Sault Ste. Marie Trail Report – 02/21
SAULT STE. MARIE UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association – 02/21
2/21 5:30 PM update. Ok guys, sun is going down and it’s cooling off a bit but we for sure lost a lot of snow cover today. I plan to drive and look down the trails, and I’ll report what I see. For those that are already here, or are coming no matter what, these are my suggestions on where to stage at to avoid a ton of road riding, or thin trails.
Option 1- Wild Bluff Golf Course at Bay Mills Resort and Casino. The trail is just to the north of the lot, maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 mile. It’ll be a little rough along the road, but it’s a short stretch to the trail. From there, you can hit the 889 loop, be sure to stop and take in the amazing view at Mission Hill Overlook. There are a ton of forest service roads all back in there and all the way through Raco and Strongs. Be sure to stop in to Sacy’s Restaurant for an excellent breakfast or dinner, and also Back Bay Grill and Games for lunch or dinner. It’s a quick walk right across the street from Wild Bluff.
Option 2- Park at Waboose Ski Trail head off of Ranger Rd, 2.5 miles north of M28. This is where the ORV route comes in, and again, tons of two tracks and forest service roads all back in there.
Option 3- there is a small parking area on the north side of M28, east of Strongs Corner. That is right on trail 47 which I have heard is not good (rocks mixed with snirt) but again, the forest service roads are also right there. There’s a place a little further down on M28 where you can cross over to south of M28 and hit all of those forest service roads too.
For maps, you’re on your own. You can see most of them on the Polaris Ride Command app. I’m sure also on VV Mapping, or similar. Also the Hiawatha National Forest website. This is the Sault Ste Marie sector.
Cell service can be spotty out there. Please download the what3words app and start it before you head out. Doing so should allow you to still pull up the 3 words that are assigned to your location in the event of an emergency. You can also text 911 with very little signal.
Please be mindful of signs that say no snomobiles or private property, and don’t trespass. Also be mindful of forest plantations.
Last but certainly not least, before or after you ride, please stop in and support the local businesses that have been here for all of us, snow or no snow. Who knows if this is the end of the season or not, but it’s been a very, very tough winter for area businesses.
Please be safe! It’s spring conditions for sure as of today, mixed with early season little to no base on the trails.
Let us know if you have questions and we’ll try to help.
Oh and if you appreciate what we do, we’d be so grateful for a donation! You can do so at www.sootrails.org. We are all unpaid volunteers. Thanks guys!
<>
2/21 mid afternoon update- it’s 45 degrees and sunny today. Boo! I’m not out riding so I can’t tell you what the trails look like, but I would bet they are getting soft and burning down in the thin areas. The icicles on my house are rapidly melting. I still show 9” of snow here at my house (down from 14” on Sunday) If you’re out riding our area today, please comment on this post or message us so that we can help others know what’s going on out there. Thanks!
<>
2/21 – good morning all! This is from yesterday, but I just got it. Our newest groomer recently retired after he sold his John Deere dealership in Ohio, so his nickname is Tractor Tim😉 He headed out yesterday on the power lines, also 889, and part of 480. Here’s what he had to say-
“Yesterday, we groomed 480 to the Spile Dam turnaround , 8 from Brimley turn off to Ranger rd (the power lines), & the Mission Hill loop (889) down to Bay Mills resort. The power lines are thin but very rideable . All of the other trails are good to very good . Big Thanks to Trainer Raco Dave , Turbo and my wife Melissa for riding shotgun”
Thanks for your time Tim! We are happy to have you aboard!
Videos in the comments.
I will update you all later. Grooming has been suspended until further notice, as things are about as good as they can get with the minimal snow we have and warmer temps today.
Think snow and cold!
<>
<>
Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Facebook Page
<>
Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Trail Report on MSA
<>
Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Temperatures will dip near or below zero again tonight, but a warm up is on the way as highs climb into the 30s Monday afternoon. Daytime temperatures are then forecast to remain above freezing through the rest of the coming week, climbing above 40 across most of the U.P. by Wednesday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaTemperatures will dip near or below zero again tonight, but a warm up is on the way as highs climb into the 30s Monday afternoon. Daytime temperatures are then forecast to remain above freezing through the rest of the coming week, climbing above 40 across most of the U.P. by Wednesday.
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 3/1/2026
Good evening! Turbo and Diane did an earlier run for a change today on trail 8 from Raco all the way to the Soo. While we typically do not like to groom during the day on a weekend, sometimes that’s what we need to do due to scheduling purposes. With cold temps and light sled traffic, it should help keep the snow a little looser for cooling.
It was a beautiful sunny day, and they saw a few groups out enjoying it, and some wildlife too.
As a reminder, this is a shared trail with ORVs less than 65” wide between the Soo and the Raco turn off. This is only shared trail in our area, and it isn’t wide enough for a SxS and groomer to pass on the trail. They encountered one SxS today that turned around so that they could continue on their way. We appreciate the driver moving so that they could pass.
Thank you to the Turbos! Looking awesome! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0301b #snowphotos
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 3/1/26
Happy March everyone! Hard to believe it’s the last (official) month of the season. And what a season it has been!
We had another record traffic Saturday, and our operators have been working so hard to keep things as smooth as we can for you.
After a long, cold, and windy day on the St Mary’s River at the radar run yesterday, Brimley Bill got a few hours of sleep and then headed out to hit the Mission Hill route. We call this route M40 for our reporting purpsoes. It’s 480 from M28, to 8, to Ranger Rd, and the 889 grade and 889 loop in the Raco and Bay Mills areas.
Here’s his report-
“I groomed M40 early this morning. Pretty much all of 889 was really beat up. I did my best to cut out all of the bumps. Some of the curves were so bad that I was not able to completely remove all of the bumps, (probably 90% gone.). The trail 8 Powerline and 480 RR Grade were still in pretty good shape. I smoothed out whatever bumps were there.”
Thank you, Bill! You’d never know now that hundreds of sleds ran those trails yesterday! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0301 #snowphotos
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Expect morning flurries to give way to sunny skies this afternoon over the central and western U.P. Light lake effect snow showers will linger over the eastern U.P., mainly close to Lake Superior. Expect a warm up this week with the warmest temperatures over the west and near the MI/WI state line. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaExpect morning flurries to give way to sunny skies this afternoon over the central and western U.P. Light lake effect snow showers will linger over the eastern U.P., mainly close to Lake Superior. Expect a warm up this week with the warmest temperatures over the west and near the MI/WI state line.
WEATHER UPDATE via Michigan Storm Chasers >> Lake effect flurries and snow showers are possible today, March 1st, 2026 across some of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. With dry air mixing in, totals will be relatively kept in check, but a swath of 1-3", perhaps 4" is possible along M-28 south of Grand Marais. Changing wind fields will also allow for light/brief accumulations along some of our lakeshore regions in the Lower Peninsula, but it's not guaranteed for everyone. Timing is through the remainder of the day. Mild temperatures coming later this week, which should help begin the melting process for many. #miweather #keweenaw #munising #newberry #sooLake effect flurries and snow showers are possible today, March 1st, 2026 across some of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. With dry air mixing in, totals will be relatively kept in check, but a swath of 1-3", perhaps 4" is possible along M-28 south of Grand Marais. Changing wind fields will also allow for light/brief accumulations along some of our lakeshore regions in the Lower Peninsula, but it's not guaranteed for everyone. Timing is through the remainder of the day. Mild temperatures coming later this week, which should help begin the melting process for many.
-- Trusted Partner of the Day --
Mike Hayes Roofing & Siding | Call 810-984-4564 for all your exterior home needs across Sanilac and St. Clair counties!
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Northwest winds will subside through the the day with partly to mostly cloudy skies. Lake effect snow showers are expected in the northwest wind snowbelts, especially over the eastern U.P. where 1 to 3 inches of snowfall is expected. High temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees below average, coldest in the Keweenaw. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaNorthwest winds will subside through the the day with partly to mostly cloudy skies. Lake effect snow showers are expected in the northwest wind snowbelts, especially over the eastern U.P. where 1 to 3 inches of snowfall is expected. High temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees below average, coldest in the Keweenaw.
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 2/28/26
Good morning everyone!
While we certainly didn’t need the warm and sun yesterday, our hard working volunteers were itching to go as soon as temps dropped.
Our first report comes from Warren-
“We went out at 1 AM. Club member Steve & myself at 27 degrees did 480 from the Spile Dam turnaround, and 8 all the way to Brimley and back as well as the electric lines. I think everybody’s gonna be real happy with that, it cleaned up really well. I finished up at about 19° and then left the Groomer for turbo. Turbo is gonna hit the 889 loop and Brimley grade so I think everybody will be ready to go by about 7:30 - 8 o’clock for all of our trails out this way.”
Thank you, Warren & Steve!!❄️❄️❄️
Trail 8 from the Soo to Brimley will be done tonight, the city trails were done yesterday, and will be done again tomorrow night. I’ll update when I hear from the Kinross crew as well, but I know that everything was done on Thursday ahead of the warm up.
Be safe all and enjoy!
Hope to see some of you at the Radar Run at The Cozy Corners Barbeau MI today! The fun starts at noon! See their page for more info! #soo #soo0228 #snowphotos
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Strong westerly winds develop this afternoon and evening, with winds gusting up to 60 mph in the Keweenaw and 45 mph for the remainder of the northern UP near the Superior shoreline. Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
Temperatures will plummet tonight, setting up a seasonably cold weekend with some light lake effect snow for the northwest wind belts. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea
<>
Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links
- Lake Gogebic Area Trail Report – 03/01
- Keweenaw Peninsula Trail Report – 03/01
- Ironwood – Western U.P. Trail Report – 03/01
- Harbor Springs Area Trail Report – 03/01
- Gaylord Area Trail Report – 03/01
- Frederic / Gaylord Area Trail Report – Sledheads of Frederic – 03/01
- Ontonagon Area Trail Report – 03/01
- Sault Ste. Marie Area Trail Report – 03/01
- Petoskey Area Trail Report – 03/01
- Newberry Area Trail Report – 03/01
- Keweenaw Peninsula Trail Report – 02/28
- Newberry Area Trail Report – 02/28
- Jordan Valley Area Trail Report – 02/28
- Ontonagon Area Trail Report – 02/28
- Lake Gogebic Area Trail Report – 02/28
- Sault Ste. Marie Area Trail Report – 02/28
- Gaylord Area Trail Report – 02/28
- Frederic / Gaylord Area Trail Report – Sledheads of Frederic – 02/28
- Petoskey Area Trail Report – 02/27
- Gaylord Area Trail Report – 02/27
- Frederic / Gaylord Area Trail Report – Sledheads of Frederic – 02/27
- Newberry Area Trail Report – 02/27
- Seney Area Trail Report – 02/27
- Harbor Springs Area Trail Report – 02/27
- Traverse City Area Trail Report – 02/27
- Ironwood – Western U.P. Trail Report – 02/26
- Gaylord Area Trail Report – 02/26
- Frederic / Gaylord Area Trail Report – Sledheads of Frederic – 02/26
<>