Gaylord Area Trail Report – 01/16
Gaylord Bureau – January 15, 2026 9:45 a.m. We had a warm up last week and lost some of our snow but managed to keep most of our solid base. Trails are currently in fair condition with some icy and thin patches. We’re expecting a few inches of fresh snow tomorrow and the groomers plan on getting out to smooth the trails after 5:00 p.m. Regular grooming is expected to start back up on Saturday and there is the chance for daily accumulation for the next week. Be safe out there and have fun! Please note, due to last April’s ice storm, there are logging operations in several locations. The newest locations are around Van Tyle and North Townline Road (Gaylord) and the intersection of trails 7 & 4 (Waters) toward Dodge Lake. Logging is also taking place on trail #4 along the powerline that crosses Evergreen Drive and near Turtle Lake Road (East of Gaylord). The logging trucks may use the trail as a road at times. Proceed with caution in these areas. Trails are still passable and the groomers are doing their best to smooth the trails out in these areas. If this winter is anything like last year, it’s going to be another epic one! Want to be ready? Get a free trail map delivered right to your mailbox and plan your adventure! Check out a live view of trail # 7 here. A few things to remember about our groomers and trails: – Groomers are out there to help you have a better riding experience and always have the right of way. Want to be ready? Get a free trail map delivered right to your mailbox and plan your adventure! As always, check back with us for updates and weather reports. <> http://www.gaylordmichigan.net/snowmobile-trail-report-114/ <> It’s a nice temp out there this friday morning with light snow in the air. We had about an inch and a half of lake effect overnight. It makes it nice and white but we could use a good stiff system snow to help us out. Its still very icy underneath and I have cones out around the front of my buildng cause its so slick out there. I need a huge amount of salt from the Detroit salt mines to cut down on the slippery stuff. There were not many sleds around yesterday and it seems slow so far this morning. I have heard from several riders that say they are coming north but time will tell. PIcs below are from this morning. Thanks for checking in. Pete http://frederic-mi.com/category/trail-conditions/ JORDAN VALLEY AREA UPDATE via Jordan Valley Trails Council >> Trail Update: FREDERIC - GAYLORD AREA UPDATE via Sledheads of Frederic , Michigan Snowmobiling >> It’s a nice temp out there this friday morning with light snow in the air. We had about an inch and a half of lake effect overnight. It makes it nice and white but we could use a good stiff system snow to help us out. Its still very icy underneath and I have cones out around the front of my buildng cause its so slick out there. I need a huge amount of salt from the Detroit salt mines to cut down on the slippery stuff. frederic-mi.com WEATHER UPDATE via Michigan Storm Chasers >> This is our last call snowfall outlook for FRIDAY ONLY, January 16th, 2026. Snow has begun across parts of the UP, and will begin for the rest of the state over the course of the next 12 hours.... #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskeyThis is our last call snowfall outlook for FRIDAY ONLY, January 16th, 2026. Snow has begun across parts of the UP, and will begin for the rest of the state over the course of the next 12 hours. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Snow returns tonight west of I-75 before overspreading the rest of the area into Friday. Light accumulations expected for most, but areas near the Lake Michigan shore will see more snowfall… with some spots potentially seeing upwards of 8”+ by Friday evening. Following the system, rounds of lake effect snow are anticipated into next week with colder weather. Be sure to monitor the forecast for the latest updates! #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey FREDERIC - GAYLORD AREA UPDATE via Sledheads of Frederic , Michigan Snowmobiling >> Its sunny and a chilly 12 degrees at 11:30 a.m. on thursday. It was nice and cold last night at 5 degrees and its supposed to stay cold with a small amount of snow the next few days. There were some sleds out and about yesterday and I havent seen any today. Still very icy out there and I expect that to stay so be careful... #gaylord #snowphotos frederic-mi.com WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Below zero wind chills continue this morning across most of Northern Michigan. Winds chills will be in the teens below zero or colder in parts of eastern upper and north central Lower Michigan. Be sure to bundle up! WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Lake effect snow showers will continue into tonight across parts of northern Michigan. The highest amounts of additional snow are expected in areas near and southwest of Grand Traverse Bay, with 2-6” this afternoon through tonight. FREDERIC - GAYLORD AREA UPDATE via Sledheads of Frederic , Michigan Snowmobiling >> For the third time this winter I had the big loader come and pile snow up. The good part about that is more room for sled trailer storage. I was surprised to see a little bit of white outside this morning when I got up. We had an awful lot of rain yesterday and it was looking pretty bad out there late yesterday afternoon. Its now about 2 on Wednesday. The good part for this coming weekend is that temps are going to go down to the teens or below the next few days. While it is slick and icy underneath we should keep snow we have and light amounts are predicted for each day this week. So it should make it rideable for this weekend. #gaylord #snowphotos Bringing out the heavy equipment(again) frederic-mi.com GAYLORD AREA UPDATE via Swamp II Bar & Restaurant in Frederic MI >> Wednesday Jan. 14th. Snow on and off today and reported everyday this week/weekend! #gaylord #snowphotos Right now in Gaylord How many people live in Greenland?  <> <>
– Please move off the trail when groomers are approaching and allow them to safely pass.
– If you approach a groomer from behind, kindly wait for the operator to signal you to pass.
– Grooming can take place at any time during the day or night, so stay alert.
– Always ride on the right side of the trail.
– Ride safe and ride sober.Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
Trails north of alba including the Jordan Valley are ice base with 1-2” of snow cover. Trails south and east are ice base with 3-4” of snow cover. All trails are pretty flat and everything has been groomed in the last 2 days.. #jordanvalley #gaylord #petoskey
There were not many sleds around yesterday and it seems slow so far this morning. I have heard from several riders that say they are coming north but time will tell. PIcs below are from this morning. Thanks for checking in. Pete #gaylord #snowphotos 
A clipper will bring a mixture of synoptic snow and lake effect snow for the entirety of Michigan. This is the first of multiple clippers between now and Monday. Lake effect areas may see totals into the 4-8" zone, with localized heavier totals possible along the Porcupine Mountains in the western UP. We DO have ample moisture on our atmospheric profiles for tomorrow, but the forcing is still suspect, so a solid blanket of 1-4" of snow, with isolated higher totals close to half a foot should occur by the end of our day Friday. The greatest chance at an area underachieving is in... guess what... southeast Michigan. Monroe and Lenawee counties specifically were in the T-1" zone at first call, but with a more-moist profile expected tomorrow, all locations (in an ideal world) should at least hit 1". We are also watching for the development of freezing drizzle mixing in, primarily in the Lower Peninsula as low-level temperatures favor this phenomena. Now, drizzle would hinder totals, but significantly increase travel issues as roads get coated with both the drizzle and the wet snow. We will have a freezing drizzle accumulation map out tomorrow morning.
Winds gusting 25-35 mph at times, primarily out of the west. Some snow squalls will mix in, which for those who don't remember, snow squalls exist to only cause headaches. These narrow bands of snow drop visibility from open skies to mere feet in the matter of seconds, which is never good, especially on fast-moving roadways. A snow squall can put down as much as a quick inch in 15-30 minutes at their peak intensity. Both morning and evening commutes will be impacted by snow or drizzle. Let's hope we don't light up the MDOT drive map with 25 accidents this time around, so please take your time. Give yourself that extra hour to travel, especially in instances of forced slow downs.
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A cold Thursday is ahead, though our weather will otherwise be relatively quiet with decreasing lake effect snow and decreasing winds. Another system will spread snow back into the area late tonight into Friday. Several inches of accumulation are possible near Lake Michigan in both peninsulas. This system will allow temperatures to briefly rebound early this weekend. However, Arctic air settles back in by Monday, with continued lake effect snow showers in the snowbelts. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey
Cold temperatures will impact the entire region with wind chills below zero this afternoon into Thursday morning. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey
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