I continue to be amazed that the trails are holding up as well as they are despite temps around 40 the last two days. Today I skied the Dry Creek Trail, onto the Pioneer (N) and Deer Creek (NW) loops, then over to the Deer Creek bridge. I returned via the Amik's Pond Loop, River Access Road and Mitigwaki Loop on the portion with the paved base. Places where track has been set were holding up well in the woods, and not nearly as good in the open, but still skiable. Conditions ranged from good to poor, with better skiing in the woods. I don't think the trails in the open will hold up much longer. Another nice day to be out skiing.

(Kris Backlund)

Another beautiful ski outing with no hat, light clothing and a windbreaker. I skied both sides of the Mitigwaki Loop. The portion with the dirt base that is combed flat skied nice, but there were scattered spots with dirt showing. Nothing felt icy with the temps still above freezing. The paved portion was even better--good conditions overall. I couldn't resist taking the boat landing road down to the river, with many swans in the area both to the north and south. A pretty sunset again--pink sky at night, skier's delight!

(Kris Backlund)

I skied a loop incorporating the Old Logging and River trails. The Old Logging Trail was freshly groomed with nice tracks on the outer edges of the corridor. The River Trail was much more variable and thin. A few places were pretty good, but most tracks fell in the poor to fair range, with grass poking through or dirt in spots, so I was hopping in and out of the tracks. The average conditions on that stretch were offset by a full moon rising in the east, a pink sky to the south, and more than two dozen trumpeter swans in the St. Croix River. An adult and three juveniles were right by the western shore, giving me a great chance to see them close up. Conditions and the skis you use will depend on which trail you ski.

(Kris Backlund)

I was pleased to find a single classic track on the Dry Creek Trail Wednesday. The track was laid in the slightly deeper snow on the edge of the trail, so it was pretty well formed except in some trail areas under the pines that had a thinner base. I also ventured onto the eastern portion of the Pioneer Trail from the Dry Creek Trail. The track was more variable on the open portion of the Pioneer Trail, but I only skied a short ways there. There was dirt and grass in the track in spots on the Pioneer, so I stepped in and out as needed. The woods offer better ski conditions. I would say fair to good on Dry Creek, and fair to poor on the Pioneer Trail.

(Kris Backlund)

I skied the Mitigwaki Loop with about a 1/2 inch of fresh snow over a very slight glaze from drizzle earlier in the day. There was no new grooming, but portions of the loop had a pretty nice skied in track. The portion of the Mitigwaki with the dirt base was thin but definitiely skiable. The spur from the Visitor Center out to the main part of the paved trail had the best skied in track. I would still rate the conditions as fair.

(Kris Backlund)

Skied the Sunrise Loop on Sunday. Surprisingly excellent to very good. 5 or 6 inches of granular snow -- un-groomed. Very nicely skier tracked. Looked like only 2 or 3 had skied ahead of me over the weekend. Less than 1% bare patches; ~2% litter mostly oak leaf. The south segment from bridge to the hut along the ridge was excellent; crisp tracks no hikers . The west half of the north segment from hut to bridge along the river(s) has heavy snowshoe and foot use. Skied my beater no-wax 75 mms. Worked perfect on the cold, dry, heavy snow. Dead calm day, 22 F, blue sky. Perfect old school recreational ski.

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(Gavin Watt)

Went to WRSP looking forward to skiing. Was disappointed to see no tracks in 3 different places on Mitiwaki. Assumed the rest of the system is untracked. We live in Taylors Falls, about 10 miles south of the park, and we had 7 to 8 inches last week so I'd say there is good snow cover. Certainly looked to be enough.

(Mike Chrun)

I could actually ski Wednesday, as compared to the previous afternoon when the snow just stuck to my skis. There were no tracks set and pole plants were mostly shallow, but trails were very skiable and mainly in fair condition. Areas that are typically more shallow or icy were thin. The sections with the paved trail base were more consistent. All in all, very nice to be out skiing again, even without tracks.

(Kris Backlund)

Skiing late in the afternoon with wet snow falling was beautiful, but it felt like I was skiing in cement. I was using waxless skis, so having skis that are properly waxed would most likely result in a better experience. Previous icy tracks were filled in mostly with the new snow, but the fresh snow was still sticking to my skis. With additional grooming and cooler temperatures, I'm optimistic that skiing will be improved by later today.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

Phenomenal and beautiful day of skiing at Wild River. Classic tracks set nice, lots of skiers out enjoying this gem of a Minnesota state park. Great day!

Photos:

(Craig Stamps)