The Skate deck has been reset on the Brown, Red, and Green Trails. In most areas there is yet full snow coverage, however trails are becoming increasingly thin, dirty, and soft with the warmer weather. As before, most small sticks / other debris is in areas underneath the pine stands. No tracks have been set due to the thinning coverage and warm temps. Please use caution when skiing on the outer portions of the Red and Yellow trails as the snow coverage is slightly thinner and several bare spots are becoming more and more present.

(Andrew Straka)

Trails were last groomed on Thursday, Jan 25th. Considering the warm weather and days in between grooming, the snow base has held up surprisingly well. Although somewhat dirty from small debris, the trail has a firm / well packed 2-4" of snow on top of a yet frozen base. Grooming plans: Staff will be out to groom trails and continue trail clean up as soon as time / temperature allows.

(Andrew Straka)

All trails are groomed with tracks set. Conditions are very soft, and trails are especially dirty underneath the pine stands. With conditions as soft as they are, use caution when entering and exiting the tracks as the warmer temperatures do not allow the tracks to fully set.

(Andrew Straka)

All trails have been cleared of major debris. Conditions are predictably soft with the warm weather, however there is yet plenty of snow for complete ground coverage. Some sections of trail are yet very dirty from minor debris, especially underneath the pine stands. Staff will continue to widen, clean, and groom the trail for as long as weather allows. Brown Trail: both tracks and a skate deck have been set. Green Trail: Both tracks and a skate deck have been set. Red Trail: Tracks are not yet set multiple passes with the Ginzu have made a usable skate deck. Use caution when passing by the last kettle on the back portion of the trail as there is one across the trail. It is however easily circumvented. Staff will be clearing the tree as soon as possible. Yellow Trail: Tracks are not yet set multiple passes with the Ginzu have made a usable skate deck.

(Andrew Straka)

Brown - Groomed, tracks are set, passable with overhanging / leaning in branches constricting the width of the trail/groom. Green - Packed, passable with overhanging / leaning in branches constricting the width of the trail/groom. Red - Packed, passable with overhanging / leaning in branches constricting the width of the trail/groom. Yellow - Not groomed, no passable due to overhanging branches and downed trees. Since the snow events, DNR rangers from Northern Unit and neighboring DNR Park properties have been working to clear the Zillmer Trail System. These same Northern Unit rangers are also responsible for the snow plowing within the Northern Unit, among other duties. We ask that users be understanding of the impacts of this storm and recognize the large undertaking of the cleanup effort. DNR rangers are doing what they can to get the trails in better condition. Should there be volunteer interest in assisting in the maintenance of the Zillmer Trail System, please contact the Forest Headquarters at 262-626-2116.

(Samantha Lindquist, Wisconsin DNR)

Trails were pretty rough at Zillmer this afternoon. We wanted to ski the yellow trail but that appeared to be the only trail not groomed yet so ended up doing green. The green trail has a very uneven surface making it difficult to ski. No tracks were set except for on brown. We did come across the groomer while skiing, so conditions may improve in the future.

(Kevin Volbright)

A lil disappointed today when I got to Zillmer. None of the trails had been touched except for brown. One tree is down across the brown. Brown had an ok track. Would not try to skate as the deck is a mess. Lots of snow but didn't see any groomers. Hopefully will get groomed soon.

Photos:

(Rose Krebsbach)

At present all trails but the Brown trail remains closed due to storm damage. Around the Brown loop use some caution waiting for additional debris from the storm. Tracks were set on Sunday around the entire Brown loop and a deep / firm skate deck is present. Watch for updates on trail openings as we will be hard at work removing trees, downed branches, and grooming trails over the next few days.

(Andrew Straka)

The winter storm on Friday took down a large number of trees and branches around the entire trail system. Currently the Green, Red and Yellow loops are closed due to the sheer quantity of downed trees. The Brown loop has been cleared of the most severe of the damage and is open. The Brown loop has been packed and plans are to groom / further clean from debris tomorrow morning. The other trail loops will temporarily remain closed until further notice. We intend to spend time clearing the trails over the course of the next week.

(Andrew Straka)

All trails are closed to skiing as of 2:30 pm on Saturday due to tree debris and low hanging branches preventing trail passage. I encourage users wanting to get out on the trails to snowshoe (do not hike) the loops and remove debris from the trail surface. This assistance will help DNR crews progress with cleanup and allow grooming to occur sooner.

(Samantha Lindquist)