Sault Ste. Marie Area Trail Report – 01/14
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 01/14
1/14/25 trail 49 update-
🚨🚨As you can see, there are some areas that opened back up. This is on 49 between 12 mile and Gaines Hwy. Please use extreme caution!!!
We have a couple of days of warmer temps coming, then back to a deep freeze. This will freeze up solid in the coming days, but we wanted to get the word out for our weekday riders.
Thanks all! Be safe!
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1/14/25
Hello everyone! Steve, Chris, and Dennis ran the Soo to Kinross route on 49 last night. I always look forward to Steve’s reports, and it’s always an adventure on this trail!
Here’s what he had to say-
“Last night Passenger Chris and I headed out to groom Trail 49 from the Soo to Kinross. There was light snow falling and we had some recent snow to work with. It was setting up to be a nice night.
Before leaving town, we opened up the courtesy trail to Chippewa Motors. We made one pass and panned the powerline where all the recent utility work has been done. Snow is thin but the trail is useable.
We then headed south and made use of our Limbmasher in places that needed trimming. We took down a lot of limbs on our way through.
We stopped at the M-28 crossing to check things over and clean off the drag. Chris tripped on something while walking behind the drag and we realized we were tangled in a bunch of old fencing and dragging a stop sign. We were not able to undue the mess so we set it all on top of the drag and continued on.
Things went well until we dropped into the swamp south of 12 Mile. The same couple hundred yard stretch we have been battling all winter opened up again and is open water. We made our way through working with the little bit of snow we had leveling up the best we could. Trail is rough but is getting better. There are thin spots with dirt showing.
We crossed Gaines Hwy and headed towards our turnaround in Kinross. I did not realize it, but while crossing the Hwy, I dropped some snow and large ice chunks off the drag. I apologize to the vehicles that hit the mess.
We made the return trip and had plans to meet Groomer Dennis at the 7 Mile Rd crossing to help remove the wire from the drag. We had the stop sign we were dragging labeled with the road name so we knew where it had to be reinstalled. We were able to replace the stop sign and get the wire removed from the drag.
Dennis continued from there back to the barn. His return trip was uneventful.
Overall, the trail is coming along good. It is still a work in progress. The ditches are still showing water and the snow is thin in places. We are working with what we have and just need some more cold weather. The ground is still melting the trail base from the bottom up in our bad spots. Hopefully we keep making improvements as we go along.
Steve Lawson
Chippewa Motors, Inc.”
Definitely always a story on trail 49. We sure will be grateful when this trail receives the approval from the state for much needed permanent improvements to mitigate the water issues. Still way ahead of where we normally are on that stretch in early January👍🏼
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Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Facebook Page
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Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Accumulating lake effect snow will continue tonight for parts of eastern upper and the NW lower snowbelt. An additional 1-4 inches is expected for parts of the county with localized amounts in excess of 8 inches possible near Sault Ste. Marie and Brimley. In the NW lower snow belts, additional snow of 2-4 inches in some spots is possible as well tonight. Snow covered roads and quick drops in visibility will lead to hazardous travel at times into tonight. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberryAccumulating lake effect snow will continue tonight for parts of eastern upper and the NW lower snowbelt. An additional 1-4 inches is expected for parts of the county with localized amounts in excess of 8 inches possible near Sault Ste. Marie and Brimley. In the NW lower snow belts, additional snow of 2-4 inches in some spots is possible as well tonight. Snow covered roads and quick drops in visibility will lead to hazardous travel at times into tonight.
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Happy New Year, northern Michigan! Accumulating lake effect snow will continue today into tonight, mainly across Chippewa county. An additional 2-4” is expected for parts of the county with localized amounts of 6”+ possible near Sault Ste. Marie. Snow covered roads and quick drops in visibility will lead to hazardous travel at times into tonight. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberryHappy New Year, northern Michigan! Accumulating lake effect snow will continue today into tonight, mainly across Chippewa county. An additional 2-4” is expected for parts of the county with localized amounts of 6”+ possible near Sault Ste. Marie. Snow covered roads and quick drops in visibility will lead to hazardous travel at times into tonight.
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> A chilly day is expected for the first day of 2026, with highs mainly in the teens and light lake effect snow continuing for the west to northwest wind snow belts through tonight. Another 2-4” is expected in the eastern UP, though some locally higher amounts up to 6” are possible. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaA chilly day is expected for the first day of 2026, with highs mainly in the teens and light lake effect snow continuing for the west to northwest wind snow belts through tonight. Another 2-4” is expected in the eastern UP, though some locally higher amounts up to 6” are possible.
BRIMLEY - EASTERN U.P. UPDATE via Old Soo Line Grade Lodge >> 01/01/26 - HAPPY NEW YEAR
24” minimum on the ground just off Trail 8 in Brimley, MI with more on the way!
Snow and cold temps in the forecast.
Stay safe #soo #newberry #snowphotos
Time for a taller gauge😅
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Lake effect snow showers persist over the northwest wind snow belts through New Year's Day, with an additional 3-6" in the east (locally up to 8"). As winds turn gusty, blowing and drifting snow will be possible. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLake effect snow showers persist over the northwest wind snow belts through New Year's Day, with an additional 3-6" in the east (locally up to 8"). As winds turn gusty, blowing and drifting snow will be possible.
BRIMLEY AREA UPDATE via Old Soo Line Grade Lodge >> Snow keeps coming .. drive safe and Happy New Year! #soo #snowphotos
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/31
It’s a mixed bag of nuts around here. Where things are good, they are REALLY good! We just need to get to all areas and we are making progress.
Beautiful images from Pat on the 494 loop this morning.
Thank you, Pat! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo1231 #snowphotos
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/31
Happy New Years Eve!
Snow is ongoing in our area. I show around 3-4” new snow in the Soo so far, reports in Brimley of at least 7” new snow.
A word of caution- we do not like to send groomers out during the day, but sometimes we do not have a choice. Kenny and Jim will be headed out to tackle 889 in the Bay Mills area around noon today. There are many trees down and heavy drifting. It will undoubtedly be a long run for them, and the main goal is to get things opened up.
Pat is out early south of Kinross on 494. 472 west to Tilson should also be done today. As a reminder, we cannot groom past Tilson Rd on 472 due to construction equipment.
Please be on the lookout for the groomers, and if you’re able to move small branches safely, we appreciate the help!
Subscribe to Groomer Tracker to see where the groomers are in real time.
Thank you! #soo
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Lake effect snow showers persist over the northwest wind snow belts through tonight, with the highest totals - potentially up to 4 to 7 inches - in the eastern UP. As winds turn gusty, blowing and drifting snow will be possible. Temperatures turn quite chilly tonight, with wind chills falling well below zero. Bundle up before you head out to celebrate the new year! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLake effect snow showers persist over the northwest wind snow belts through tonight, with the highest totals - potentially up to 4 to 7 inches - in the eastern UP. As winds turn gusty, blowing and drifting snow will be possible. Temperatures turn quite chilly tonight, with wind chills falling well below zero. Bundle up before you head out to celebrate the new year!
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Accumulating lake effect snow continues today into Thursday, focusing across the typical snow belts of northern Michigan. Wind gusts of 30-40+ mph this afternoon and evening will lead to low visibility and patchy blowing snow, especially across open areas – leading to hazardous travel conditions at times. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberryAccumulating lake effect snow continues today into Thursday, focusing across the typical snow belts of northern Michigan. Wind gusts of 30-40+ mph this afternoon and evening will lead to low visibility and patchy blowing snow, especially across open areas – leading to hazardous travel conditions at times.
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Lake effect snow continues tonight through Wednesday with additional accumulations of 4-8" across the snow belts. Locally higher amounts will be possible. Attached is a timing and intensity animation that depicts the heaviest snow this evening into the early overnight, and then again through the day on Wednesday. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberry
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Lake effect snow showers persist over the northwest wind snow belts through tonight, with the highest totals - potentially up to 4 to 7 inches - in the eastern UP. As winds turn gusty, blowing and drifting snow will be possible. Temperatures turn quite chilly tonight, with wind chills falling well below zero. Bundle up before you head out to celebrate the new year! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLake effect snow showers persist over the northwest wind snow belts through tonight, with the highest totals - potentially up to 4 to 7 inches - in the eastern UP. As winds turn gusty, blowing and drifting snow will be possible. Temperatures turn quite chilly tonight, with wind chills falling well below zero. Bundle up before you head out to celebrate the new year!
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