First time in a long time for me that all the trails were open and groomed! Great to finally have lots of snow out there! I skied all of Razorback plus the trails connecting it to the main trailhead twice. Tracks were set pretty well and pretty firm over most of the course, but there were a few places where the outermost track dropped off the side of the trail. The skate deck appeared fair most of the way but was in poor condition over several scattered segments where there were gullies and depressions and humps in the middle. Also seemed pretty soft in a few places. It's great that they finally finished the new wider bridge across the marsh where there used to be a very narrow bridge. The narrow bridge wasn't a problem for skiing but it wasn't big enough to allow the groomers to get across and I think that impeded grooming in warmer wetter years.

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(Craig Wiklund, North Star Ski Touring Club)

Knob and Kettle are in fair shape. They need more grooming to firm and flatten things but skated okay. Razorback on the other hand was in pretty rough shape with varying levels of grooming. If you are desperate for some harrowing downhills, I would recommend taking Kettle up to intersection 9 and skiing the north loop of Razorback, returning to intersection 9. This area seemed to have the most grooming passes and fewest ruts.

(Spencer Davis)

Pretty terrible. All trails soft. Inner small loop was ok, but not great. Razorback outer look was terrible. Huge ruts from grooming make skating almost impossible. Dangerous downhills as it's soft. I might be babied by all the great grooming at Hyland, baker, carver, elm, and french.

(Blake Bristow)

The local high schools had a skate skiing meet out at Murphy so the trails had been packed and groomed and looked to be in nice shape. Snow was really nice. Main complaint from skiers was about leaves on trail, and the challenging nature of the trails themselves -- "lots of hills!" Yes, if you are training for races in the east coast, and used to the wide expanses of the trails here, the narrower hilly trails of Murphy-Hanrehan would be the place to train. Made for some exciting racing!

(Robert Sullivan)

Skied Murphy this morning. Knob was icy with boot prints. Kettle was in better condition. All trails had some twigs and occasional leaves. Razorback had been recently groomed but is still somewhat soft. Downhills on Razorback were more challenging than normal with some ruts and bumps adding to the excitement. I would not recommend Razorback in these conditions for anyone who hasn't skied it before.

(David Potasek)

Skied all trails at Murphy on Sunday morning. Coverage was good and grooming was okay except on Razorback. It seems like Razorback has been rolled once and there is a small roughly 3 foot wide loosely packed path to ski. Skating was hard because there's no room for the ski to glide and our tips got caught on the sides every few steps. The downhills were fun, if not a bit exciting for a group of advanced skiers. Unless you're looking for an adventure I don't think I recommend skiing here until it's groomed again.

(Laura Cattaneo)

Lots of snow but the trail conditions were really rough. The blue loops had been groomed but very uneven skate deck. The razor back black loop only had a 4' section packed and it made everything pretty awful to try to skate. Classic might have been better but the fast downhills with such a narrow trail would still be a challenge. Not worth the trip in my opinion until it's groomed again.

(Scott Lyon)

Blue trails kettle and knob are open, packed and tracked. The skate deck is hard but very uneven. It made for a good balance workout and some interesting downhills. Tracks are well set and minimally used. The gates are open to razorback but trails are rolled only. Minimal debris on all trails with the good snow coverage. These are definitely intermediate/expert trails, I do not recommend for beginners.

(Emily Reineccius)

I was the only car in the parking lot, so that I should have taken the hint. The trails had not been groomed for awhile, so the snow was crusty ruts along with footprints from walkers. It made it difficult to turn on Murphy's steep twisty downhills. It's a shame as there was plenty of snow cover, but you it certainly gives you an appreciation for the work that groomers do. The trails should be fine when they are groomed, so I would check the Three Rivers web site before heading out there. I ended up skiing the Knob loop trail and then drove over to nearby Cleary Lake park for more skiing.

(Geir Johansen)

Trails are packed on all blue rated trails (Knob and Kettle). Soft but surprising good glide. Some trails are tracked on the Kettle Trail. It's nice to be out on these trails that are rarely open, especially in December. Skiing out here adds spice to life and reminds me why I love skiing. Great to be back in the woods and off the hamster wheel.

(Emily Reineccius)