Snowmobile Trail Conditions

We got somewhat of a late start this morning so we decided to eat breakfast at SkyView Lodge in Presque Isle, WI. The food was great and the service was fast. We hit trail 6 east and got gas in Presque Isle. Then we hooked up with trail 1 north and made our way to Lake Gogebic. Just like yesterday, the trails were smooth and our ride across Lake Gogebic was great. We stopped in at the ski-doo dealer in Bergland, MI and swapped out one of our spare sleds for one that had just been tuned up. After a quick stop we made our way to trail 102 and headed north to Porcupine Mountain State Park.

This trail was in excellent shape with very few bumps along the way. We ran in to trail 11 east and it was like a freeway. Flat, wide and super fast! We arrived at Lake Superior in no time and made our way up the hill to Lake of the Clouds. My buddy Matt had never been in this area, so I decided to show him the sights.

After our short hike to the top of the overlook, we snapped a few pictures and headed back down the hill to our sleds. We made our way down the hill and back to Silver City, MI. At this point we had around 100 miles on for the day and we were both hungry so we stopped for lunch at foothills. After another quick meal we were back on the trail and headed towards trail 1 south. We made a gas stop at Mobil in White Pine, MI and the continued on our way to Bergland, MI. Once we arrived in Bergland, we got back on Lake Gogebic and headed south. The sun was starting to go down and the snow was starting to fly! We exited the lake at the south end and joined back up with trail 1 south. About 90% of trail 1 had just been groomed and only the last 2 miles of our ride was on a trail that had a single bump in it.

If you ever get a chance to do some mid week riding (Tues, Wed, Thur) up this way, I would HIGHLY suggest it! You don’t have to fight the crowds in the restaurants, the trails are smooth as glass and it’s easier to find a place to stay.

Today the trails were in even better shape than the day before, which is pretty unbelievable! The majority of the snow was in the same areas as yesterday. Anywhere north of Bergland, MI or up towards Rockland, MI.

Check out the trail video:
Silver City, MI Trail 11 North

Snowmobile Trail Video (56 MB)

Trail Rating: 10 out of 10
Distance: 176
Previous: 2,620
Season Total: 2,796

We started of our ride heading east on trail 6 out of Winchester, WI to Presque Isle, WI. After a quick stop for breakfast at the Outpost cafe we headed north on trail 1. The trip to Lake Gogebic was quick and painless and the ride on the lake was smooth as well. Once we reached the north end of the lake it started to snow! We got gas in Bergland, MI at Mobil and then got back on the lake and headed towards Hoop N Holler. We exited the lake and made our way west on trail 8. On our way out of town trail 8 had a few bumps, but the closer we got to Wakefield, MI the smoother the trail got! Eventually we ended up passing the groomer on trail 8 and also saw another groomer headed north on trail 2. We made our way to Bingos for a quick pop and a pizza. After leaving Bingos we headed east on trail 2 to Marinesco, MI.

The entire trail was freshly groomed and it made for some excellent riding! When we reached Marinesco, MI we hit trail 1 south and rode in to Presque Isle, WI.

Overall the trails were in the best shape I’ve seen them in the last 2 weeks. This is mainly due to lower traffic during the week days. The groomers are able to really work on the trails and keep the bumps ironed out, unlike on the weekends when the traffic increases by 100 times. As a general rule, the further south we went, the tinner the snow got. I would suggest staying no further south than Presque Isle, WI and ride as much as you can in the Bergland, White Pine and Rockland MI areas as possible. That seems to be where most of the snow is.

Check out the trail videos:
Bergland, MI Trail 8 West

Snowmobile Trail Video (53 MB)

Bergland, MI Trail 8 West – Part 2

Snowmobile Trail Video (46 MB)

Kenton, MI Trail 2 West

Snowmobile Trail Video (41 MB)

Trail Rating: 9 out of 10
Distance: 122
Previous: 2,498
Season Total: 2,620

We started today off in Winchester, WI and took trail 6 east in to Presque Isle, WI to gas up. Then we headed north on trail 1 to trail 2 west. We were both pretty hungry so we stopped for breakfast in Marinesco, MI at the Hungry Bear restaurant. After a great breakfast and a conversation with some other snowmobilers we decided to head back east on trail 2 towards the Cisco Chain. Luckily we did, because the trails west of Marinesco were pretty beat and once we passed the trail 1 and trail 2 intersection, it was smooth as glass! We cruised down trail 2 until we hit the turn for Rogers bar. We made a quick stop in there for a drink and then continued south across the Cisco Chain. Once we came off the lakes at Bents Camp we kept going south until we ran into trails 5 and 5a so we could hook back up with 6 west. 6 was pretty beat most of the way back until we hit the Presque Isle sno bunnies trail system. They got most of the big bumps knocked down, and that make for a much more comfortable ride.

Trail Rating: 7 out of 10
Distance: 111
Previous: 2,387
Season Total: 2,498

We left Gateway Lodge in Land O Lakes, WI around 11am and headed north on trail 3 to Watersmeet, MI. Then we took trail 2 east. About 5 stop signs down trail 2 we met up with the DNR. Word has it they were looking for people that weren’t coming to a full stop at the stop signs. They saw our trail stickers and registrations and waved us on. We hit the turn for trail 107 and headed north. This trail had been beaten up some, but was still in pretty decent shape. We arrived in Kenton, MI and took a break at U.P. Chucks. After leaving there, we headed west on trail 8 to Bruce Crossing, MI. Part of the trail was freshly groomed by our buddy “Mop” and the other part of the trail could use some T.L.C.

We gassed up in Bruce Crossing and then turned around and headed east on trail 8 until we hit trail 3 south. We rode that trail back to trail 2 west. Then we took trail 2 west back in to Watersmeet. What do you know, when we went down trail 2 west, our DNR friends were still there! They checked for our stickers again and waved us through. Then we joined back up with trail 3 south and made our way back to Gateway Lodge.

Check out the trail videos:
Watersmeet, MI Trail 107 North

Snowmobile Trail Video (26 MB)

Watersmeet, MI Trail 107 North – Part 2

Snowmobile Trail Video (31 MB)

Kenton, MI Trail 2 West
Snowmobile Trail Video (58 MB)

Trail Rating: 8 out of 10
Distance: 122
Previous: 2,265
Season Total: 2,387

We had a short day today because of our club dinner. We hit the trail around 10am and had to be back by 5pm. We took trail 3 north to Watersmeet, MI and then trail 2 east to trail 3 north. The snow started to thin out today, but there is still enough to ride. The further north we went, the deeper the snow got. We arrived in Rockland, MI around noon and went to Henry’s Never Inn for lunch. We ordered 4 bowls of soup and 1 chicken sandwich. The place was a little busy, but it took them 2 hours to get our food. That put us behind schedule so we had to hurry the rest of the day. We took trail 3 north to Twin Lakes and gassed up. After leaving Twin Lakes we took trail 109 south to Sidnaw and gassed up again.

We left Sidnaw at 4:30pm and pulled in to Gateway Lodge at 5:30pm. Needless to say, we made some pretty good time.
Each day the trails have deteriorated due to traffic, but there is still plenty to ride. The corners are starting to ice up, so make sure you watch those!

Distance: 190
Previous: 2,075
Season Total: 2,265

We started off the morning by heading north to Watersmeet, MI and then east on trail 2 to trail 15 north. Both trails were great, smooth as glass and plenty of snow! Once we hit trail 8 we went west and arrived in the huge city of Sidnaw, MI.

We gassed up and then went through Kenton, MI and took trail 107 south. Then we took trail 2 west through Watersmeet, MI on our way to Rogers Bar. We got a few pizzas and then went south through the Cisco chain to trail 6 east. On the way back we stopped at The Black Oak for dinner. After a great dinner we made our way back to Gateway Lodge in Land O Lakes, WI.

Check out the trail video:
Kenton, MI West on trail 2

Snowmobile Trail Video (16 MB)

Distance: 164
Previous: 1,911
Season Total: 2,075

We started off the morning in Land O Lakes, WI at Gateway Lodge. We headed north on trail 3 to Watersmeet, MI and the trail was in great shape. After a couple of quick stops at Nordines and the Polaris dealer to get some thicker balaclavas, we went East on trail 2 and then turned north on trail 3. It was a pretty quick ride in to Bruce Crossing. We gassed up and then continued on trail 3 north to Rockland, MI. We arrived at Henry’s Never Inn and met up with the rest of the PrairieRiders. After a long lunch (very slow service) we made our way down trail 13 to Bergland, MI and then headed north on trail 1 to Silver City, MI. We got gas along the way in White Pine, MI. For the first time this season Silver City had decent snow, so we stopped in to Foothills. After a 30 minute stop there, they were closing down so we hit the trail again. We pointed the sleds West and headed out of town on trail 11.

The trail was in excellent shape and we continued on towards Wakefield. Along the way, the sun went down and the temperature really dropped. We got gas in Wakefield and took trail 2 east to Marinesco. The snow dust was pretty bad and a few of us started to freeze up our shields. We made a quick stop at Rogers bar to thaw out our shields and then headed to Watersmeet on our way to Land O Lakes.

Overall the trails were in awesome shape until we hit Wakefield. They had plenty of snow, the trails were just beat due to traffic volume. It was a bit chilly today. When we left Land O Lakes the temp was around -20F (with no wind chill).

Check out the trail video:
Rockland, MI North on trail 3
Snowmobile Trail Video (10 MB)

Distance: 238
Previous: 1,673
Season Total: 1,911

We rolled out of Gateway lodge in Land O Lakes around 11am and headed north on Trail 3 towards Watersmeet, MI. The trail was flat as a pancake with very little traffic. We made a quick stop at Nordines in Watersmeet, MI and then continued north to Trail 2 East. Trail 2 was also in awesome shape. When we reached trail 107 we turned north and made our way to Kenton, MI.

There were a few pot holes along trail 107, but other than that the trails were in great shape! After a quick lunch we made our way back to Land O Lakes the same way we came, and made it just in time for kickoff.
The snow depth was anywhere from 12-18″ and I would rate the trails an 8-9. Due to the frigid temperatures (-17 F with NO wind chill) most of the riders stayed in today and the trails held up all day long. If you don’t mind riding in the cold, this is a great time to rack up some miles! Every place we stopped everyone kept asking how the trails were, of course our answer was GREAT!

Check out the trail videos:
Land O Lakes, WI North on trail 3
Snowmobile Trail Video (57 MB)

Watersmeet, MI East on trail 2
Snowmobile Trail Video (44 MB)

Distance: 87
Previous: 1,586
Season Total: 1,673

We started off at Gateway Lodge in Land O Lakes WI and headed north on trail 3. We arrived in Watersmeet, MI and went west on trail 2. With some good luck we got on the same trail the groomer was on and it was flat! After about 10 miles of riding we caught up with the groomer and passed it up. We stopped at Rogers Bar on the way and met up with the other riders in our club. After a short break at Rogers we headed south through the Cisco Chain and made our way to 6 east. We ran 6 east all the way back to the Gateway Lodge and then called it a night.

Check out the trail video:
Watersmeet, MI West on trail 2
Snowmobile Trail Video (17 MB)

Distance: 49
Previous: 1,537
Season Total: 1,586