Conditions: Poor conditions - With the rain and above freezing temperatures today, trail conditions have deteriorated.
Watch for slushy tracks and bare spots. Unfortunately, there's nothing our groomer can do but wait for another significant snowfall.

(Sarah Pronschinske)

Conditions: Icy-minimal bare spots of gravel-some leaf drag.
Icy with some bare spots of dirt. Hills could be a challenge for the less experienced. Leafs now are melting into tracks causing some drag. Still plenty skiable but use caution.

(Ron Hansen)

Conditions: Pretty good - new snow make a huge difference.
The 1/2 dusting adding some good kick and a little control over the ice. Not perfect, but I would score it a 7 out of 10.

(Britt Moore)

Conditions: Many sections of trail icy.
Some of the southern-most stretches of trail are still in fair condition, though most of the trails leading from Holland Lake and the Visitor Center Trailheads to get to those segments are in very icy conditions, in some places, no tracks are left, just a sheet of ice. Be careful. The beginner loop through the pine plantation south of the Visitor Center is in tough share (bare spots with dirt). Unfortunately, there's nothing our groomer can do but wait for another significant snowfall. The candlelight ski event Trails By Candlelight on Saturday has been cancelled.

(Katie Pata, Dakota County Parks)

Conditions: Flats ok with thin layer of new snow covering icy track, but downhills icy and treacherous, like icy luge runs. I walked down several hills (on the side) as I did not want to fall and get injured. Downhills not really skiable due to the ice and hardpack.
Skied trails west of Pilot Knob Road. Some fresh snow on top of the hard pack would help immensely.

(Ken Kuznia)

Conditions: Good to fair, icy with mostly full coverage.
Snow-wise, trail coverage, especially the main outer loop in the eastern section, is still in good shape with no bare spots. Trails are icy fast but in decent shape. Some bare places in heavily forested interior trails (pine plantations). Some leaf debris on the tracks (not much surprisingly). Plans to re-groom on Friday in preparation for annual Trails By Candlelight event on Saturday. We're expecting 1,000 attendees to join us for the event from 6-9 PM. We're lighting 3 classic ski loops (4.5 miles total) and 2 snowshoeing/hiking loops (1.5 miles total) with luminaries.

(Katie Pata, Dakota County Parks)

Conditions: Very good. It was mid 20's. Recently groomed, consistent classic track. A few icy spots between 32 and 34. Usual leaf litter but less that a few weeks ago. Some vehicle traffic related to some trimming work between 18 and 12 washed out the track and thinned out the base. Used Swix Blue for kick.
I started from Jensen Lake trailhead and skied the interior trails. Moved pretty good on the flats but didn't have enough grip for the hills. Either didn't extend my kick wax far enough or maybe should have used Blue Extra. I did 5.2 miles in 1:08.

(Keith Carlson)

Conditions: Mostly good, worn down in a few places.
Plans to groom tomorrow morning starting at 5 AM.

(Katie Pata, Dakota County Parks)

Conditions: Snow still settling, silky with good toe control. Fast track on exposed areas, with the pine tree section fastest. Pilot Knob Rd. underpass unskiable.
Night skiing at Lebanon going down that first hill, you and I could have heard a little whoop of a train whistle and the hoot of Bard Owl.

(James Topic)

Conditions: Classic trails recently tracked due to new snow but well worn already. Tracks are soft due to lack of moisture in snow but still a good ski.
Skied dusk to dark (with head lamp) from Visitor Center East thru pines (well worn, some gravel showing thru) then South along Southern border to Jensen lake then back to Visitor Center along Northern border. Plenty of snow due to recent snow fall and trails groomed and tracked the previous day but already well worn mostly due to soft snow. Areas around Visitor Center and Holland Lake worn. Found areas along Southern border to be in very good shape due to few skiers venturing that far from Visitor Center. Night skiing still fantastic.

Photos:

(John Gamlin)