Trail Detail

Maple Grove, MN
15.8k
Skating/Classic
Yes
Yes
763-694-7894
[ NWS ]
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Notes

Some of the best ski trails in the metro area. Fantastic night skiing on their lighted trails! New in 2003, a 2.5K man-made snow loop.
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Trail Reports

2021-2022 season
Reports 34 to 43 of 134    Month: Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan | Dec | Nov
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
Trails were in great shape. Not a lot of people out when we were there. Much thanks to the groomers.
(Dave Dyrh)
Friday, February 25, 2022
Afternoon
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Good skis ]
Beautiful day on great snow. I could hear the chatter of my skis hush to a mild schuss as I got onto the natural snow trails. Good tracks, no debris. Be careful on the boardwalk bridge at the start - the snow is thin and my pole got stuck between boards. Beyond that, the Lake trail was great. Northern Lights was also clean and good - a huge change from the ice before the recent snow.
Photos:
(Laurie Ford)
Friday, February 25, 2022
Afternoon
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Good skis ]
Skied lake, eagle, northern lights and finished up on valley. Natural snow trails finally have enough snow to be adequately tracked. The fresh snow last night slowed my glide, but had great kick. Blue sky, no wind and 15 degrees made for an excellent skiing experience.
(Earl Stabenow)
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
I went and did the lake loop after school and it was beautiful. The new snow did wonders to this trail. There were no leaves or sticks to be seen and the tracks looked super nice. The skate deck was super fresh and needed some time to set up so it was a little slow, but I didn't mind as it was so great to be out in the woods again. There was some drifting on the left side of the trail so I stayed on the right side to avoid deeper snow. The trail has seen some traffic but it was truly minimal. Northern lights was more beat up as normal but still easily skiable. The man made loop was a little icy and I personally preferred skiing the lake loop. I saw a total of 3 skiers out at 3:30pm.
Photos:
(Elizabeth Loper)
Monday, February 21, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, B skis ]
My dad and I went out for a presidents day ski. We stuck to the man made loop as NL and the outer loop were very icy after yesterday's warm weather. Today's snow was interesting. They had groomed it and pulled up snow so that it wasn't hard and icy. Most spots had a good layer of snow on top. This was more than enough to get an edge on flats and uphills. There were spots (bunny hill) where the snow was deeper than what I am used to at Elm. The downhill into the valley, outer doughnut, and the doughnut were slick and icy. On these downhills there were some groves that skis could get stuck in. Also beware that there were ice chunks in the snow. All that being said it was fast snow and I really enjoyed not being on ice or having to avoid bare ground.
(Elizabeth Loper)
Friday, February 18, 2022
Afternoon
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
Started at the playground and skied into Valley starting at 12. Skied outer loop on classic and did two extra Northern Lights while debris gathered on trails. Conditions were very good for classic on Nature and Monarch before 1 pm but deteriorating with debris on Lake and Northern Lights between 1 and 1:45 pm. Thanks to the groomers for their work. The classic track was great on the naturals and the corduroy is still working due to the grooming.
(Emil Pedersen)
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Classic 
[ B skis ]
Elm Creek revisited with classic skis. I skied Creek, Eagle, Monarch, all of Northern Lights, Lake, and parts of Valley. The snow gods have been kind to Elm Creek. There has been just enough snow for quality skiing. I also must compliment the groomers for keeping the natural snow trails in good condition. I used a blue Start kick wax with moderate success. I found in the hills I got better kick in the skating lane. It seems there is a glaze in the track, so I should have gone to a bit more aggressive kick wax. It would be interesting to know if waxless would grip the icy sections any better? The track has a few spots where soil is poking thru. Those were only on the combined trails. On Eagle and Monarch trails a person could use their best skis without regret. The one dicey area is the long bridge. Since it gets melting from top and bottom it is icy. There are oak leaves in the track so be prepared to have them stick to your kick wax. Also with so many parking options with good access to the trails without having to deal with the congestion around Chalet.
Photos:
(Craig Schulz)
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
Skating would have been great this morning, but I'm glad I opted to stride. First, note that while I rate conditions as good and safe for your good skis, there are a couple of spots to be aware of. The footbridge leading out to the Lake trail is icy, under a thin layer of snow, and the bridge leading back to the wading pond is thinly covered. Also, there are some easily avoided dirty snow spots just before the start of Eagle Trail. With that said, the classic tracks are good all over the park, with the usual accumulation of debris and footprints near the Nature Center. All classic tracks were regroomed a couple of days ago, and have good snow at the bottom. As usual, the tracks on the snow-making loop are just good fun - good kick and good glide. So, it's not perfect, but you can't ask for much more in a winter of limited snow.
(Ken Tobacman)
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Trails Open: Most, Good skis ]
Classic skied the Lake Trail. Tracks were good, although with occasional leaves and bits of dirty snow.
(John Kruse)
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
Again a wonderful day of skiing. Skied all the freestyle trails. I was impressed with the coverage. The only area that is a bit icy was the long bridge. The conditions on the Northern Lights were the best, mostly because the conditions were great and, unlike the Valley Trail, you were protected from the wind.
Photos:
(Craig Schulz)

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