ of new snow over the last few days. With that, we will be getting out on the trails with grooming equipment over the next few days and groom where we are able. This site will be updated daily as trail conditions change. We will be starting with the Taconite and Arrowhead State Trails and groom the Putnam/Fishing Lakes and Lake Vermilion State Park trails after that.

 We still need more snow throughout our trail system, especially in the swamps and beaver ponds. Use caution when riding through these areas, as we are still finding shelf ice and even open water in places. Watch for hummocks and stumps in swamps and ponds, and watch for dry beaver dams have turned into large steep berms in the middle of the trail. Watch out for these conditions especially from Big Aspen to Pfeiffer Lake and from Black Bear trail to the Y Store Trail, and on the Arrowhead in the Frazier Bay shelter area and north of Elephant Lake from the Arrowhead link trail to the Sheep Ranch Rd.

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.

Trail conditions will be changing quite a bit over the next few days, so continue to monitor trail conditions online at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snow_depth/index.html

Local Snowmobile Trail Updates

Until we have more snow pack, use caution on all the trails.  Shagawa, Burntside, and Little Long Lakes have all been staked. The other area lakes will be staked as soon as possible.  Trails closer to town are groomed rough, but rideable.  Tomahawk and North Arm are not groomed yet.  White Iron Lake to Hidden Bay on Birch Lake are groomed rough, but rideable.

Bear Head Lake State Park:  

On Friday, January 17th, we hope to set track with the limited amount of snow we received this week. This trail provides rolling topography through birch and pine stands. You may see a variety of wildlife ranging from deer, wolves, ruffed grouse, and pine martens.

Snowmobiling conditions: Trail Base: 1-2 Inches Good. Base: 1-2 inches

 

News and Reports:

Join us on February 1, 2025, for our annual FunRun, which supports our local trails.  For more details on the event, please visit www.snowmobilefunrun. com.  Early registration is $25/person.  Same-day registration is $30.  Great prizes and the event happens snow or no.

Trail Report – : Hurley, Wisconsin – January 24, 2025

Reporter:hurley@hurleywi.com

Trail Conditions: Good

Snow Cover: 0-4

Date of Report: January 24, 2025

Snowmobile Information:

Friday trail notes:
Groomers have been out non-stop through the latest snow event, and continue to work for your enjoyment. We will be grooming all day, and night, and will be working on the last couple marsh sections tomorrow morning. Please watch for and use caution around our rigs. Also watch for active logging going on throughout our area. Westbranch Road (trail 15) is now plowed South of our trail 8w to support logging efforts. It is still open to snowmobiles, but conditions may deteriorate with their use. A mile-long section of trail 2 just East of Ruks road by Saxon has lots of loose gravel/rocks. Slow down to avoid problems through this area. Also North and South of Lyon Rd on trail 17 you’ll likely find loose gravel. A few rocks have pushed up with the extended cold spell and we have tried to mark these with cones. Use caution! Trails North of Saxon and through the Harbor have very little snow and did not support grooming last night. Most everything else has been groomed and in good condition with an early-season base. Enjoy your stay in Hurley WI!

Trail Report – : Ashland County, Wisconsin – January 24, 2025

Reporter:info@visitashland.com

Trail Conditions: Closed

Snow Cover: 2-5in

Date of Report: January 24, 2025

Area Report:

Ashland County snowmobile trails open Saturday, January 25, 2025!
Early season conditions exist and a number of trails are closed due to lack of snow.
Ride with caution!
Trails closed are:
Trail 2,
Trail 4/16,
Trail 13/21 north of Mellen,
Trail 9/25 north of intersection of trail 9/25 and trail 90 (God’s Country intersection)
Do not ride around closed trail signs!
Please respect farmers land. Stay on trails that are open.

Trail Report – : Sayner, Wisconsin – January 24, 2025

Reporter:SaynerStar Lake Barnstormers

Trail Conditions: Good

Snow Cover: Minimal

Date of Report: January 24, 2025

Area Report:

Our area got 3-4″ of fresh snow this week.  It was pretty dry & fluffy, but new snow.

As of last night, the entire Barnstormer’s system has been panned.  As mentioned previously, until we get some good snow, we will only be going out once a week.  This is in attempt to protect the existing base.  With the lack of snow cover, too much grooming will do more damage than good.

Even with the lack of snow, our trails are in good condition.  As you get to the western side of our system, the snow cover gets thinner, but it’s all still very rideable.  If you listen to the naysayers on Facebook, you’d think the trails were trashed!  That is far from the truth.  Every rider I’ve had a chance to talk with has been very happy with the riding conditions.  

Remember, there are logging operations on parts of trails 11 & 15.  The loggers have priority over the trails & have the authority to shut them down if you get in their way.  Please be respectful of their operations.

Don’t forget about the upcoming events!

Chili Dump @ Murmuring Waters: Saturday, Feb 8,  2-5 PM

Pizza Fundraiser @ Hillside Tavern: Sunday, Feb 16, 4-8 PM

Trail Report – : Conover, Wisconsin – January 23, 2025

Reporter:snobuddies

Trail Conditions: Early Season

Snow Cover: 3-5″

Date of Report: January 23, 2025

Area Report:

Went out today and put 60 miles on the sled, mostly around Conover. The trails have a minimal amount of snow on them. Some corners are blown out and down to bare ground. I would rate all the trails as fair. There is some good areas out there, tend to be the lesser traveled sections. Both groomers set out Thursday night to see if there is anything they can do to bring some snow from edges into the middles. I rode another area trail that was groomed Wednesday night. When they went off to grab snow on the edges, they also snagged tree branches, rocks and what ever else was along those edges. So ride with caution as there may be debris left on the trail after they go by. Area lakes are marked, please stay by the barrels when crossing. The ice heave on North Twin Lake seems to have gone down. I rode from the Lakota boat launch by Dublin’s across to Phelps and didn’t see anything. There is an ice heave on Buckatabon between Lower and Upper near Deer Path Resort. There is a chance of snow showers Friday into Saturday. I’ll report back what we get out of that. 

News and Reports:

Trail 12 from the RR grade TIN 732 to County K TIN 731 has ruts from ATVs. There isn’t enough snow to fill the ruts. We put signs at each end of the trail for Caution Next 1 mile and Rough Trail. Use caution when traveling this area. 

The Cemetery Trail from TIN 724 to TIN 725, and south to TIN 727 at Church Rd is thin for snow cover. You will find a few bare spots, There is a hill between TIN 725 and TIN 726 at Lindberg Rd that was bare from sleds going up it. The swamp area did freeze up, so it is good to go.

To see where the Groomer is at, check out  Groomer Tracker  Half the cost of the app comes back to Conover Sno-Buddies to support grooming operations. 

Snowmobile Information:

Conover Sno-Buddies Events

Dec 22-March 1  2025 Poker Run  Get your cards at participating locations. Draw party at R&R Twin Lake Pub March 1st

Feb 11th – General Membership Meeting at R&R Twin Lake Pub @ 5:30pm

Mar 1st – Poker Run Draw Party at R&R Twin Lake Pub @ 1:00pm 

Mar 11th – General Membership Meeting at Bauer’s Dam @ 5:30pm

Mar 15th – Groom-to-Ride Raffle Drawing & Party @ 1:00pm at Track Side

Mar 17th – St. Paddy’s Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner @ Club 45 – 4:00pm to 8:00pm

May 25th – Log Cabin Fundraiser – 3:00-7:00pm at Log Cabin. 

Aug 9th – Roadside Brat Fry & Bake Sale – 8:00am to 2:00pm at Jensen-Akins Hardware

Aug 31st – Brats & Beer Fundraiser – 11:00am – 4:00pm at Burnt Bridge Tavern

Oct 18th – Trail Brushing and Kick Off Party. Meet at Groomer barn at 9:00am.  After brushing, enjoy lunch at Conover Recreation Center (Right next to groomer barn) 

Trail Report – : Bayfield County, Wisconsin – January 23, 2025

Reporter:BayfieldCounty

Trail Conditions: Fair

Snow Cover: 2-4

Date of Report: January 23, 2025

Area Report:

Most of the county received a few inches of fresh powder. Not great snow, but it’s something. Trails are still in early-season condition. Most, but not all trails have been rolled/panned. Clubs are out working on trails, so watch out for grooming equipment.

 Please respect the trails, take off slowly from stops and take corners with caution. We need to keep the snow base we have started.  Many of our trails go across private property, stay on the trail.

Trail closures: are due to low snow conditions and private property concerns. Do not go around trail closed signs.  

Be aware of rocks, frozen ruts and small brush in the trail corridor. Adequate snowfall and grooming operations would generally eliminate these hazards.  Trail conditions change drastically from trail to trail, so please ride with caution.

News and Reports:

Club Reports

Apostle Island – no report

Barnestormers – Trails in fair condition

Corny Sno-Goers – no report

Drummond Dirt-Sno Jacks – Trail 63 North of Grand View is closed. Trail 4 is closed, from Delta to Ashland County. Do not ride these sections of trails

Namakagon Trail Groomers – All trails have been inspected and cleared of hazards. Panning operations will begin on Friday

Northern Adventures – no report

South Shore – no report

Waino – All trails were panned the last snowfall. A fresh 3” of light snow fell this week.

Washburn Valhellers – Groomer is back in service trails are being panned and packed. Trails closer to lake have little snow.

White River Ramblers – Trail 4 from Delta east to Ashland County is closed.

Trail Report – : Hayward / Sawyer County, Wisconsin – January 23, 2025

Reporter:haywardlakes

Trail Conditions: Early Season

Snow Cover: 0-5

Date of Report: January 23, 2025

Area Report:

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STAY ON THE TRAIL AS THERE ARE MANY HEAVES AND MORE CAN FORM AT ANYTIME! DRIVE WITH CAUTION AND AT SAFE SPEEDS. WE HAVE NOTED EXISTING HEAVES WE KNOW ABOUT BUT THIS WARNING APPLIES FOR ALL LAKES. CRUCIAL FOR YOUR SAFETY!!

Just to recap the heaves reported:
⚠️Nelson Lake – Hard Rock Cr to main Lake. Is not marked, club will monitor it this week.
⚠️Round Lake – across from Busse to Linden boat launch. Does run across the trail and there are caution signs at the heave near the marked trail area.
⚠️Long Lake – Little Bear to Boy Scout land. Is marked
⚠️ Chippewa Flowage – Sisko’s Pine Point Resort by landing. They have stakes warning ⚠️ Second heave reported going south in narrows towards Cranberry Lake on east side of Flowage. Not staked, will check it this week
⚠️Grindstone – in front of Williams Bay. Not staked
⚠️LCO – Across whole lake from west side of Chicago Bay to the Whitefish Creek/Golden Shores area. Some reported to be as tall as 4.5 FEET. Each lake entrance has a warning sign , 5 in total. Caution sign posted on first lake stake.

****Please know whether these heaves are staked or not they are NOT roped or taped off. Always ride with full attention and caution and at safe speeds. Stay on the marked trails when possible. The lakes are slippery, with the new snow it is deceiving but very slippery underneath until the snow is packed down.

If you chose to ride know that while the trails are open the groomers are not out, aside from panning until we get more snow.  And some private gates do not open until the groomer runs consistently.

The lakes have great ice on them and are snow covered but very slippery under the snow until the snow is packed down, so please ride at slow speeds and allow room for stopping distance.

Our ATV/UTV trails that allow winter riding are open and is a beautiful ride with the snow! Know the county land trails (dark green on map) are not open to UTV’s and machines over 900lbs now that panning has begun. Should this change we will share that update. But so many other great trails, county roads (outside LCO, inside LCO see map) and the Chequamegon National Forest are beautiful winter riding!

We will keep you posted as things change and updates come in.   As always, thank you for supporting Sawyer County!

Trail Report – : Hurley, Wisconsin – January 23, 2025

Reporter:hurley@hurleywi.com

Trail Conditions: Good

Snow Cover: 4″

Date of Report: January 23, 2025

Snowmobile Information:

It’s a GREAT morning in Hurley, WI where we have received close to a foot of new snow in the last 24 hours. Snow totals are less as you get out of the greater Hurley area, and especially going North toward the Lake where we are seeing 4-5″ there. What started out as very fluffy precipitation, turned into great base-building heavy snow 😊 Please use caution as our groomers will be out all day and night, processing this latest offering of white gold. Trail conditions will be great this weekend, and it is our intent to have any wet area trails, previously listed as closed, (13b, 13s, 15a, 15n) fully open on Saturday afternoon. With this new snow, we now have what we need to plow through the marshes and fill the wet spots properly.
So, make your reservations, and pack your gear because you won’t want to miss out on these conditions!

Trail Report – : Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin – January 23, 2025

Reporter:Toulish1

Trail Conditions: Early Season

Snow Cover: 0-4″

Date of Report: January 23, 2025

Snowmobile Information:

OK, so do to the subarctic conditions, not a lot has changed since Sunday. We had a few inches of snow last night.We are getting together this morning to put together the lake markers, and set up for marking the lakes tomorrow. I will try to run the circuit and give an in-depth report as best I can tomorrow. Without a lot of traffic this week, our trails are still rideable with a few spots that are suspect. Price is closed. Oneida is closed. Iron County is reporting overall good, as is the rest of Vilas  County in general. I had a group of recalcitrance that wanted to move in with me this weekend, and use our house as a base of operations to go north. My wife will be here to unbachelorize the place, so in order to avoid a Teflon coated brain contusion, I suggested setting up operations at our casino. They thought that was an excellent idea. I thought I would toss that idea out in case people are looking for accommodations north, and not having good luck. Easy on from the casino to Pokegama Lake, which should be marked tomorrow. Trail 17 north, probably a little gravelly in the Powell  marsh for a mile or so, then you are bolted to the northern part of the state. Pack up your woobies, load your purses full of drachma, and come up and have some fun. Talk to you tomorrow. Mark