Sault Ste. Marie Trail Report – 02/20
SAULT STE. MARIE UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association – 02/20
2/20- Good afternoon!
I love it when our operators get to bring their spouses with them to document the trip!
This report comes to us from Ann, groomer Dennis’ wife, on their run of 472 and 480 through the Spile Dam.
“What a beautiful hoar frosty morning to go out for a ‘slow snow roll’. It was 6° overnight, 15° when we left and 23° when we returned 5 hrs. later. Sure wish it would stay this way.
We panned west 472 & 480. Snow amount is same as yesterday. We were able to smooth out the trails. Trail 472 turned out good. Only area of concern is a deep trough just west of the “leaning deer blind”. It was open yesterday & frozen today but I assume will open back up.
Trail 480 has more thin spots with a little snirt showing in places & a few bumps that will take more snow to smooth out. Overall it came out just ok but enough snow to ride on”
Thank you Ann and Dennis for your time and the report!
It remained pretty cloudy today, and never did get above freezing. Just goes to show ya, you can’t always believe what your weather app says.
We hope you’re out enjoying it while you can! It is likely that grooming will be suspended until we receive new snow, to preserve what is left as much as possible, especially with very low traffic. We’ll keep updating! ❄️❄️❄️
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WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Light snow will continue moving into the western half of the UP over the next 2 hours. Snow will continue west to east quickly, diminishing in the Keweenaw and central as the night progresses. Snow will diminish in the eastern UP by early morning. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLight snow will continue moving into the western half of the UP over the next 2 hours. Snow will continue west to east quickly, diminishing in the Keweenaw and central as the night progresses. Snow will diminish in the eastern UP by early morning.
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/11/26
Last one for the day, I think.
Lane went out scouting on 49 today, and there’s definitely some wet spots showing now south of 11 mile. He said it definitely needs cold, but it’s flat and nice with the new snow. Sleds will pack it in, and cold later this week will really seal it up.
I went out with a group to the west after checking on 480 (please see video from earlier), and we had a fantastic day. We went to Trout Lake and hit many forest service roads as we made our way back to the Soo. Chippewa Snowchasers has 472 from west of Rudyard to Trout Lake in amazing condition!
On our return to the Soo, 8 from Brimley east had the typical chatter bumps after a weekend day. We need a bit more snow, another groom, and it’ll be much better.
Couple of low 30s days ahead, then temps nosedive. Based on the images I’ve seen from clubs all over the UP, we all definitely welcome a deep freeze for the swamps.
Hope you all had a great weekend!❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0111f #snowphotos
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/11/26
Good evening all!
Groomer Pete was out tonight on the city trails, and here’s what he had to say-
“I went out for my scheduled Sunday night of the city trails.
The Good:
The base we do have is pretty thick and flat. The Ashmun Bay access trail ( Trail 8 )is in fine shape all the way to the staging area. Trail 49 from the tracks into town is in good shape, and the hills between the tunnel and the airport are good! The rest of 49 is in good shape as well all the way to 3 Mile.
The Bad:
The warm temps and amount of rain last week definitely hampered our trail building efforts. 449 is pretty good most of the way. There are definitely some soft wet areas approaching Seymour and going to Kewadin. I stayed on the drier side of the trail and avoided opening up any water holes, but riders beware that the water and slush is there! The trails are very icy with a little fluffy powder on top. The sugary snow and powder don’t really setup well, so use caution on turns.
The Ugly:
497, the trail to the High School, is a mess. Tons of water. I made it a couple hundred yards in, and it was a mess. I did a 30 point turn and went back out. I could see significant water holes and nastiness inside the tree line and decided not to make it worse. Plus I was worried about getting stuck, with water hole depth unknown. That trail should be avoided for a couple days until the very cold returns and we get some heavy snow. I would not expect this trail to be groomed again for a few days. Picture is provided to show the conditions.
We survived last weeks warmup and rain, but we have some recovering to do for sure. Do your snow dances and fingers crossed that the cold returns later this week.
-Groomer Pete”
Thanks Pete!
I’ll follow up with a couple more reports from the day in a bit.
497 to the high school pictured #soo #soo0111e #snowphotos1/11/26
Good evening all!
Groomer Pete was out tonight on the city trails, and here’s what he had to say-
“I went out for my scheduled Sunday night of the city trails.
The Good:
The base we do have is pretty thick and flat. The Ashmun Bay access trail ( Trail 8 )is in fine shape all the way to the staging area. Trail 49 from the tracks into town is in good shape, and the hills between the tunnel and the airport are good! The rest of 49 is in good shape as well all the way to 3 Mile.
The Bad:
The warm temps and amount of rain last week definitely hampered our trail building efforts. 449 is pretty good most of the way. There are definitely some soft wet areas approaching Seymour and going to Kewadin. I stayed on the drier side of the trail and avoided opening up any water holes, but riders beware that the water and slush is there! The trails are very icy with a little fluffy powder on top. The sugary snow and powder don’t really setup well, so use caution on turns.
The Ugly:
497, the trail to the High School, is a mess. Tons of water. I made it a couple hundred yards in, and it was a mess. I did a 30 point turn and went back out. I could see significant water holes and nastiness inside the tree line and decided not to make it worse. Plus I was worried about getting stuck, with water hole depth unknown. That trail should be avoided for a couple days until the very cold returns and we get some heavy snow. I would not expect this trail to be groomed again for a few days. Picture is provided to show the conditions.
We survived last weeks warmup and rain, but we have some recovering to do for sure. Do your snow dances and fingers crossed that the cold returns later this week.
-Groomer Pete”
Thanks Pete!
I’ll follow up with a couple more reports from the day in a bit.
497 to the high school pictured
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/10/26
Spotted! Groomer Pete and Sandi snagged a cool video of Ben and Jay out tonight in the Tucker❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0110c #snowphotos
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/10/26
From groomer Jay tonight-
“City trails are good. I wouldn’t call them great, fair to good. OG (Original Groomer) Ben, and I broke through on the I-500 trail. That crew plowed the parking lot to prep for the race, so that’s rough, and will be until after the race, but also very wet. All in all the only real trail problems for our city trails is Seymour hill. We tried dumping snow in the water and were unsuccessful. We didn’t ride down the high school trail, but the Kewadin trail was in fair to good shape. Roads and shoulders will be bare, but the trails are in good enough shape to ride. We picked up a few inches as we groomed, but it didn’t help much. I will say, it was good to have Ben at the helm today. He’s a brother, and the one who really set the tone and showed me the ropes on how to groom trails. Hanging out together was a great day! Welcome Back OG, we missed you!!”
Thank you Jay and Ben! Great to see Ben back in the seat!❄️❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0110b #snowphotos
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/10/26
Back in the saddle! OG Ben and Jay!
More to come! #soo #soo0110a #snowphotos
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Quieter weather settles in across the U.P. today as lingering snow showers tapering off this morning. A weak clipper system will bring another round of light snow tonight, but only expect another inch or so of accumulation in most locations. After another quiet day on Monday, another system brings a mix of rain and snow to the area on Tuesday. #miweather #keweenaw #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaQuieter weather settles in across the U.P. today as lingering snow showers tapering off this morning. A weak clipper system will bring another round of light snow tonight, but only expect another inch or so of accumulation in most locations. After another quiet day on Monday, another system brings a mix of rain and snow to the area on Tuesday.
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Widespread snow will begin to spread west to east this morning while a heavier snowband looks to set up in the central UP this afternoon. Uncertainty still remains where this snowband will park, however, heavy snowfall rates will likely create difficult travel along US-41 from Delta to Marquette/Alger counties. Tonight, widespread snow transitions to lake effect snow for the north wind snowbelts.
For additional information, find the full briefing here: www.weather.gov/media/mqt/DssPacket.pdf #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Accumulating snow will continue to spread across northern Michigan today into Sunday. Accumulations remain consistent to this mornings forecast with 3-6” for most of the area and localized 7”+ possible where heaviest snow falls this evening and tonight. The combination of snow covered roads and reduced visibility will lead to hazardous travel across parts of the area. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberryAccumulating snow will continue to spread across northern Michigan today into Sunday. Accumulations remain consistent to this mornings forecast with 3-6” for most of the area and localized 7”+ possible where heaviest snow falls this evening and tonight. The combination of snow covered roads and reduced visibility will lead to hazardous travel across parts of the area.
WEATHER UPDATE via Pictured Rocks Marine Weather Conditions >> Here's the updated 24-hour snowfall forecast through 7am Sunday (top figure) compared to the same forecast from two days ago (bottom figure). No big changes for the UP, although a bit more snow is now forecast for the Keweenaw and central UP. Not a bad way to make up for the recent warmup! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Dry weather persists for most of tonight. Then, light to moderate snow spreads across the UP early Saturday morning through the afternoon, with lingering lake effect snow in the north wind snow belts Saturday night. Lake effect winds down Sunday. Expect light snowfall amounts for most of the UP, but lake effect/enhanced snow may lead to locally higher amounts in excess of 4” across the snow belts of the western, north-central, and eastern UP by Sunday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaDry weather persists for most of tonight. Then, light to moderate snow spreads across the UP early Saturday morning through the afternoon, with lingering lake effect snow in the north wind snow belts Saturday night. Lake effect winds down Sunday. Expect light snowfall amounts for most of the UP, but lake effect/enhanced snow may lead to locally higher amounts in excess of 4” across the snow belts of the western, north-central, and eastern UP by Sunday.
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WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Light snow will continue moving into the western half of the UP over the next 2 hours. Snow will continue west to east quickly, diminishing in the Keweenaw and central as the night progresses. Snow will diminish in the eastern UP by early morning. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLight snow will continue moving into the western half of the UP over the next 2 hours. Snow will continue west to east quickly, diminishing in the Keweenaw and central as the night progresses. Snow will diminish in the eastern UP by early morning.
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/11/26
Last one for the day, I think.
Lane went out scouting on 49 today, and there’s definitely some wet spots showing now south of 11 mile. He said it definitely needs cold, but it’s flat and nice with the new snow. Sleds will pack it in, and cold later this week will really seal it up.
I went out with a group to the west after checking on 480 (please see video from earlier), and we had a fantastic day. We went to Trout Lake and hit many forest service roads as we made our way back to the Soo. Chippewa Snowchasers has 472 from west of Rudyard to Trout Lake in amazing condition!
On our return to the Soo, 8 from Brimley east had the typical chatter bumps after a weekend day. We need a bit more snow, another groom, and it’ll be much better.
Couple of low 30s days ahead, then temps nosedive. Based on the images I’ve seen from clubs all over the UP, we all definitely welcome a deep freeze for the swamps.
Hope you all had a great weekend!❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0111f #snowphotos
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/11/26
Good evening all!
Groomer Pete was out tonight on the city trails, and here’s what he had to say-
“I went out for my scheduled Sunday night of the city trails.
The Good:
The base we do have is pretty thick and flat. The Ashmun Bay access trail ( Trail 8 )is in fine shape all the way to the staging area. Trail 49 from the tracks into town is in good shape, and the hills between the tunnel and the airport are good! The rest of 49 is in good shape as well all the way to 3 Mile.
The Bad:
The warm temps and amount of rain last week definitely hampered our trail building efforts. 449 is pretty good most of the way. There are definitely some soft wet areas approaching Seymour and going to Kewadin. I stayed on the drier side of the trail and avoided opening up any water holes, but riders beware that the water and slush is there! The trails are very icy with a little fluffy powder on top. The sugary snow and powder don’t really setup well, so use caution on turns.
The Ugly:
497, the trail to the High School, is a mess. Tons of water. I made it a couple hundred yards in, and it was a mess. I did a 30 point turn and went back out. I could see significant water holes and nastiness inside the tree line and decided not to make it worse. Plus I was worried about getting stuck, with water hole depth unknown. That trail should be avoided for a couple days until the very cold returns and we get some heavy snow. I would not expect this trail to be groomed again for a few days. Picture is provided to show the conditions.
We survived last weeks warmup and rain, but we have some recovering to do for sure. Do your snow dances and fingers crossed that the cold returns later this week.
-Groomer Pete”
Thanks Pete!
I’ll follow up with a couple more reports from the day in a bit.
497 to the high school pictured #soo #soo0111e #snowphotos1/11/26
Good evening all!
Groomer Pete was out tonight on the city trails, and here’s what he had to say-
“I went out for my scheduled Sunday night of the city trails.
The Good:
The base we do have is pretty thick and flat. The Ashmun Bay access trail ( Trail 8 )is in fine shape all the way to the staging area. Trail 49 from the tracks into town is in good shape, and the hills between the tunnel and the airport are good! The rest of 49 is in good shape as well all the way to 3 Mile.
The Bad:
The warm temps and amount of rain last week definitely hampered our trail building efforts. 449 is pretty good most of the way. There are definitely some soft wet areas approaching Seymour and going to Kewadin. I stayed on the drier side of the trail and avoided opening up any water holes, but riders beware that the water and slush is there! The trails are very icy with a little fluffy powder on top. The sugary snow and powder don’t really setup well, so use caution on turns.
The Ugly:
497, the trail to the High School, is a mess. Tons of water. I made it a couple hundred yards in, and it was a mess. I did a 30 point turn and went back out. I could see significant water holes and nastiness inside the tree line and decided not to make it worse. Plus I was worried about getting stuck, with water hole depth unknown. That trail should be avoided for a couple days until the very cold returns and we get some heavy snow. I would not expect this trail to be groomed again for a few days. Picture is provided to show the conditions.
We survived last weeks warmup and rain, but we have some recovering to do for sure. Do your snow dances and fingers crossed that the cold returns later this week.
-Groomer Pete”
Thanks Pete!
I’ll follow up with a couple more reports from the day in a bit.
497 to the high school pictured
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/10/26
Spotted! Groomer Pete and Sandi snagged a cool video of Ben and Jay out tonight in the Tucker❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0110c #snowphotos
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/10/26
From groomer Jay tonight-
“City trails are good. I wouldn’t call them great, fair to good. OG (Original Groomer) Ben, and I broke through on the I-500 trail. That crew plowed the parking lot to prep for the race, so that’s rough, and will be until after the race, but also very wet. All in all the only real trail problems for our city trails is Seymour hill. We tried dumping snow in the water and were unsuccessful. We didn’t ride down the high school trail, but the Kewadin trail was in fair to good shape. Roads and shoulders will be bare, but the trails are in good enough shape to ride. We picked up a few inches as we groomed, but it didn’t help much. I will say, it was good to have Ben at the helm today. He’s a brother, and the one who really set the tone and showed me the ropes on how to groom trails. Hanging out together was a great day! Welcome Back OG, we missed you!!”
Thank you Jay and Ben! Great to see Ben back in the seat!❄️❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0110b #snowphotos
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/10/26
Back in the saddle! OG Ben and Jay!
More to come! #soo #soo0110a #snowphotos
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Quieter weather settles in across the U.P. today as lingering snow showers tapering off this morning. A weak clipper system will bring another round of light snow tonight, but only expect another inch or so of accumulation in most locations. After another quiet day on Monday, another system brings a mix of rain and snow to the area on Tuesday. #miweather #keweenaw #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaQuieter weather settles in across the U.P. today as lingering snow showers tapering off this morning. A weak clipper system will bring another round of light snow tonight, but only expect another inch or so of accumulation in most locations. After another quiet day on Monday, another system brings a mix of rain and snow to the area on Tuesday.
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Widespread snow will begin to spread west to east this morning while a heavier snowband looks to set up in the central UP this afternoon. Uncertainty still remains where this snowband will park, however, heavy snowfall rates will likely create difficult travel along US-41 from Delta to Marquette/Alger counties. Tonight, widespread snow transitions to lake effect snow for the north wind snowbelts.
For additional information, find the full briefing here: www.weather.gov/media/mqt/DssPacket.pdf #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Accumulating snow will continue to spread across northern Michigan today into Sunday. Accumulations remain consistent to this mornings forecast with 3-6” for most of the area and localized 7”+ possible where heaviest snow falls this evening and tonight. The combination of snow covered roads and reduced visibility will lead to hazardous travel across parts of the area. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberryAccumulating snow will continue to spread across northern Michigan today into Sunday. Accumulations remain consistent to this mornings forecast with 3-6” for most of the area and localized 7”+ possible where heaviest snow falls this evening and tonight. The combination of snow covered roads and reduced visibility will lead to hazardous travel across parts of the area.
WEATHER UPDATE via Pictured Rocks Marine Weather Conditions >> Here's the updated 24-hour snowfall forecast through 7am Sunday (top figure) compared to the same forecast from two days ago (bottom figure). No big changes for the UP, although a bit more snow is now forecast for the Keweenaw and central UP. Not a bad way to make up for the recent warmup! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Dry weather persists for most of tonight. Then, light to moderate snow spreads across the UP early Saturday morning through the afternoon, with lingering lake effect snow in the north wind snow belts Saturday night. Lake effect winds down Sunday. Expect light snowfall amounts for most of the UP, but lake effect/enhanced snow may lead to locally higher amounts in excess of 4” across the snow belts of the western, north-central, and eastern UP by Sunday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaDry weather persists for most of tonight. Then, light to moderate snow spreads across the UP early Saturday morning through the afternoon, with lingering lake effect snow in the north wind snow belts Saturday night. Lake effect winds down Sunday. Expect light snowfall amounts for most of the UP, but lake effect/enhanced snow may lead to locally higher amounts in excess of 4” across the snow belts of the western, north-central, and eastern UP by Sunday.
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