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2×2 & 2×4 Coo k County Ridg eri ders a nd Grand Porta ge Trail Riders
Local conditions are generally described as “poor,” with only 2 miles groomed. “The trails out of town are rideable up to the state trail,” said one visitor on SnowmobileTrails.com. The DNR reports, however, that with the expected warmer temperatures, this is a great time to hit the trails on the Minnesota North Shore, with snow depths ranging from 12 to 30 inches. “The reports have been good … the only complaints have been the cold,” said a DNR spokesman. Most trails in Cook County, however, have only a 2-inch base, and only two miles have been groomed. Go to www.boreal.org/RidgeRiders/ or call Grand Portage Lodge at (218) 475-2401 or toll-free (800) 543- 1384 for all the current conditions.
Golden Eagle Nordic Ski Center
“We were happy to receive an inch of light fluffy snow overnight and we’re out grooming this morning,” reported Golden Eagle Lodge on Jan. 11. “By the end of the day we will have groomed Wolf Point, the west end Logging Camp, Ridge Run, the North South Link from Golden Eagle to Aspen Lake, Red Pines, Cross Fox, Deer Mouse, Moose Ridge and the Logging Camp on the north side of Flour Lake. Guests have been enjoying the skiing this past week but it’s nice to be able to freshen up the trails. The more moderate temperatures forecast for this week should make being outside very enjoyable!”
There was 1.5 inches of new snow during the past week, and the trail base is Snowcat-packed, averaging 3.5 inches. Visit the Golden Eagle website at www.golden-eagle.com for the latest on the central Gunflint Trail conditions.
Pincushion Mountain Ski Trails
As of Jan. 12, West Overlook, Lower Snowman, Upper Snowman, Bed & Breakfast, Canyon Curves, North Advanced, Hilficker Hill, and Ole Hyvaa have been groomed. Skiing on those trails should be good to excellent. Pincushion Mountain Loop has a couple inches of fresh snow over a firm track. Go to pincushiontrails.org for more details.
Sugarbush Trail Association
The groomers have been busy! The following trails were recently groomed: Wood Duck, Piece of Cake, Bridge Run, Homestead lower, Britton to Oberg, East Oberg Loop, West Oberg Loop, ORR to end, and Upper Picnic M to N. As of Jan. 12 there has been 22.5 inches of snow this season, and there is a packed base of 6 to 8 inches. For more, see the website at www.sugarbushtrail.org
2×4 ads t o ru n ONE TIME, the week Banadad Ski Trails
The big news on the Banadad is that after 20 years of managing the Banadad Ski Trail, Boundary Country Trekking has turned over the management duties to a newly formed non-profit — the Banadad Trail Association. The mission of the Association according to Karen Monsen, the association’s president, “is to maintain and enhance the Banadad Ski Trail, preserve the history of the forest and the trail, and promote the appreciation and care of wilderness lands.”
With 15 inches of snow on the ground all 40 kilometers of the Banadad Trails are now opened and tracked for skiing. Visit www.boundarycountry.com for the latest trail conditions.
Bearskin Lodge
“We received a dusting of snow yesterday. It only added about another half inch of snow, but we’ll take anything we can get,” commented the lodge owners. The trails haven’t changed much since the Christmas storm, but the lack of snow hasn’t stopped skiers from enjoying themselves. In fact, the last few days of sunny skies and more mild temperatures are making for very pleasant skiing despite the scant snowfall. The Campground Loop, Summer Home Road, and parts of Beaver Dam and Logging Camp have fresh corduroy, and although some of the trails have been used heavily, things are considered to be in good condition. See Bearskintrailreports.wordpress.com for all the latest conditions.
Lutsen Area
New tracks have been set using the Ginzu Groomer on the Deeryard and Pioneer loops. The track setting went very well, and the skiing is characterized as very good to excellent on both loops. Deeryard tracksetting was slightly better on the left side going counter clockwise but the right track was reset to be away from the edges. The trails are as follows: Cascade/Deeryard Lake—packed powder, very good to excellent conditions; trails open: Pioneer, Ridge Run, Deeryard, Short Loop, Fire Tower. There is a 2- to 12-inch base. See norpinetrails.org for all the latest conditions.
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