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Trail Report – : Western UP, Michigan – January 3, 2020

Reporter:Western U.P. Snowmobile Report
Trail Conditions: Good
Snow Cover: 32
Date of Report: January 3, 2020
Area Report:

Western U P Snowmobile Trail Report— 1/3/2020

 Gogebic Range Trail Authority

 Trail Condition:Good

  • Last Groomed:January 02nd, 2020
  • Base Snowfall:32″
  • Reported On:January 02nd, 2020 @ 1:01pm

Overall Story:

Thursday 1/2 12:00 pm CST:   We continue to groom a fantastic trail base with a lot of snow.  There are water hazards across the system, we regretfully are back to “early season conditions.”  That means trails will change dramatically & quickly.  And that means riders need to ride easy and defensively!  For the large spots we have made reroutes until the temps drop and trails firm completely back up.  Smaller ones are easily navigated.  All local clubs are working overtime to try and deal with the hazards as fast as possible, but please be patient.  We’ve seen 100″+ of snow, 10 days of 30’s and 40’s with rain.  We had immense snow depth which is why conditions remain so good, but also why the hazards are so tough to seal back up.  Lake Gogebic Area is having more water issues causing them to spend more time fixing holes than grooming trails.  Please be patient with our clubs!    GOOD NEWS:  TRAIL 11S HAS BEEN APPROVED TO REOPEN!  We will send the groomer down it ASAP to get the freezing started!

WARNINGS AND NOTICES:   We are begging riders to ride off trail legally as there are 1-million acres of public land east of Wakefield to off trail ride on – please only ride legal areas!  

Trail 2 from Hurley to Ramsay US-2 Crossing:

Overall rating:  GOOD

Last groomed 1/1/2020.    Please do not ride on side walks near Holiday and try to keep noise down in town.

Trail 2 from Ramsay Crossing to Wakefield:

Overall rating:  GOOD

Last groomed 1/2/2020.  The entire stretch is in excellent condition!  Featuring a brand new section to enjoy this season, the club eliminated Prospect road route and moved the trail completely into the woods eliminating 1.5 miles of road route.  PLEASE STAY ON THE TRAIL AND RESPECT THESE LANDOWNERS!

Trail 2 from Wakefield to Marenisco:

Overall Rating: GOOD

Last groomed 1/1/2020.  There is logging 4 miles east of Wakefield.  Please yield to logging traffic, they are working and you are playing!

 

Trail 8 from Wakefield to Tula Crossing:

Overall Rating:  CLOSED!

We hope to open it by the weekend.  Gogebic Area Grooming

Trail 160 from Walmart to Montreal River (WI):

Overall Rating:  OPEN – FAIR to GOOD

Open but with hazards and reroutes.  STAY ON THE TRAIL!!!!!!   This is our most scenic trail and is a treat to ride!  There are several scenic vistas on the trail such as Bald Mountain “NORTH” lookout viewing Madeline Island/ mouth of the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior,  the Bald Mountain “SOUTH” lookout viewing Gogebic Range (Powderhorn, Copper Peak), the Montreal River Gorge look out and finally the amazing Superior Falls Waterfall Complex.  Stay on the trail in the farm fields.  Over 25 landowners are involved to make this trail a reality, please respect them and ride responsibly.

11S (Wakefield, MI to Winchester, WI):

Overall Rating:  OPENING SOON!

11N (Wakefield, MI to South boundary Rd/White Pine):  Closed indefinitely.  Seeking local community support with ideas on how to reopen it.  200 yards of private property closed this 25 mile trail.

Gogebic Area Groomers 1/1/2020

Received over a foot of snow yesterday which would have been much more welcomed had it not been for the warmer temps that created open water areas. It’s still snowing with temps in the high teens which could drop to single digits later today. Let’s hope. Snow is in the forecast daily with a significant (12-24”) forecasted for Jan 4-9.
Currently:

  • Trail 1 N has some wet spots.
    • Trail 8 between Bergland and Wakefield is CLOSED due to water on the trail. Advised not to ride this trail at all until it freezes. If heading west, take the West shore to Marenisco.
    • Trail 13 North: groomed last night.
    • Trail 8W groomed last night.

Most of all the trails have some type of water issues. Groomers are out now in Marenisco seeing what needs to be fixed. Use extreme caution while our guys assess and fix. Snow cover is making is more difficult to see water areas. Everyone is doing all they can – please do your part and be smart when out riding.

U.P.Thunder Riders of Watersmeet 1/2/2020

Grooming daily and the trails are in very good condition, but we do have some water areas West of Watersmeet on Trail #2. Please ride with caution on this 30 mile stretch of trail.  We are doing the best we can with these water areas, they are difficult to deal with.

Trail #3 from the Wisconsin border to Watersmeet very good condition, Watersmeet to Paulding good condition with 1 wet area that is passable, 2 logging project on this trail one north of Forest Rd 5250 (trail 150) and the other is north of Bond Falls Rd so please use caution and respect the loggers

Trail #2 west of Watersmeet, good  condition but several wet areas, the worst wet area is in the Tunnel it is full of water about 8-12 inches it has a concrete bottom so you won’t get stuck .

Trail #2 east of Watersmeet to Trail #107, good condition

Trail #13 south to Cisco Chain, good condition