It’s officially Spring… and the forecast bears that out with temps forecast to be in the 40’s for the weekend and beyond.

CURRENT TRAIL CONDITIONS:
Trails not being groomed, but will officially remain open through March 31st. Most are bare, although there is some snow on a few trails in the woods and in the high country, etc. You’d have a hard time finding them and getting to them, and it’s just not worth the effort. Because March generally brings one storm, although there’s nothing in the forecast and no indication it’s going to happen this year, I will let you know immediately if it does.

You can take a look at web cams throughout the area to check out the snow for yourself. Find links on our website at westernup.info

Visit Western U.P. Trails Website >>>>

CURRENT TRAIL CONDITIONS:
TASA
3/19/09 8:30 a.m.

SNOW ON THE GROUND: 20 inches to ???
BASE: 0-10 INCHES (varies from place to place).
TRAIL CONDITIONS: FAIR TO GOOD
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE VILLAGE OF NEWBERRY HAS AN 11:00 P.M. CURFEW.

TASA GROOMED # 9 NORTH FROM THE 3 MILE STAGING AREA TO HOLLAND LAKE. OVER ALL THE TRAIL IS HOLDING UP WELL AND IS RATED GOOD. BEYOND HOLLAND LAKE IT IS GETTING SNIRTY.

#45 WAS GROOMED AS FAR AS CR 500 AND IS RATED GOOD.

OTHER CLUBS IN THE AREA ARE GROOMING AND RATING TRAILS AS FAIR TO GOOD. HOWEVER, IT IS DOWN TO PAVEMENT AND DIRT GETTING INTO AND OUT OF ANY TOWN IN OUR AREA. COME PREPARED WITH FUEL.

Visit Newberry Trails >>>>

FROM THE CADILLAC WINTER PROMOTIONS
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I think it’s safe to say our riding season if over. There doesn’t seem to be any major storm in for forecast for the next week or so and we have had some lovely spring-like days lately that have melted away the snow and ice.

We hope you enjoyed the trails this winter and will make a point to get involved with one of the grooming organizations to help brush and sign trails this summer. That function of trail maintenance is as important as trail grooming and goes on all summer long. Check out the msasnow.org for a list of those organizations.

Have a safe and fun summer and we’ll look forward to seeing you on the trails next winter.

Cadillac Winter Promotions Website >>>

Cadillac Trails Website >>>>

The tree line to Canada has very poor conditions.
Custom’s Office Hours: Located at D.I. Yacht Haven Marina
Wednesday through Sunday, Noon until 8pm…closed Mon & Tue
Drummond Island - 2009 Ice Bridge to Canada

Groomer will be going out tonight and tomorrow and will update the Michigan Snowmobile Association trail report by Thursday.
Many of the corners are bare, logging trails are very poor. Base has decreased considerably, full report after groomers come in Thursday.

REMEMBER TO WATCH FOR TRUCKS ON TRAILS 492 AND 493 AS LOGGING TRUCKS ARE USING THESE TRAILS DAILY. PICK UP YOU MAPS AT THE MAP BOX ON THE START OF TRAIL 492 AS YOU EXIT THE FERRY.

STAY ON MARKED TRAILS!

SPECIAL NOTICES AND EVENTS:
MARCH MADNESS!!!!!!!
$79/nt in our log lodge
$179/nt in a log home
$129/day snowmobile rentals, no restrictions!
For more info go to: www.drummondisland.com/inetspecials.html

Pins Bar & Grill Winter Specials

Mondays - Pizza Special $15
Large 1-item pizza, garlic bread sticks & large salad
Take out only

Report By: D.I. Resort
URL: http://www.drummondisland.com
Email: info@drummondisland.com

Base: 12 inches
Snowfall Past 24 hours: 0 inches
Current Trail Conditions: Fair

Snowmobile trails from Twin Lakes to Copper Harbor are open but groomers will only be out working on them as temperatures allow. Trails are reported to be in poor to fair condition. Road crossings and most intown areas are bare. Remember to watch out for the groomers when you’re out on the trails….they have the right of way.

NOTE: There is logging on several sections of trail, but these are well marked. Please use caution in these areas. Trail 133 from Gay to Lac La Belle is not open yet.

The Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau asks that you stay on the trails, STAY OFF THE ICE, respect private property, do not drink and drive, and above all else, please, drive safely. The signs on the snowmobile trails are there for the riders’ safety. Please, DO NOT remove or destroy these signs.

Sault Ste. Marie Trail Report
Sault Snowmobile Association
Base: 2 inches
Snowfall Past 24 hours: 0 inches

Temps in the 50’s yesterday and today. It is to be colder on Thursday and Friday with a chance of snow so watch the weather. Trails are melting fast, some dirt showing in corners or where the wun can shine on it. Trails still in rideable shape out in the woods but it is going fast. Water is developing in quite a very areas from the melting snow.

Sault Ste. Marie to Brimley, Trail #8 -

Base 1-5 inches -Trail is in Poor to Good Condition. When crossing the bridge in Brimley make sure you go with flow of traffic and when in town itself. Do not attempt to cross the river by the bridge stay on the bridge. Shoulders are bare.

Brimley to Raco, Trail #8 -

Base 3-5 inches -Trail is in Good to Poor Condition yet. Going thru Brimley shoulders are bare due to sun shining on them.

Raco to Naomikong Trail #8 [where Paradise meets us], Trail #8 -

Base 4-10 inches - Trail is in Good Condition. Some corners developing bare spots

Sault Ste. Marie City Trail, Trails #497, #449, parts of #8 & #49 -

Base 2-6 inches - Trail is in Poor Condition. Trail in poor shape at the new Super Wal-Mart construction site. It will be that way all winter as they continue to build the store. Watch for truck traffic and fresh piles of moved dirt!

City curfew is from 1am - 6 am. Remember most City streets are open to traffic 20mph, stop at all intersections, and right hand side of street not on side walks. Watch for closed streets that are posted, mainly around the hospital, university, and state trunk lines.

Sault Ste. Marie to Kinross, Trail #49 -

Base 1-5 inches - Trail is in Good to Poor Condition. When the trail is running along roads make sure you go with the flow of traffic on the right side of the road.

The Downtown Trail is OPEN and in use. The trail is the only place on Portage Ave. where sleds are legal to ride.

Martin Cottle, Grooming Chairman

Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association

It’s all over people! I hope you had a chance to have fun in Northern Michigan this winter! We had a great winter!

Report By: Mancelona Motel
Report Page: http://trailreport.com/cgi-bin/snowmobiletr.pl?scripted=mancelona

Hi Everyone, 70 degrees in March, spring has sprung. Snowmobiling is done for now here and the ORV, ATV and Buggy season can now kick in. One good thing is the ORV and ATV trails are open year around here and it’s a blast to ride when there is still some snow on the trails. We have one of the largest ORV trail systems in the state, that wind through the Manistee National and Pere Marquette State forest and with our great specials and temps to be in the upper forties this weekend, what are you waiting for? The Snow Chicken 50 is this March 21st, which is an ATV dirt Bike fun run to celebrate spring, sign in is at Peacock LTD.
Wolf CamCheck out the WOLFCAM for the snow totals.

MARCH IS OUR STAY TWO NIGHTS GET THE THIRD NIGHT FREE.

ATV RENTALS WILL BE BACK VERY SOON, SO KEEP WATCHING FOR THE UPDATE.

Visit Wolf Lake Motel Website >>>>

We are going to hold the groomer runs until Friday at the earliest, and evaluate things then. If there still is enough material, we will get them flatted out for the weekend, and go day by day from there. No reason to waste diesel this week to push water around.

I think that you want to ride, you had better be here, or on the way up here. There will be some OK riding for the next few days, but things are going downhill quickly. I also think you probably will be able to ride most of our trails this weekend if you really want to ride, but the conditions are going to be a very long way from good.

Overall, trail conditions will deteriorate all week. It was below freezing last night, but not much. The RR Grade will be all ice by Wednesday, and the ice base on the rest of the trails probably be visible by this weekend. There is still about a foot of ice, covered by 6-12 inches of material on the Northern trails. I still think that there will be riding to be had this coming weekend, with problem areas, but mostly for the die hards, for the majority of us we are pretty much done, unless we get more snow on Thursday then just the trace they are talking. The open areas are going to go pretty quickly in 50d temp days. There will be mostly water and slush on the trails, even if there is ice underneath.

The forecasted temps are not good for sledding, and we may see the snow go almost as fast as it showed up last November. Overall, I guess that we can’t complain about this seasons weather, or conditions overall, things were pretty darn good.

All that said, I will still go out and get some trail pictures later this week and let you know how things really shape up for the weekend.

For the latest St. Ignace Reports Click Here

For the latest St. Ignace Reports Click Here

Its looking like this season of great winter riding is coming to an end. We did get out for a few hours yesterday afternoon, and had fun back in the woods. Getting there was not as much fun. The trail is melting away quickly. Lots of standing water and mud to get through.. This weeks forecast is showing temps up here to reach 50 or above in some areas.

Its been a fun season that got off to a fantastic start in December. We’ll be looking forward to another great season at the end of this year.

Until remember that northern Michigan is a great place to visit during all seasons of the year. Rays Retreat is just as enjoyable in the summer time when you can enjoy the fire pit outside and the flower gardens in the patio area.

Visit Ray’s Retreat Country Inn Website >>>>

Rumor has it they will try to groom the boardman tonight. We have had up and down temps this week. It is looking like it may be the last weekend to ride on the boardman. We want to thank you again for another great year. We will be turning over sleds again next year so if your interested in a good sled at a great price let us know. 20 to choose from. Shoot us an email info@bluesky-tvc.com. Thanks again for another great winter.

Have a safe summer

Jamie

Visit Blue Sky Rentals Website >>>>

Trails condition vary… from fair to good. We’ve gotten another 3 to 4 inches of new snow today, with the blowing … there’s icy spots.

We do have riders our and they enjoyed 80 miles of riding this afternoon. They say decent riding for March.

Rates have been reduced in March so give us a call if you’re coming up.

Visit Ray’s Retreat Country Inn Website >>>>

3.6.09 Temp 35

So far, so good. All our guests reported good trails last night. We got some light rain yesterday afternoon here at camp, and have lost about 8″ of snow as of this morning.

Click HERE for a report from the Powell group who started in Watersmeet last night, rode to Houghton and then to Kemosabe, staying in Cabins 1 and 2.

2.25.09 Temp 30F and 4 inches new snow this morning

Click HERE for a trail report from some of the John Bush Memorial Ride guests staying in cabins 1 2 3 and 4.

2.24.09 Temp 17F and we have 4 feet of NEW Snow in the past six days!

Click HERE for a trail report from the Schoen group in Cabin 5.

2.23.09 Temp 18F and we have 3 1/2 FEET of new snow since 2.17—less than a week.

Quote from the Fulton group here last week:

“Sherry & Jeff

We made it home Friday evening from Snowmobiling at Kemosabe Cabins …. what a sacrifice it was to leave all those beautiful trails and 10” of new snow… The two Alabama and one Florida members of our party are home now but the memories of this trip to Munising will last a long time. Some of us have been riding in the UP for over thirty years and we’ve never seen the trails and snow conditions better than what they are now. The only negative we could find was the fact that we had to come home. If work didn’t stand in our way, we would be on our way back as I’m not sure snowmobiling will ever be that good again. Thanks to Kemosabe Cabins for hosting us and allowing us to have a great trip. We’re already talking about doing it again next year. Tom Fulton”


2.9.09 Temp 35F no new snow overnight

Recorded at Kemosabe Cabins on 2.08.09.

Report By: Kemosabe Cabin Rentals
URL: http://www.munising.net/kemosabe

Greetings Sledders,

Note to self: Always remove the welcome mat in front of the door to number 5 before attempting to use the snow blower. Welcome mats will not go completely through this machine.
Well here we are winding down one more snowmobile season. I know that there will be more riding available before the season is officially pronounced dead and the ensuing death certificate and other paperwork is completed but it has been our experience that once March arrives it’s pretty much lights out show’s over time. That said if you see that it’s snowing up here and you want to get in that last trail or off trail ride don’t hesitate to call and we will give you an honest assessment of what’s happening.

We would like to once again thank all of you that stayed with us this season and helped to make it another successful one. We had our “No Vacancy” on many times over the course of the winter and it is you that made that happen and we are indeed grateful to all of you.

OKAY LET’S GET TO THE FINALE’

TRAILS:
We got around 6-7″ of heavy wet snow last night and if you were here today you could have gotten in some real good rides on the fresh stuff. Now I have to qualify that with this for the guy that called this morning and I painted a more or less bleak assessment of things. First of all I hadn’t been outside yet and underestimated the total snowfall and I also knew that the Sun was going to be on bake all day, therefore it could have been a crap shoot in driving up.
I did get out on ‘Le Classique’ late this afternoon and there was some water building as a result of last weekend’s thaw and the high in the sky March sun. Off trail was great although I was on my own and it’s not the best of ideas to wander too far into the Range areas by your lonesome.

GROOMING:
We are not going to groom at this time. Too much water in spots and sometimes it’s best to let the sleds do the packin’ and this is one of those times. This is not to say that we are done for the season because history tells us that we will probably get hit again during the grooming season. Again if you see that we are getting snow just give us a call.
Grooming numbers so far: We groomed about 7000 miles on 87 miles of trail and expended about 1200 man hours in the process and you don’t even want to know the amount or cost of fuel to get this done. This works out to a whopping 5.8 mph. It takes awhile.

WEATHER:
Looks like some light rain and freezing rain tomorrow and tomorrow night before it gets cold for a couple of days and turns warm again for the weekend. Not the best of forecasts but it is after all March.
It’s supposed to get cold again next week so anything can happen. I’d like to think that Brother Robin, Steve and Friendless Bob and I can at least get another weekday jaunt into the Range areas before it’s all said and done.

WHAT’S ON THE FAY’S MOTEL HORIZON?
Look for the video age to finally get to Fay’s. I’m going to steal a page from my Big Fat Budda Buddy’s play book and do some video shoots of our mushroom hunts, dog training, Bluegill fishing and some Grouse and Woodcock hunts and get the links posted on our reports as well as on our website.

That’s it for now. Thanks again for your patronage it has allowed us to eat parts of a steer and the occasional pizza without the fear of going bust.

Take care.

Ride Often and Please Be Safe,
Keith, Sandy and The Girls

Visit Fay’s Motel Website >>>>

3/9/09

Hello All, time for a weekly update:

We had some warmer weather this weekend and lost a little bit of snow but not enough to hurt the trails at all. Still plenty of snow on them. Some corners may be slick but otherwise they are still in good riding condition overall.

Also, we are getting new snow right now with more expected all week so any snow we did lose is getting replaced right now.

Excellent trails to be found and 3 weeks left to the season. Hope to see you all on the trails.

And here are my usual helpful area links. Let me know if you have any questions or anything you need help with.

Conditions:

http://www.countryvillageresort.com/html/snowmobile_conditions.html

Lodging: http://www.countryvillageresort.com/html/lodging.html

Specials: http://www.countryvillageresort.com/html/snowmo_specials.html

Thanks,
CVR

Riding was marginal this weekend. We still had riders out there… alot of ice, large water holes, mud and snow in the woods.

Lots of ice. It started snowing tonight about 6 pm. We’re under a winter storm warning. 4-6 inches overnight.

Visit Ray’s Retreat Country Inn Website >>>>

Trails are good. Temps are expected to be above freezing today and tomorrow. The trails are still covered with a good base and should hold up well even with above normal temps. We are expecting some light drizzle tomorrow. This could be one of the last weekends to ride so come on up and enjoy the trails.

We have sleds to rent so call us today!

Jamie

Visit Blue Sky Rentals Website >>>>

We have had a couple of warm days, around 35-40deg, which have made the trails icy in places. There is still a good amount of snow around for this weekend. Things may get a little snirty in and around busy areas depending on traffic. The woods still has several feet and is good riding. We are meant to get light rain for a few hours today and late Saturday afternoon. All in all I think we will scrape through with one more decent weekend sledding, after this temps do remain above freezing for several days..

Thanks Brett

Visit Snowblitz Snowmobile Rentals Website >>>>

Welcome to March. The trails are still holding up great as we are enjoying mid winter conditions. Don’t let the lack of snow down state stop you from coming up. The trails held up extremely well this weekend with cold temps. The groomers are out in full force to give us some great riding into March. We are riding the next 2 days so I will update on Tuesday eve.

We have a ton of sleds to rent so call us today!

Jamie

Visit Blue Sky Rentals Website >>>>

Trail riding has been great yesterday and today. Riders returning last night reported great rides north and west. Plenty of snow and groomed trails. Even with all the riders yesterday, trails were still in good shape as they were returning later in the day.

Several rooms are still out riding this afternoon. So trails remain in good condition. Get up here this week and enjoy some good riding.

I’ve posted pictures of The Bob’s ride yesterday on the blog; www.raysretreatcountryinn.com/blog

Later today I’ll be posting pictures taken of the Vintage Sleds that were down at Waters yesterday and the fun they had on ‘The Ski Hill’.

Give us a call if you want to make a reservation where you can enjoy easy quick access to the trail. Start the day out with a hot breakfast, included in your room rate. Wifi, Cable tv, all the comforts you want and need at Rays Retreat. 989-732-4914.

Visit Ray’s Retreat Country Inn Website >>>>

Central part of the trail at Stanwood/Big Rapids.

NEW SNOW: Rain — Rain has taken away riding in this area again. It might be over here in west central Michigan.

EVENTS & SPECIALS:
Check out the rest rooms and fire pit at Reed City at the White Pine/Pere Marquette trail intersections! It’s the brick building on the trail.

(The White Pine trail is the former Railroad track stretching from Rockford to Cadillac. Not a challenging trail, but great for families with many towns to visit along the way.)

Mancelona Trail Report - February 25, 2009
Jordan Valley Trails Council
Updated: 2/27/2009

Current Trail Conditions: Excellent

The surface is packed powder, with ice under it in many corners and hills.No dirt or snirt showing.

We are currently getting some light snow. The temps are around 16 with sub zero lows predicted tonight.

Petoskey Trail Report - February 27, 2009
Petoskey Snowmobile Club

Current Trail Conditions: Excellent

Winter still has a solid grip on the area. Another 4-5 inches of snow yesterday and very cold temps today. The groomers have been going out nightly and the drivers are reporting outstanding conditions all over. Roadsides are good. No dirt showing. Maybe a little ice around some of the corners but otherwise trail conditions are outstanding.

It’s looking like the Larry’s Run (Trail 76 South) will not be groomed tonight. Our scheduled driver is working late and a last-minute substitute has yet to be found. That’s okay, though. We’re going to take tonight and tomorrow to do a little maintenance on it. We’ll have it back in action on Saturday night.

See our trail map at http://www.petoskeysnowmobileclub.org


Report By: Mountainside Inn
URL: http://www.boyne.net/mountainside
Email: mountainsidemark@yahoo.com

Groomers are out, trails are in great shape. More snow in the forecast. Should be a great weekend for riding.

For more information feel free to contact me anytime (989)544-2383- Or (800)328-5094

For Cabin and or snowmobile rentals give us a call.
( 989 ) 544-2383 or (800) 328-5094

Our trails are across the road 103 mile of well groomed trails.they connect to the Cadillac trails or Baldwin so there are hundreds of miles to ride.

For Cabin and or snowmobile rentals give us a call.
( 989 ) 544-2383 or (800) 328-5094

Visit Crooked Lake Resort Website >>>>

Maybe the Snow Gods are shining on us again since we got about 6-10″ of new snow with the last storm last weekend and now we’re under a storm warning for a dumpload more tonight and tomorrow! The groomers are out and say it is looking like good conditions and with the new snow we should be looking FINE again! So, gas em’ up and get out there! Be safe, be smart, talk to ya soon and I’ll CYA on the trails! Carol B — Benzie Bureau

Check out Sunny Woods Resort for snowmobile lodging packages for this weekend.

The weekend turned out to be great for riding, sledding, skiing and so on. We had about 18 inches of new snowfall over the past 10 days or so. The Boardman system is in great shape once again. We may only have a few weeks left so come on up to Traverse City and ride!

We have a bunch of 1 and 2 person sleds left for the weekend!

Jamie

Visit Blue Sky Rentals Website >>>>

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