Conditions: Good skate deck and good classic tracks.
Skate deck is firm and there's no issue getting an edge-still some corduroy if you look hard enough. Classic tracks were very good with minor debris. The system is seeing a lot of use but the grooming continues to hold up. An inch or two of snowfall will move this from good to great.

(Jakob Wartman)

Conditions: Very well used skate lane and classic track.
We classic skied and skate skied today around midday and the parking lot and road were the busiest I've ever seen it there. This is by far the best skating close to Duluth right now and probably the best classic also. There is 99.9% coverage, with just some minor dirt showing here and there. The skate deck was very well used, hard packed with an edge. There were a lot of leaves in the classic tracks and they were of the ski stopping variety so beware!

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(Eve Graves)

Duluth's best option. The 45 minute drive was well worth it. Warmer temps yesterday and cool temps overnight made for fast conditions on the skate deck. The classic tracks seem to be in great condition but I didn't see anyone with classic gear this morning. As others have posted, there are some icy patches. But most of them are right by the trailhead. Get out there. And early. I left an almost full parking lot at 9:30.

(Kris Osthus)

Still a winter wonderland in Brule, although trees have lost some of their snowy cloak. Grooming on all trails was excellent. There a very few spots where freeze-up has left some ice, including right at the start, but don't let that put you off, the icy spots are virtually no problem. Skating is excellent almost everywhere. There are a number of spots where oak leaves and pine needles are annoying in the classic tracks, and very rarely in the skate lane, where they are much easier to avoid. The "oak leaf" issue is larger on parts of the classic only trail, yet much, perhaps most, of that trail is perfect, with no debris.

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(Tim Holst)

Conditions: Being regroomed as I skied at 1pm. Perfect where groomed!
December 1st is the first day of "true" winter, and at Brule you will find mid winter conditions. Used Special Green and had nice kick and glide even though the temperature was 4F. Pines and bushes are snow crusted ... truly a winter wonderland. The groomers were doing two passes everywhere ... one to break up the snow, and then reset the skating deck and classic tracks. Thanks Wisconsin DNR!

(Rich Hoeg)

Trail was groomed and tracked on Monday, and is in good condition. Skiers can expect to find a few icy spots, but most of the trail is in good to very good shape with a packed base of about 4 inches and 11-12 inches of snow cover.

(Dan Kephart, Wisconsin DNR)

Conditions: Good classic and skate.
We enjoyed a nice tour on classic skis this afternoon. The snow was warm and soft, getting a little icy occasionally in places. The trees were laden with snow from the last fall. Most were classic skiing; the skating looked good though slow - should be faster tomorrow with the cooler temps.

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(John Ipsen)

Conditions: 2-3 inches of loose snow on top of firm base.
Trails nearer the trailhead have seen good use and are better packed for skating, but the entire system is very skiable. Thanks to the Brule Valley Ski Club for providing blaze orange vests for safety.

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(Peter Nordgren)

Classic tracks were set on about half of the trails, and the trails without set tracks were fine for classic too (a couple of inches of fresh powdery snow over a firm base). All the skiers we saw were also from Duluth, but we didn't recognize any of the hunters.

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(Anne Flueckiger)

Conditions: Good to very good. Packed and tracked with about 2" fresh on top.
Beautiful day at After Hours. Trails had received a couple inches since the last grooming... Most trails groomed for both skate and classic. Severals trails had not been groomed as recently. Few places where slush, now frozen, could be seen under fresh snow. I was on rocks skis, but good skis could have been used. Maybe a dozen skiers and two hunters on trails. Deer hunting is still open through Sunday... After hours has a few blaze orange vests available in the warming house.

(Sue Schroeder)