A warm weekend followed by an inch of rain and a return to cold temps has made grooming challenging. A small loop was retracked today (A-D-E-Q-O-N-A) with mixed results in places due to the ice and lack of fresh snow. Classic tracks for the rest of the trail seemed mostly intact from last week. Icy conditions with a dusting of snow will make for very fast trails, so exercise caution.

(Kris Rich)

All trail segments on the most current map (A through V) were rolled and tracked. Portions of the unplowed road were also double-tracked. Please be mindful that the parking lot could fill up while you're out, so leave room for other cars and grooming equipment. The truck and trailer usually takes up the whole West side of the lot (same side as the kiosk/map) so keeping it clear Monday-Friday would help a lot! FR 158/ Bally Creek Road is narrow in spots, so be cautious on turns. Cascade Connector has not been maintained.

(Chad LeFevere)

Skier tracked over a few inches of new snow over the weekend. Base under the powder was firm. Skier tracks were made over machine tracks so for the most part they were straight and true, not wobbly. Glide was good with blue kick wax. Connector down to Pike Lake road has been skier tracked but not machine groomed yet this year. Skiers have tracked the loops on the far side of Bally Creek pond. They are not on the new forest service maps so my guess is they are no longer being groomed regularly. But the new maps and consistent grooming of these trails are a big improvement over prior years. Parking lot was full on a Monday!

(Tim Nelson)

All trail segments on the most current map (A through V) were rolled and tracked. Portions of the unplowed road were also double-tracked. Windy conditions may impact some of the more open parts of the trail this weekend but the cold temps helped set tracks nicely. Please be mindful that the parking lot could fill up while you're out, so leave room for other cars and grooming equipment. The truck and trailer usually takes up the whole West side of the lot (same side as the kiosk/map) so keeping it clear Monday-Friday would help a lot! FR 158/ Bally Creek Road is narrow in spots, so be cautious on turns. Cascade Connector has still not been maintained.

(Kris Rich)

All trail segments on the most current map (A through V) have been groomed and tracked, now including the L to K segment. The portions of trail on the road have been double- tracked. The Cascade Connector trail to Pike Lake Road still has not been maintained. The trail system is seeing quite a bit of use every day. Please be mindful that the parking lot could fill up while you're out, so leave room for other cars and grooming equipment. The truck and trailer usually takes up the whole West side of the lot (same side as the kiosk/map) so keeping it clear Monday-Friday would help a lot!

Photos:

(Kris Rich)

The outer loop trail (A-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K), one interior loop (L-R-P-O-N-A), and the trails east of the road (S-T-U-V-J) were regroomed and retracked this morning. Segment L to K is still not groomed but it is snowmobile packed. The Cascade Connector trail to Pike Lake Road still has not been maintained since the most recent storms. The trail system is seeing quite a bit of use every day. Please be mindful that the parking lot could fill up while you're out, so leave room for other cars and grooming equipment. FR 158/ Bally Creek Road is narrow in spots so be cautious on turns.

(Kris Rich)

All trails (intersections A through V) on the most current map (besides L through K segment) were rolled and classic tracked. Parts of the wider road portion of the system (H, I, J, K, C) have been double-tracked. The Cascade Connector trail to Pike Lake Road still has not been maintained since the most recent storms. The groomer is still picking up some debris from earlier storms and the recent melting conditions, but pretty much all of the tracks are clear and should set up hard as it cools. While the snow has made for great skiing, please be cautious travelling FR 158/Bally Creek Road and using the trailhead parking lot as both become quite narrow.

Photos:

(Kris Rich)

Most trails were groomed before the last snow. There's still a pretty good track but it's due for grooming again. Northern-most trails across the creek not groomed at all. Not sure if the Cascade connector has been tracked yet.

(Yvonne Mills)

All trails (intersections A through V) on the most current map (besides L through K segment) have been rolled and tracked. The Cascade Connector trail to Pike Lake Road still has not been maintained since the recent storms. Visitor use is picking up as skiing conditions improve. The latest snow and colder temperatures have hardened the tracks, making for great skiing. Please be mindful driving on FR 158/Bally Creek Road as it is narrow in spots. There is still some debris on the trail from the last storm.

(Kris Rich)

West side of road trails are excellent. East side has been packed, but no tracks set. Bally creek loop and moose rub trails have apparently been abandoned. They aren't even shown on the new maps. [ While the northern loops aren't currently shown on the map, the USDA website clearly states they are not groomed "due to time constraints, but we hope to be able to groom them later in the season" -- Ed. ]

(Michele Flynn)