Sault Ste. Marie Area Trail Report – 01/06
SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 1/6/25 6:30 pm update on the water hole near the tunnel on city trail 49! Pete and Jay formulated a plan to seal this bugger up, and I’d say it was a huge success! They met after work, grabbed the tractor from the barn, which is thankfully really close to where this hole was. They worked carefully to pack the hole with snow, then used the drag to smooth it over. Like it never even happened! Currently 15 degrees and going down to single digits tonight so it’ll freeze up nicely. We shouldn’t see this again til April. Thanks guys! You rock! <> SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Old Soo Line Grade Lodge >> 01/06/25 – Staying cold! <> <> SAULT STE. MARIE UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association – 01/06 1/6/25 – Had a few questions regarding the ice on the bay in Bay Mills/Brimley area. It is NOT safe. Please take trail 8. Thanks! 🚨🚨Please watch for the water hole near the tunnel on the city trails. It opened up again. Sleds were getting around it ok and we’ll do what we can to pack it and help it freeze. Just a heads up! 🚨🚨 <> SAULT STE. MARIE UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association – 01/05 1/5/25 8:30 PM update The Soo definitely got the most out of the lake effect snow event from Thursday to this morning. Not as much west or south of us on our trail system. Trail 8 from the Soo to Raco gets thinner as you head west to about a mile or two west of Irish Line, then sees a bit more coverage as you approach the 480 intersection. Open areas saw snow get blown off the trail, and our operators use the blade as best they can to pull snow in from the sides. There are some thin areas, most notably just west of 6 Mile where those doggone slag rocks are popping up for about 100 feet. I stop and toss them off when I see them. We’ll try to pick the drag up in that section to keep them from pulling up. More snow will bury them back up. 889 is also great. Met some of our other volunteers for a ride today coming from Kinross. They took 472 to 480 to 8 and they said it was good. A few ruts left from some wheeled vehicles during the warm up. Nothing major. Rider reports from 49 south of M80 and the 494 loop reported both as excellent. The city trails, with the exception of 449 and the now closed Kewadin trail are also in good shape. Pete is out there now, and will have a report for us that I’ll share. I’m going to pin the post about 449 and the Kewadin Trail for easy reference. 49 from Alberta Ln south of the DonDee Lanes (great food!) remains ungroomed. Lots of wet spots still. The cold weather should do the trick and allow it to freeze up nicely. We’ll run it as soon as it makes sense to do so. It is ungroomed from there to Gaines Hwy in Kinross. Sleds have been riding it, but you need to know it’s at your own risk, and is likely very rough. I hope that helps! Ride safe! ❄❄❄ <> 1/5/25 Brimley Bill headed out very early this morning in the Bay Mills and Raco area on part of 480, the powerline, and 889. Here’s his report- “I groomed the Powerline and the Mission Hill Loop early this morning. There’s still some wind, but not as strong as yesterday. Open areas still have some drifting. I was able smooth out all the chatter from traffic and drifts. The trails are in really good shape.” Thanks Bill! Have a great ride everyone! ❄❄❄ <> <> Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Facebook Page <> WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> It will be warmer today with highs in the upper 20s to mid 30s. Light snow is possible south of an Iron Mountain to Escanaba line but any accumulation will be very light. There is a chance (20-30%) for light snow across the central and eastern U.P tonight but little in the way of accumulation is expected. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaIt will be warmer today with highs in the upper 20s to mid 30s. Light snow is possible south of an Iron Mountain to Escanaba line but any accumulation will be very light. There is a chance (20-30%) for light snow across the central and eastern U.P tonight but little in the way of accumulation is expected. SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/21/25 SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/21/25 WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Lake effect snow showers will continue in the northwest wind snowbelts this morning and then begin to shift north and offshore this afternoon into the evening as winds become southwesterly. Additional snowfall of up to an inch in the west and 1 to 3 inches in the east can be expected. A round of light snow is possible on Monday into Monday night with temperatures moderating through mid-week. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLake effect snow showers will continue in the northwest wind snowbelts this morning and then begin to shift north and offshore this afternoon into the evening as winds become southwesterly. Additional snowfall of up to an inch in the west and 1 to 3 inches in the east can be expected. A round of light snow is possible on Monday into Monday night with temperatures moderating through mid-week. WEATHER UPDATE via Michigan Storm Chasers >> Here is our last call for ongoing system snow and lake effect snow from now through Sunday evening at 6 pm EST, December 20th & 21st, 2025. A snow squall. Maybe that’s what we had going on in Wakefield today. It was nuts! SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/20/25 WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> The first round of snow continues through mid-morning before most get a brief dry period into this afternoon; snow showers persist in the Keweenaw. Then a transition over to lake effect snow over the west to northwest wind snowbelts. 3 to 7 inches of snowfall over the east tonight into Sunday morning. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Another system brings a quick round of light to moderate snowfall late tonight into early Saturday. A widespread 1-3 inches of snow is expected, possibly locally higher up to 3-4in in the eastern UP. A change over to lake effect snow is expected in the NW wind snow belts Saturday afternoon, lingering into Sunday. Winds turn gusty for Saturday, with gusts as high as 40-45mph possible over the Keweenaw, where a Wind Advisory is in effect Saturday afternoon and evening. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaAnother system brings a quick round of light to moderate snowfall late tonight into early Saturday. A widespread 1-3 inches of snow is expected, possibly locally higher up to 3-4in in the eastern UP. A change over to lake effect snow is expected in the NW wind snow belts Saturday afternoon, lingering into Sunday. Winds turn gusty for Saturday, with gusts as high as 40-45mph possible over the Keweenaw, where a Wind Advisory is in effect Saturday afternoon and evening. <> Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links <>
Run down of where we are at. Like all of you, I’m a rider too and I try my best to give you accurate info. I realize everyone has a different perspective of what is good and bad. I feel like I’m pretty fair, and often times more critical of our trails because I want to be as honest as possible. So here we go-
8 on the powerline to Ranger Rd had more snow on it than I expected and is great.
Overall, we could use more snow to freshen up most areas, but things overall are good with some fair areas, and some excellent areas!
Good morning all!
I got out early enough so that the trail had some time to set up before any sled traffic.Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
Groomer Jay and I just finished the city trails. Aside from the car on trail 8 near Ashmun Bay, things look really good. We saw a little water on the trail to Kewadin as pictured, but that was honestly the worst part of the whole run. It was snowing hard for the last hour of our run.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how well things held up after the warm up last week.
We keep saying it, but we truly are very pleased with where things are this early seaon.
Let’s hope it continues! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo #snowphotos
Happy Winter Solstice!!
Beautiful shots from Brimley Bill this morning on his run of parts of 480 north of M28, the Raco powerline portion of trail 8, and the 889 loop!
Fresh snow over the solid base that the thaw last week helped to create = some awesome trails!
Thank you Bill! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo #snowphotos
Uncertainty exists primarily in our trace-1" category which extends from Frankfort and Alpena south to I-96/I-69. The clipper moving through today may produce a quick squall of rain & snow with minimal accumulation some time beyond 1 pm EST, but models haven't determined if this band will solidify or not. If it does, the chance for a rain/snow mix exists in areas highlighted in the pink dashed box. This rain/snow mix would only be today. Any snow on Sunday will be lake effect off of Lake Superior, hence why our highest totals of 4-8" are located east of Munising over to Paradise. Not too impactful of a system in terms of Michigander standards, but do take it slow if you encounter any snow squalls and/or visibly slick roads. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskeyHere is our last call for ongoing system snow and lake effect snow from now through Sunday evening at 6 pm EST, December 20th & 21st, 2025.
Uncertainty exists primarily in our trace-1" category which extends from Frankfort and Alpena south to I-96/I-69. The clipper moving through today may produce a quick squall of rain & snow with minimal accumulation some time beyond 1 pm EST, but models haven't determined if this band will solidify or not. If it does, the chance for a rain/snow mix exists in areas highlighted in the pink dashed box. This rain/snow mix would only be today. Any snow on Sunday will be lake effect off of Lake Superior, hence why our highest totals of 4-8" are located east of Munising over to Paradise. Not too impactful of a system in terms of Michigander standards, but do take it slow if you encounter any snow squalls and/or visibly slick roads.
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Good morning all!
Not any major changes here as of right now. We got maybe an inch of snow overnight in the Soo, with a bit in the forecast today and tomorrow.
Our Raco crew has been out on 8 from Brimley west, and the 889 loop is being done now, as they have a bit more snow in that area. I haven’t spoken with the groomer bosses in the Soo or Kinross yet, but I would imagine we’ll still be on hold in those areas until we get a bit more snow.
No doubt, we now have a very solid base over the majority of our trail system.
We’ll keep you posted! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo
Windy conditions are expected this afternoon into tonight behind a cold front. Widespread westerly wind gusts are expected between 25 to 35 mph; up to 45 mph near Lake Superior and in the Keweenaw. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea