Our groomers have done a remarkable job maintaining trail conditions with the small amount of snow we’ve got. There was a dusting over the weekend and temps were comfortable Saturday. Both trails were groomed Saturday night and the railroad grade was groomed last night. Traffic since then has been very light. There’s snirt on the grade but the trail is still pretty flat. The conditions would be better if the snow wasn’t the consistency of sugar. A little fresh snow is all we need to rejuvenate the base. Looks like we’ll have to wait until later this week for that snow.

The news of the day here is the very cold temperature. Many areas report -11 to -15 degrees this morning. We hope to see the low 20’s today but it’s been slow going so far. Have a good Monday, everyone!

Just an FYI that there’s logging activity on the east loop of our wooded trail. The area is signed but watch for changing trails conditions where the trail has been plowed for vehicle traffic. The activity stretches about 1/2 to 1 mile.

Other grooming club news is the new drag we took delivery of last week. The State approved our purchase and this drag was custom-made for us by the experts at Dubie Welding & Fabrication in Gaylord. We’re glad to support local, Michigan business with this purchase. And since this drag will be paid for with State dollars it’s nice to know your trail permit money is coming back around.

If you’re interested in supporting local grooming efforts, visit www.justgroomit.org for details on joining the Indian River Snowmobile Grooming club with a membership donation. We have hats and t-shirts (short & long sleeve) for sale too. Even when we can’t groom we still have operational expenses like insurance, two-way radio communication subscriptions, and more. Thanks to member donations we’re putting up a groomer building ,where we now store and can work on the equipment. Your support makes all the difference! Thank you–

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Visit Indian River Snowmobile Grooming Club Condition Report >>>>

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Temps have dropped into the 20’s for highs today with a couple inches of new snow.

For most of this week we’re expecting high’s in the 20’s but much colder by the weekend (for a change). This is always good news as the trails hold a groom much longer with colder temps. When it’s in the 30’s (like this last weekend) it’s useless trying to groom during the daytime hours – it’s like trying to groom sugar.

All 150 + miles of our trails have been groomed over the last 24 hours and they will continue to regroom. At this time all trails are in good condition, especially with the lighter mid week traffic.

***VERY IMPORTANT – EFFECTIVE JANUARY 26TH THROUGH MARCH*** – The big news is a reroute over the area where trails 1, 102 and 8 west meet, north of Merriweather and west for about 5 miles. Please watch for changes and new signing in this area and heed all trail signage. There will be many pipeline workers plus a lot of heavy equipment in the area formally used for trails in this area so for their safety as well as yours please heed the new signing and don’t take any “short cuts”. This reroute will be in effect for most of the remainder of the snowmobile season, but we will post any changes as they occur.

You may also want to top off your gas if headed north through this area as the reroute will add on an extra 10 miles (there and back) to your trip with no gas stops between Lake Gogebic and Silver City.

You can legally ride any county road that does not get plowed, but check with the Forest Service for a map to these roads. They have a waterproof one for $10.00. Call 906-932-1330 or go to www.fs.usda.gov/ottawa for more info.

The new snowmobile maps are out and available at most local businesses. Please remember that only money put into the wooden map money boxes with the photo of the groomers on it goes back to the trails – so please be aware of this and watch for this.

That’s all for now from Carolyn at the Hoop! Keep checking back for more updates as conditions change. For additional information about the Lake Gogebic area please visit the chamber website at www.LakeGogebicArea.com or call them at 1-888-464-3242 (888-GOGEBIC). Have a great day and a great ride.

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Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce –

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