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- 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. <> 1/14/25 “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. 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. 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 <> <> Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Facebook Page <> 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. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Lake effect snow ends over the north-northwest wind snow belts today. A couple more fluffy inches and some blowing snow is still expected over the north central and eastern U.P. this morning. A quick hitting system looks to bring 1 to 4 fluffy inches of snowfall tonight through Saturday morning. West to northwest winds as high as 45 mph are expected to make a return over the Keweenaw on Saturday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLake effect snow ends over the north-northwest wind snow belts today. A couple more fluffy inches and some blowing snow is still expected over the north central and eastern U.P. this morning. A quick hitting system looks to bring 1 to 4 fluffy inches of snowfall tonight through Saturday morning. West to northwest winds as high as 45 mph are expected to make a return over the Keweenaw on Saturday. SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/19/25 SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> Video is from 12/16/25 <> Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links <>
🚨🚨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!!!
Thanks all! Be safe!
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-
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 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.
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👍🏼Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
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
The switch has flipped! We went from 42 and rain last night to 18 and snow flurries currently. Wild!
Word is that the roads are absolutely horrible, and area schools have been cancelled.
No doubt, trails will be solid ice until the new snow starts to pile up. As soon as I have any idea what the trails look like, I’ll be sure to share, but wanted to at least share a bit of good news. #soo #snowphotos
Sorry I’m late on this put thought it was still worth sharing to show how things looked before this little warm up.
Here’s Pete’s report to go along with it-
“I took took New Dave out for his final training run down trail 8 to Brimley. We have been struggling with some engine computer wiring issues causing stalls. Some repair attempts were made, and this was an unscheduled test run as well. Bryan and his assistant Logan followed along to assist in case of another breakdown. Additionally, we wanted to take down the large leaning tree that’s been impeding the trail. Everything went well and the groomer made the trip with no issues. Dave finished up his training and will be headed out on his own soon. The tree came down without any hiccups. Even though it was warm out, the trail laid out smooth and flat. It was a great success and we are glad to have accomplished so much in one evening.”
Thanks all! #soo #snowphotos