Trail Reports
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Minnesota Northeast
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NewMar 27 - Spirit Mountain Nordic Center (Duluth):
Morning[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Classic Secondhand
Spirit Mountain Nordic continues to have good conditions for classic and skate skiing. 10 am was a good time to ski with skins as the track had softened enough to get good grip. It sounds like this is the last week for grooming. Thank you groomers for a great season!
Photos:
(Gene Karwoski) -
Mar 25 - Spirit Mountain Nordic Center (Duluth):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Classic
Conditions continue to be great at Spirit Mountain Nordic. I started at noon with a temperature of 40° and classic skied with skin skis. The trails continue to be groomed daily and are an excellent shape. The 2-3 foot base is holding up with very little shrinkage with the nighttime temperatures going below freezing. Thank you very much groomers for continuing to maintain this great trail system.
Photos:
(Gene Karwoski) -
Mar 23 - Spirit Mountain Nordic Center (Duluth):
Afternoon[ ]Firsthand: Classic
Trails were in surprisingly good shape. Tracks were icy so I mostly skied beside them, otherwise really good conditions for a spring ski. Just a couple slushy spots but easily avoided.
Photos:
(Rachelle Walker) -
Mar 19 - Spirit Mountain Nordic Center (Duluth):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Classic
Still some great skiing at Spirit. Classic tracks are generally very good. Below freezing last night, so it's still fast snow, even past noon today. Snow is fairly clean too.
Photos:
(Brian Markes) -
Mar 19 - Spirit Mountain Nordic Center (Duluth):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Classic
Great conditions at Spirit Mountain Nordic today with fresh grooming. Used my skin skis at noon when the temp was 38 softening the course enough to give me decent grip. Looks like a 1-3 foot base still. Exciting course with great views of the St Louis River estuary. Should be a while until the fat lady sings.
Photos:
(Gene Karwoski) -
NewMar 27 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: Most, ]Firsthand: Classic
A beautiful spring skiing day. Skins were the ticket with alternating frozen and soft tracks in the afternoon shade or sun. Lake skiing into the BWCA was very easy to do with adequate snow cover, but not enough to slow things down.
(Jeff Pesta) -
NewMar 27 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: Partial, ]Firsthand: Classic
We skied Ox Cart, Bear Cub, Campground, Summer Home Road, and Beaver Dam today. Trails are all groomed with clear tracks and most areas still have deep tracks. March warm sun makes the snow quality variable - fast in the shade, sticky and slow in the sunniest patches. Snow cover is good everywhere. Occasional grass patches are exposed. Rocks are rare and easy to spot. The best snow conditions were on Bear Cub; the trail has been lightly used and is well groomed. Keep skiing!
(Bobbie Gostout) -
NewMar 27 - Pincushion Mountain Trails (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: Most, ]Grooming
Skate deck reset on all trails with the exception of Ole Hyvaa and Hilfiker loops. Conditions are variable with ice patches, standing water and bare spots. Skiing East Overlook is inadvisable due to ice at the bottom of a steep hill with a tight turn. Ski with great caution. The first skier of the morning reported that the deck was very skiable. Classic tracks weren't reset.
Photos:
(Josh Wenck) -
Mar 25 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Night[ Trails Open: Most, ]Grooming Scheduling
The Golden Eagle groomers are headed south tomorrow, but they left one last day of perfection on the North side behind. Caution should be taken on south-facing hills where the base is getting thin and rocks are poking through, and upper Red Pines should be avoided completely due to a thin spot on the fast decent (not groomed tonight to discourage skiing), but Logging Camp and Deer Mouse can still be skied with good skies! Starting the 27th, day skiers must check in and purchase passes at Bearskin Lodge. Season Pass holders may continue to ski the north side from Golden Eagle Lodge after the 27th for as long as the trails hold - which may not be long. In short, get out and ski on Wednesday while the skiing is good! Bearskin is open through the end of the month for day skiers and possibly beyond for Season Pass holders. For us, thank you for a great season and we will see you next season!
Photos:
(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge) -
Mar 25 - Pincushion Mountain Trails (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: Most, ]Firsthand: Classic
Trails are still looking pretty good. Classic skied the Pincushion Mt Loop, Canyon Curves and the Snowman loops. Classic tracks are in good condtion, the skate lane is a little variable on the downhills due to the sunny spots melting more than the shady spots. Used Start Oslo blue kick wax over blue klister. Wax worked well.
Photos:
(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club) -
Mar 24 - Upper Gunflint Trail (Grand Marais):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: All, ]Grooming
We were back out grooming trails this afternoon. It was great seeing people out on the trails making use of the extended season we are getting this year! This afternoon we groomed Overlook, Highlands, Ham Lake, North Star, Upper West End, Lonley Lake, Amperage, Big Pine and Little Pine, so the whole system was groomed today. Everything groomed up really well with a skate lane and a classic track on all of the trails. The temperatures look like they are favorable for the snow to stick around for a while, so we hope you can come up and get out on our trails!
Photos:
(John Fredrikson) -
Mar 24 - Norpine Trail System (Lutsen):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: Partial, ]Grooming
Deeryard Main Loop & Firetower groomed today. Trails at Deeryard are in great shape. Trails closer to the lake have not been recently groomed and should be considered "Ski at your own risk" due to considerable ice throughout.
(Adam Dettman) -
Mar 24 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: Most, ]Grooming
About 6" of new, heavy snow from the recent storm. We groomed everything this morning except Moose Ridge and Wolf Point. Trails groomed up great! Snow coverage is very good on everything with only a few of the big rocks poking through on some trails. Overall, fantastic conditions for the end of March.
Photos:
(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge) -
Mar 24 - Pincushion Mountain Trails (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: Partial, ]Grooming
New Snow Last 24Hours: 9", Trail Base: 10-12". Pincushion skiing returns for a late season bonus! All trails, except the black diamond loops Ole Hyvaa and Hilfiker Hill have been groomed for classic and skate style skiing. Skiing is excellent!
Photos:
(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club) -
Mar 24 - Upper Gunflint Trail (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: All, ]Grooming
We were out early this morning to groom the fresh 7 or so inches from the last two days. The trails are grooming up really well! All of the trails are groomed with a skate deck and a classic track. This morning we groomed Overlook, Rabbit Run, Aspen Alley, River Trail, Cut Across, Short Cut, Power Line and Lower West End. We plan to get out to do the rest of the system a little later today. We hope you will be able to come up the Trail to get in some fantastic spring skiing!
Photos:
(John Fredrikson) -
Mar 23 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: Most, ]Grooming
We've received about 3" of new so so far and more is still coming. We groomed around noon and did Logging Camp, Re-route, Cross Fox, Red Pines, and Wolf Point. Grooming plans: We'll be grooming those trails again, plus more, tomorrow after the storm ends.
Photos:
(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge) -
Mar 23 - Upper Gunflint Trail (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: All, ]Grooming
We were our grooming early this morning with about 3" of fresh snow in the ground! It is still coming down, but we wanted to have some freshly groomed trails for our guests in house this morning. We will do more grooming as the storm system progresses. The trails groomed up really well and should help us extend the season for awhile. So far today we groomed Big Pine, Little Pine, Lonely Lake and Amperage. These all were done with a skate deck and a classic track.
Photos:
(John Fredrikson) -
Mar 22 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: Most, ]Firsthand: Freestyle
Really great skiing today. I started at about 1:30 and it was perfect. Skiing the fresh grooming and the grooming from a few days old was good. Fast conditions but there was some spots where there was rocks and bare ground but they were easy avoided. I used my race skis but I would definitely recommend B skis. Hoping for lots of snow tonight!
Photos:
(Andy Amundson) -
Mar 22 - Upper Gunflint Trail (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Freestyle
Great conditions for March. Fast, frozen corn corduroy that was generally still easy to get an edge on. Full coverage with minimal debris. An occasional easily avoidable rock or water flowage in low spots.
Photos:
(Robert Ibler) -
Mar 22 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: Most, ]Grooming
We groomed several north side trails again: Logging Camp, Re-route, Deer Mouse, and Red Pines. Things groomed up great though the south facing downhill on the upper part of red pines did burn down to dirt the width of the trail in one location. Cooler temps should keep conditions stable through the day today.
(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge) -
Mar 20 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Evening[ ]Firsthand: Freestyle
I skated from Bearskin. Summer Home had really nice, clean, fast snow that even let me free skate up gentle hills. Beaver Dam was rougher though. I started the clockwise loop but turned around since it was more icy and dirty, and I saw a couple bare spots poking through the deck.
(Cory Quirk) -
Mar 20 - Upper Gunflint Trail (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: All, ]Grooming
We were out grooming again this morning. We groomed Highlands, Overlook, Ham Lake, North Star and Upper West End. All of the trails are groomed with a classic track and a skate deck. The base is holding up well and conditions are still good. There are a few spots where rocks are starting to show themselves and where creeks are forming some ice, but these are easy to spot and avoid. The trails should hold up well for a while. Hopefully you can come up and explore our trails!
Photos:
(John Fredrikson) -
Mar 19 - Sugarbush Trail System (Tofte):
Morning[ Trails Open: Most, ]Firsthand: Freestyle
Excellent spring skiing! Sugarbush certainly had small patches that were icy or bare but most of the southern trails were in decent shape for rock skis. Take extra caution on the big downhills. Surprised by how much snow is left- get out while you can! We parked at the Onion River Rd trailhead and skied from L-K-J-I and back.
Photos:
(Ian Boylan) -
Mar 18 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: Most, ]Firsthand: Classic
So many miles of trails! With Bear Cub and Ox Cart trails now beautifully groomed, in addition to the core trails around Bearskin Lodge -- the variety is back! Challenging trails and easier trails, climbing and flats. The shade from the deep woods protected most areas in spite of the warm March sun. I skied until about 3:30 pm and while the trails were getting slower, the cover was untouched. Summer Home Road and Campground grooms were freshened up today, keeping those in perfect condition (but losing the frolicking moose tracks that decorated Summer Home Road yesterday afternoon!).
Photos:
(Bobbie Gostout) -
Mar 18 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Classic
Fantastic! When we heard Bearskin groomed this morning we packed the car and headed north. Skied all afternoon on skin skis which were perfect in spring conditions. All the trails we skied were freshly rolled with very nice tracks. Beaver Dam trail had a small section that was newly rolled but the tracks were not new and had fresh snow in them. As we "broke trail" on the old tracks we started to stick but fortunately we had a spray with us to quickly apply to the skins and then we were good to go for the rest of the afternoon. Love this trail system - nicely built, well laid out, great maps and grooming. Thank you!
Photos:
(Karla Anderson) -
Mar 18 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: Most, ]Grooming
Groomed north side trails again, things turned out great! Looks like good skiing should continue through the week yet!
Photos:
(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge) -
Mar 18 - Upper Gunflint Trail (Grand Marais):
Morning[ Trails Open: All ]Observation
With about two more inches of snow last night, we are leaning into second winter! We were out grooming the new snow in this morning. We groomed Little Pine, Lonely Lake, Overlook, Rabbit Run, Aspen Alley, River Trail and Lower West End. All were done with a skate deck and a classic track. The deck is firm and the tracks are deep. If you want to get in another weekend skiing on natural snow, conditions should be good through this upcoming weekend. We hope you can come up and have some fun!
Photos:
(John Fredrikson) -
Mar 24 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: Partial, ]Firsthand: Freestyle
Only the stadium is open which means skiing at the base of the downhill ski area. The tubing hill is groomed and tracked which adds a nice climb. 2.5km if you go back and forth and climb the tubing hill 3 times.
(Mark Bushinski) -
Mar 24 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Classic
Trails have just been groomed. It went better than expected, 3 inches of new snow made grooming possible. I used my waxless skis, it was a little sticky, and there was an occasional open ground where wetland boggy humps protrude. I am enjoying the beautiful spring ski that it is.
Photos:
(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails) -
Mar 24 - Hidden Valley Ski Trails (Ely):
Morning[ Trails Open: Most, ]Firsthand: Freestyle
Spring skiing up north is the best! New 6" snow bonded to the thin icy base, and so well packed that my skis never slipped out on ice. Skated Bambas and Sommers loops (9k) -- beautiful trails and scenery!
(Elton Brown) -
Mar 23 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Classic
By 3 o'clock today an inch and a half of new snow arrived and it is still snowing. There are no tracks that were visible however, the skiing was delightful. The hard packed base with fresh snow on top makes you feel like you are floating through the forest. Depending on how much snow accumulates will be the determining factor if grooming is to occur this week. Don't let that deter you though because it is indeed beautiful spring conditions.
Photos:
(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails) -
Mar 20 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Classic
In above-freezing temperatures spring skiing is good. Still 80% snow-covered - a few bare spots in the bogs where the tops of the hummock are losing snow. Debris on the trail is increasing, but didn't cause any problems since we were using waxless and the debris has sunk below the surface of the snow. Tracks are disappearing however with folks skiing on them they are somewhat still visible.
Photos:
(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails) -
Mar 18 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: All, ]Firsthand: Classic
In above freezing temperatures spring skiing is very good. Still 99.9% snow-covered - just a few bare spots in the bogs where the tops of the hummock are losing snow. Debris on the trail is increasing, but didn't cause any problems since in the melty conditions it is mostly sunken in. Tracks are still visible and useable, but they are shallow and offer no real support. We have no plans for grooming through the weekend, but believe the snow coverage to stay with us for awhile (even if we start gaining more bare spots). In frozen (<32°F) weather, trails will be icy and rough - wait for the warm.
Photos:
(Mary Shedd) -
Mar 24 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
Afternoon[ Trails Open: Most, ]Firsthand: Classic
Green, Orange, Yellow are freshly rolled and packed today and first Blue loop around the return loop. Red not packed. No track set but good skiing. Thanks to groomers once again. Even ice and grass in swamps covered, though thinner. We got 6-7" yesterday, so along with 6" last week it looks like middle of winter in most places.
(Steve Langenbrunner) -
Mar 19 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
Morning[ Trails Open: Most, ]Firsthand: Classic
Many thanks to the groomers for the good job rolling and packing! We received 6-7" of new snow during the day Monday. Green, orange, yellow, blue are rolled, red is not. While a classic track is not set, I was able to ski well with the fresh snow and corduroy, blue kick wax, 26°. Good skis because of fresh snow cover. A few skaters were out yesterday.
Photos:
(Steve Langenbrunner)
