Keweenaw Peninsula Trail Report – 01/16
KEWEENAW PENINSULA UPDATE via Keweenaw Snowmobile Club 01/16 The Portage Lake Lift Bridge is COMPLETE and OPEN! Huge THANK YOU to City of Houghton for hauling snow for us for TWO DAYS to get this done! Thanks, <> <> <> KEWEENAW PENINSULA UPDATE via Keweenaw Trail Reports – 01/15 It’s time to ride! ✊🏻❄ Keweenaw County officially received THIRTY inches of fresh snowfall from 1/11 thru 1/14! The forecasts played out this time and we couldn’t be happier! You can checkout daily snowfall totals and compare them to previous seasons here: https://www.keweenawcountyonline.org/snowfall2.php Where did you chase this past weekends storm to ride? Or maybe you didn’t even need to travel to ride, as large amounts dumped in neighboring states south of us! Jason Kremer and crew came up to Wildlife Refuge Cabins and spent all day yesterday enjoying the fresh dumping of white gold! Jason said , “We rode from South Range down towards Mass City and then went back up to Houghton on trail 3. Lots of powder and trails were surprisingly flat! We had a great time! We headed to the The Ambassador in Houghton last night after watching some of the game!” We hope you enjoy your day today, Jason! Thank you for sharing your awesome photos! Let us know where you rode and how conditions were or where your first trip is being planned for! Please download the Groomer Tracker app and subscribe to the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club trail system so you can see real time grooming operations! The Portage Lake Lift Bridge will hopefully be open for snowmobile crossing later this afternoon! The season has begun! <> <> <> <> Keweenaw Trail Reports on Facebook >>>> <> WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Bitterly cold temperatures will hang on through tonight as wind chill values remain below zero across the U.P., coldest in the west near the WI border. Lake effect snow will also continue to impact the northwest wind snowbelts, especially across the east where a Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect through Sunday morning for Alger, Luce, and northern Schoolcraft Counties. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaBitterly cold temperatures will hang on through tonight as wind chill values remain below zero across the U.P., coldest in the west near the WI border. Lake effect snow will also continue to impact the northwest wind snowbelts, especially across the east where a Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect through Sunday morning for Alger, Luce, and northern Schoolcraft Counties. KEWEENAW PENINSULA UPDATE via Keweenaw Trail Reports >> Brrrrrr….. 🥶it was definitely a cold day to ride the Keweenaw, but Jason Kremer definitely wasn’t complaining! WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Lake effect snow showers are expected downwind of Lake Superior through Sunday, impacting the northwest wind snowbelt areas. This snow will be very susceptible to blowing in the wind, resulting in localized visibility reductions below 1 mile at times. Make sure to drive with your headlights on, at appropriate speeds, and with extra room between yourself and other vehicles! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLake effect snow showers are expected downwind of Lake Superior through Sunday, impacting the northwest wind snowbelt areas. This snow will be very susceptible to blowing in the wind, resulting in localized visibility reductions below 1 mile at times. Make sure to drive with your headlights on, at appropriate speeds, and with extra room between yourself and other vehicles! #906wx #miwx MASS CITY AREA UPDATE via Adventure Motel >> It’s a snowy morning in Mass City, roughly 8” of snow last night. Great to see people taking advantage of the trail conditions! #masscity #westernup #keweenaw #snowphotos WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> A cold front will move across the U.P this evening. Light snow will accompany the front but generally less than an inch is expected. Behind the front temperatures will fall into the single digits above and below zero. This combined with gusty winds will bring wind chills down into the teens and twenties below zero. A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect for Gogebic and Iron counties tonight through Saturday morning. Lake effect snow will develop behind the front in the northwest wind snowbelts with several inches expected. Those headed outside tonight or traveling should be prepared for bitter cold and snow (in the northwest wind snowbelts). #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea KEWEENAW PENINSULA UPDATE via Fletchy’s Otter Belly Lodge >> Imagine this: it’s 9pm & 10 degrees out on a crystal clear night in the Keweenaw. You’re on a narrow trail in the middle of the woods. Hundreds of miles of untouched trails ahead of you. It’s time to ride! WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Impactful winter weather returns this weekend in the form of moderate to heavy lake effect snow and dangerous wind chills. A cold front brings light snow to the U.P. before lake effect snow ramps up across the northwest wind snowbelts this afternoon, persisting into Sunday. Frigid temperatures and gusty winds will result in wind chills falling far below zero for much of the interior west and central. WEATHER UPDATE via Michigan Storm Chasers >> The switch is being flipped into the "on" position for lake effect snow this weekend. Much of what you see won't fall today, but as our extremely cold air mass pushes in late tonight, flurries will begin to fly. Much of the higher totals begin beyond 8 pm EST tonight. Lakeshore areas should prepare for travel delays primarily after this time beginning tonight. Heavy lake effect snow will continue on Saturday thanks to a west-northwest wind, which hints at a shift to out of the northwest by Sunday. <> Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links <>
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Jason and crew headed out today from the Ramada in Hancock and rode up to Copper Harbor for the Winter Wonderfest & Park
Lighting Event! (Checkout the video Jason shared with us in the comments!)
Jason is a frequent rider of the Keweenaw and today definitely didn’t disappoint! Jason shared these photos and said, “You definitely need to tode to Copper Harbor tomorrow! Trails are not freshly groomed but they are flat and fast! The only slightly bumpy part was the trail up Brockway, but not bad for a Saturday in the Kee! There is zero traffic today, only met one group of sledders all the way from Hancock to Copper Harbor. Having a blast, will send you pics when I get service. Maybe we will run into a groomer on the way back!”
Well, as you can see from one of Jason’s photos, they did come across a groomer on the way back from Copper Harbor!
We hope you all enjoyed your Saturday as much as Jason did!
Please note as of right now the, The Portage Lake Lift Bridge is not yet open for snowmobile crossing. That means you can not cross from Houghton to Hancock…. yet.
The Coast Guard needed to close the shipping lanes and then the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club and the city need to coordinate laying the snow mat for sled crossing…. Hopefully, very soon!
Thanks as always for sharing, Jason! #keweenaw #snowphotos
Throttle to the bars. Like a rocket ship you accelerate forward. Pines shimmer in your headlights. You and your sled become one. Every worry melts away.
You let off and come to a stop. You shut it down. Absolute silence. Moon above. Stars dancing. NOTHING BEATS THIS!
Had my first ride of the year tonight and it NEVER gets old ❄️
12/12/26 Trail report in the comments! #keweenaw #snowphotosImagine this: it’s 9pm & 10 degrees out on a crystal clear night in the Keweenaw. You’re on a narrow trail in the middle of the woods. Hundreds of miles of untouched trails ahead of you.
Throttle to the bars. Like a rocket ship you accelerate forward. Pines shimmer in your headlights. You and your sled become one. Every worry melts away.
You let off and come to a stop. You shut it down. Absolute silence. Moon above. Stars dancing. NOTHING BEATS THIS!
Had my first ride of the year tonight and it NEVER gets old ❄️
12/12/25 Trail report in the comments!
For additional information, including expected snowfall totals and an hourly breakdown of temperatures, winds, and windchills, please view the full briefing packet found here: www.weather.gov/media/mqt/DssPacket.pdf
Stay safe! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea
There are concerns with dry air, however the favorable zone for dendrites (snowflakes) to form is essentially on the ground with how cold it'll be. Air temperatures on Saturday alone in the UP may just barely be in the positive single-digits. Wind gusts this weekend may jump to 30-35 mph too, so some of this lake effect snow will push further inland. Totals of 1-3" & 2-6" is a safe bet for much of west and southwest Michigan. Some places may jump above 6" where the heaviest of banding sets up. Further north, our typically higher terrain in the Gaylord region will likely see snowfall totals over 6". Into the UP, much cooler temperatures exist here, and snowfall rates may exceed 1" per hour at times. Totals closer to the one foot mark are likely. The western UP does exhibit a decent chance at totals crossing into the 12-24" category. At the current time, totals are leaning on the lower end of the 12-24" category, but those hotspots where microclimate factors come into play could easily push the upper-bounds of this category. SE Michigan... life carries on once more. Being so far away from the lake effect zones, it's expected that you all will get an inch at most. Isolated hotspots of 1-2" are possible, but don't get your hopes up unless you're close to the Ohio border.
Why 1-3" at the border? Well, we do have a clipper passing to our south Saturday, hence the added 1-3" zone that runs along the MI/IN/OH border. Stay tuned here at MSC for updates this weekend on the lake effect snow AND cold that's set to impact us through Monday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskeyThe switch is being flipped into the "on" position for lake effect snow this weekend. Much of what you see won't fall today, but as our extremely cold air mass pushes in late tonight, flurries will begin to fly. Much of the higher totals begin beyond 8 pm EST tonight. Lakeshore areas should prepare for travel delays primarily after this time beginning tonight. Heavy lake effect snow will continue on Saturday thanks to a west-northwest wind, which hints at a shift to out of the northwest by Sunday.
There are concerns with dry air, however the favorable zone for dendrites (snowflakes) to form is essentially on the ground with how cold it'll be. Air temperatures on Saturday alone in the UP may just barely be in the positive single-digits. Wind gusts this weekend may jump to 30-35 mph too, so some of this lake effect snow will push further inland. Totals of 1-3" & 2-6" is a safe bet for much of west and southwest Michigan. Some places may jump above 6" where the heaviest of banding sets up. Further north, our typically higher terrain in the Gaylord region will likely see snowfall totals over 6". Into the UP, much cooler temperatures exist here, and snowfall rates may exceed 1" per hour at times. Totals closer to the one foot mark are likely. The western UP does exhibit a decent chance at totals crossing into the 12-24" category. At the current time, totals are leaning on the lower end of the 12-24" category, but those hotspots where microclimate factors come into play could easily push the upper-bounds of this category. SE Michigan... life carries on once more. Being so far away from the lake effect zones, it's expected that you all will get an inch at most. Isolated hotspots of 1-2" are possible, but don't get your hopes up unless you're close to the Ohio border.
Why 1-3" at the border? Well, we do have a clipper passing to our south Saturday, hence the added 1-3" zone that runs along the MI/IN/OH border. Stay tuned here at MSC for updates this weekend on the lake effect snow AND cold that's set to impact us through Monday.
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