It was my first time skiing these scenic wooded trails and I'm very impressed-a delightful and well designed system. The conditions today were fast on well groomed trails, but not too fast-very close to perfect! Be sure to check out this hidden Nordic treasure the next time you are in Cloquet!

(Pete Hawkins)

We classic skied under the lights on Friday night. Track conditions were better than expected. Just about perfect, deep, solid tracks. Good grip and glide. It looked like only a few skiers had been in the tracks before us. Lotsa fun, green wax.

(John Bogen)

Classic skied pine valley midday nice deep tracks skate deck looked good also I give it a B+ all trails are groomed.

(Russ Mattson)

Bullet-proof base waiting for more snow. The city grooming crew did a good job scratching up the surface last Thursday and Friday, resulting in decent skiing this weekend. A fast and level skate lane had a small layer of loose snow on top of the hardpack over most of the trail. The outer 2K loop was much better than the lighted loop, which has some short icy spots and more tree debris, particularly at the start and finish areas.

Photos:

(Tom Urbanski)

Skied with the kids. Trail is in good shape. It is a somewhat hilly trail and some downhills have some icy spots, but mostly in good shape. Worth doing.

(Nickoel Anderson)

Great skiing at Pine Valley in the late afternoon today. Good skier traffic since the skate lane and classic track were groomed yesterday and conditions are holding up well. Classic track has some early signs of wear on a few turns but the tracks are solid. Skate lane is firm and flat. A little bit of tree debris here and there but no problems.

Photos:

(Tom Urbanski)

The City of Cloquet Parks crew groomed the trail system on Friday afternoon, a new classic track was set and the skate lane is flat and wide. Pine Valley received about six inches of snow earlier in the week and conditions are excellent.

(Tom Urbanski)

Great conditions in the evening, the 2" or so of new snow was groomed by the city crew during the day. The skate lane has leveled out nicely and although it was still a bit soft and slow gliding on the new snow, skating was just fine. A full-depth classic track was set and gliding in the lightly-used tracks was much faster than the skate lane. More snow is in the forecast. There is a high school race set for 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday (January 10) on the lighted loop.

(Tom Urbanski)

I cheered when the groomer went by right before I started skiing. The skate lane is freshly groomed and the downhills are a bit shriek-inducing. There are a few patches of the trail scattered with pine needles and leaves. No classic tracks are set. The snowfall over the weekend has covered up the bare ground that was starting to show on the south-facing slopes.

(Kari Jacobson Hedin)

Trails have been rolled and are very well packed. No tracks yet. Some debris, but rather a minimal problem.

Photos:

(Ann Gustafson)