SAULT STE. MARIE UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association – 02/16
This is going to be a L O N G post, but not nearly as long as the day Turbo and Diane had. Many photos to give a great look into what they saw on their 75 mile, 10.5 hour run today in the Bay Mills and Raco areas.
“Got a text at 6:30am from Raco Dave asking me if I would want to go groom the 889 loop. He asked me check out trail 480 also and maybe open the gates. And if it’s going good, maybe just do trail 8 into Brimley as well. So by the time I got Mrs. Turbo out of bed, we had a cup of coffee and fed the dogs, we hit the trail at 9am. We did the 889 loop, Mission Hill and down to the casino. We ran across a few snowmobilers and one of them was low on antifreeze so we helped him out. It was nice to hear them say our trails were the best they had seen all day. This loop turned out pretty good. In some spots, it’s as good as it has been all year. Next we did the power lines. This, not so much, it is very thin.
We did our turnaround at Ranger Rd and we ran into Rex from Chippewa Snowchasers who was watching us on the groomer tracker and wanted to see how it looked. He said it looked really good and that they would be grooming their trails tonight. By now it’s about 1:00pm, and we know running down to Tilson Rd. and back to Brimley is going to be another 5 hours, so we decided to drop the groomer off and head home to let the dogs out and grab a sandwich. 2:00pm we are back in the groomer heading down 480 to the Spile Dam, or as we call it "Spice Dam" lol Autocorrect ya know… 480 to Spile Dam is excellent…make sure you get out and ride that trail. We opened the gates and continued down 480 to 472 to Tilson Rd. In this section there are a lot of washouts that we needed to fill in. Thank god there is enough snow to do so. We got them smoothed out as best we could with what we had to work with. This whole time we were following the Groomer Tracker App and we knew our fellow groomer Lane was in the area. He was doing trail 472 towards the sugar bush. We ended up meeting him at the intersection of 480 and 472 and had a little photo op, talked about the trails and then got on our way, and then turned around to go toward Brimley. Our return pass on 480 made the trail much nicer. I would rate this trail as good, but it could use a little improvement. Now on to trail 8 to Brimley. The snow depth here was excellent! We were able to smooth it out real nice. Just before the bridge there is a little water hole but it should freeze up easily. Sharing some photos that we took today in between passing riders. We parked the groomer at 8 pm, so it was a 10 hour day in the groomer. Total of 75 miles.
That’s a loooong day, but we are glad to do it. So get out and take advantage of the snow while it’s here. Remember, it’s been a bad season for everyone, especially the local businesses, so make sure you support them as well. Until next time, The Turbos” What a day and a report. Thank you guys so much for your time!
Remember, Groomer Tracker now has a “tip” button. You can also donate if you’re so inclined on our website at www.sootrails.org Ride smart and safe! ❄️❄️❄️
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/15/25 Hey guys! Rider report from Greg regarding trail 49. If you subscribe to our system on Groomer Tracker, you can see that we have not been through there since Lane set the trail a week ago, but we’ll update once we are able to get in there. For now, good advice from Greg👍🏼 “The trail to Kinross is a disaster right now (trail 49 from Alberta Ln in the Soo to Gaines Hwy) The power line just as you get out of town has a big wet hole and once you get past that there are holes in the farm fields. Stay out until they open it. The big swamps are fine they just have no snow. The trails in kinross are good. Everything other than Soo to kinross is amazing” We’ll keep you posted! #soo ... See MoreSee Less
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Lake effect snow showers continue today, heaviest near and south of Grand Traverse Bay. While snow showers gradually diminish through the evening, a clipper system is set to cross the area late tonight into Monday with additional widespread snow. #miweather #gaylord#cadillac#benzie#traversecity#petoskey #soo #newberryLake effect snow showers continue today, heaviest near and south of Grand Traverse Bay. While snow showers gradually diminish through the evening, a clipper system is set to cross the area late tonight into Monday with additional widespread snow. ... See MoreSee Less
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/14/25 Good morning everyone! The Soo was blessed with around 8” or so of fresh snow yesterday! Dan was out overnight on trail 8 from the Soo to Brimley. It was -7 for his run🥶 It’s looking absolutely awesome this morning! ❄️❄️❄️ Thank you so much, Dan! ***join or donate at www.sootrails.org*** #soo #snowphotos... See MoreSee Less
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/13/25 Another video from Pat for our off trail fans. There are some awesome spots to play in the Raco and Strongs areas. This is southwest of Raco on 12/12, before the new snow today! Mid January conditions in early December. We are loving it! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo #snowphotos... See MoreSee Less
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. ... See MoreSee Less
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 ... See MoreSee Less
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... See MoreSee Less