February 13, 2014 – Gogebic Area Trails are in very good to excellent condition as we head into Presidents weekend, the last “holiday” weekend of the winter. And by holiday, I mean that there will likely be families up for the weekend and some of these kids may be inexperienced. Do your part by riding at a safe speed and always staying on your side of the trail at all times. The groomers have been busy knocking back corners where they’ve become banked up, making our trails even safer for riders in the area. No problems to report on any trails. We’re expecting perfect conditions over this weekend with high temps in the teens and night temps just below zero! We’ve received about 6-inches of new snow over the last 24 hours…all is good.

We have a request to make; on a couple of instances recently our groomers have had to drive on a portion of a highway shoulder to get back to the groomer garage. Once was because the driver fell ill and once was because there was a mechanical issue with the groomer. Unfortunately some snowmobilers took this as an invitation to ride these roadways. You cannot ride along the highway, at anytime, anywhere for any reason.

I’m happy to report less snowmobile traffic riding on the railroad tracks through Merriweather and Bergland. I know there are a lot of snowmobile tracks running on the railroad tracks and it can get confusing…but don’t follow blindly along other snowmobile tracks. When in doubt, look for trail signs. If you see a R/R sign, guess what? You’re on a railroad track! Get off of it ASAP!! You could get stuck on the tracks and you could get a ticket for riding on them. I know the R.R. tracks haven’t been in use for a number of years now but they are still considered “active”, so you never know when you might come nose to nose with a very large locomotive…not cool. Law enforcement has been out patrolling these areas and will ticket anyone found riding on the R/R tracks.

So, the moral of this trail report is, once again, please stay on the marked trails! We go to a lot of effort and money to make sure these trails are kept in great shape for great riding.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the newest edition of the Gogebic Times, put out by the Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce, which can be found at most local businesses. Not only will you find a snowmobile map and a lake map but there are some really great articles about snowmobile riding in our beautiful area. Not to mention some really great articles about the Lake Gogebic area and lots of great information for year round fun. Take one or two home with you, there free of cost to you.

That’s all for now from Carolyn at the Hoop. I will keep you posted as often as conditions change. For additional information about the Lake Gogebic area we invite you to visit the only official website of the Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce at www.LakeGogebicArea.com or call us at 1-888-464-3242 (888-GOGEBIC). From all of us here at Lake Gogebic have a great ride as well as a safe ride.

Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce – 02/13/2014

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Snow, snow and more snow…is the forecast for the next 10 days! Winter is making up for lost time and the trails are looking good. Groomers have been out for the last week, working with all this snow. Monday we picked up about 8 to 10-inches of new snow – and lots of very cold temperatures. I think the high on Monday didn’t get above -14 degrees below zero! Watch out for frost bite in these conditions. Don’t leave any skin exposed, wear many layers to keep warm and stop frequently for a hot chocolate. That’s my cure for handling the cold weather. However, it is supposed to start warming up into the teens and 20’s by later this week.

The word is that the ice heaves we experienced on the lake over this last weekend are starting to settle back down again and I would be very surprised if there was any open water after the subzero temps we’ve been experiencing. But you should still keep your eyes open for any issues like this while riding the lake. Scope out your route first at a slower speed before really opening up your sled.

Don’t forget to check the upcoming events listed below as the Walleye Lodge’s fishing tournament is coming up this weekend. Shake it up a little…do a little riding on the trails and then try your luck with some fishing on Lake Gogebic. Get the full experience of winter on Lake Gogebic.

FYI – the Bergland Mobil has closed, so plan you’re fueling accordingly.

Upcoming events:

– 4h Annual Lake Gogebic North Shore Walleye Lodge Ice Fishing Tournament

(Formerly Russ’ Bait and Tackle)

January 26 & 27, 2013 Saturday 7am (et) -noon on Sunday. Entry fee $25.00. Call 905-575-3557 for details – All proceeds will generously be donated to our local chapter of Walleye’s For Tomorrow, so make sure to join the fun this next weekend!

– Mark your calendar for Saturday February 2nd for the 2nd Annual Radar Run, sponsored by The Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce, being held at the Gogebic Lodge.

Walleye Lodge – 1/21/13

We’ve received about a foot of snow over the last few days with snow in the forecast every day this week! The groomers have been out and while the trails are in “good” condition, there are still some icy spots so use caution. Trail conditions will continue to improve as we continue to receive more snow!

Sledding season is here….so get packed up and come on up! This is what you’ve been waiting for!