Sault Ste. Marie Trail Report – 01/27
SAULT STE. MARIE UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association – 01/27 Trail 49 update 1/27 Big progress tonight but still not officially open. Our trouble spots are still from Alberta Lane to 5 1/2 mile, and south of Devils Hill where the beaver pond is. It’s solid enough for sleds but not the groomer just yet. Steve was out there tonight. Here’s his detailed report. “As most know, Trail 49 from the Soo to Kinross has been closed for the last few weeks due to standing water, open mud holes, and overall unsafe conditions. We as a club have been watching the weather and trying to put a plan in place to safely work towards reopening this section of trail. First off, I want to thank one of our active club members, Randy Menard, who spent a couple days this week photographing all the problem areas that led to the closing of this trail. The pictures were shared with our groomer drivers where we all had a chance to see what we were up against. I think I may have been the first one who was comfortable with what was shown in the pictures, which led to tonight’s grooming run. Lol. We decided yesterday, we were going to go in with a groomer, and start preparing this trail to reopen. I’m not going to lie, there are some anxious moments that lead up to a run like this. We are heading into a swamp, with a couple miles of standing water. Once you commit to going in, there is no place to turn around for a really long stretch. I contacted my good friend Chris, who is a regular passenger with me on this section of trail. He is a former snowmobiler, and someone I can count on to hop in and ride along knowing exactly what we are driving into. I want to thank Chris too for stepping up and coming with me tonight. There is a lot going on in a groomer, and the passenger seat is nerve wracking too. We hopped on the trail and headed south. It was slow going most of the night. I don’t think it could get any rougher than it currently is. I am happy to report a large part of the trail is froze solid. We did sink the groomer once, but with the lockers engaged and careful driving we were able to get ourselves out. We avoided the trail behind the county road commission. It is still wet and not quite ready for a groomer. We knocked down some high spots but didn’t really improve the trail much. I wasn’t comfortable carrying much snow with me in the drag tonight. I was trying to keep the weight down to give us a better chance to stay on top of the ice. Hopefully we have some good news to share soon. Thanks all! Getting closer every day! Appreciate your work and report Steve! ❄️❄️❄️ <> Hi again! <> <> Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Facebook Page <> Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Trail Report on MSA <> WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Heavy snow and strong winds expected to spread across Upper Michigan Sunday night and Monday. Hazardous to dangerous driving conditions and power outages will be possible. Those with travel plans Sunday night and Monday should be prepared to cancel or adjust those plans! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaHeavy snow and strong winds expected to spread across Upper Michigan Sunday night and Monday. Hazardous to dangerous driving conditions and power outages will be possible. Those with travel plans Sunday night and Monday should be prepared to cancel or adjust those plans! SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/27/25 WEATHER UPDATE via Midwest Weather >> ~(Updated) Snowfall Forecast Sunrise Sunday-Sunrise Tuesday~ SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/27/25 WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Heavy snow and strong winds expected to spread across Upper Michigan Sunday night and Monday. Hazardous to dangerous driving conditions and power outages will be possible. Those with travel plans Sunday night and Monday should be prepared to cancel or adjust those plans! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> A mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain will cause slippery conditions across Upper Michigan this morning, ending from west to east through the afternoon. Isolated power outages will be possible in parts of western Upper Michigan. Attention then turns to additional rounds of winter precipitation both Saturday night/Sunday and Sunday night/Monday. Models continue to trend toward accumulating snow from Sunday night into Monday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaA mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain will cause slippery conditions across Upper Michigan this morning, ending from west to east through the afternoon. Isolated power outages will be possible in parts of western Upper Michigan. Attention then turns to additional rounds of winter precipitation both Saturday night/Sunday and Sunday night/Monday. Models continue to trend toward accumulating snow from Sunday night into Monday. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Wintry mix peaks this morning, tapering to some drizzle / freezing drizzle late this afternoon into tonight. We trend milder into Saturday and especially Sunday before the next system builds into the region, bringing falling temps and, eventually, the return of snow. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberry SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/26/25 WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Here's the latest on the wintry mix tonight into Friday. Expect 3-6" of snow across the E UP, up to 2" of snow/sleet in northern lower N of M-72 in addition to a light glaze of ice, and up to 0.10" of ice accumulation south of M-72. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberryHere's the latest on the wintry mix tonight into Friday. Expect 3-6" of snow across the E UP, up to 2" of snow/sleet in northern lower N of M-72 in addition to a light glaze of ice, and up to 0.10" of ice accumulation south of M-72. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> A mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain may result in slippery roadways and isolated power outages tonight into Friday morning. Those with travel plans should leave extra time for travel! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea FROM Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/25/25 WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Expect a wintery mix to develop across the U.P. tonight and continue into Friday morning, ending west to east through the day. Mainly snow is expected for the far north and east with mainly freezing rain near the MI/WI stateline. Those with travel plans should leave extra time for travel as roads could be slippery. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect tonight into Friday for the entire U.P. Can we expect any significant lake effect between now and New Year's? SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> Merry Christmas everyone! Santa looks to be bringing us some snow! Have a wonderful day with family and friends🎄❄️❤️ #sooMerry Christmas everyone! Santa looks to be bringing us some snow! Have a wonderful day with family and friends🎄❄️❤️ <> Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links <>
Good evening!
We left after work tonight, and headed out in heavy snow with increasing winds. You’ll see in our pics, visibility was poor. It stayed this way most of the night.
We made it all the way to Devil’s Hill, which is just north of the beaver pond between 12 Mile Rd and Gaines Hwy.
The return trip went well and it was sure a relief when we could see the lights in the Soo.
We will be in contact with the DNR and will keep working towards getting this trail reopened.
Steve Lawson”
While Steve was out on 49, Nick was over in Raco and Brimley on trail 8, the powerline, and part of 480.
From Nick tonight- “3 inches of lake effect snow really helped shape the trails up tonight. No complaints from ranger road to Brimley to Spile dam! 10/10”
Thanks Nick!
Ride safe and enjoy, all!❄️❄️❄️Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
Brimley Bill groomed part of 480, the Raco Powerline, and the 889 loop this morning. Looking great for the weekend traffic!
Thanks Bill!!❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soophotos #snowphotos
A major winter storm is expected to bring significant snowfall to portions of the region. Most of the accumulating snow will be along and north of I-80. No matter how much snow will fall, there will be strong northwest winds that will create blowing and drifting snow. Travel north of I-80 will be near impossible at times. Some road closures are possible along and north of I-90 given greater accumulation and more persistent blizzard-like conditions. Heaviest snowfall totals through sunrise Tuesday (there will be more after) will be along Lake Superior. Snowfall rates could exceed 2" an hour at times due to lake enhancement. Expect over a foot in most areas along the lakeshore before dropping as you get closer to the WI border. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey~(Updated) Snowfall Forecast Sunrise Sunday-Sunrise Tuesday~
A major winter storm is expected to bring significant snowfall to portions of the region. Most of the accumulating snow will be along and north of I-80. No matter how much snow will fall, there will be strong northwest winds that will create blowing and drifting snow. Travel north of I-80 will be near impossible at times. Some road closures are possible along and north of I-90 given greater accumulation and more persistent blizzard-like conditions. Heaviest snowfall totals through sunrise Tuesday (there will be more after) will be along Lake Superior. Snowfall rates could exceed 2" an hour at times due to lake enhancement. Expect over a foot in most areas along the lakeshore before dropping as you get closer to the WI border.
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Good morning!
No real significant snow in our area yesterday, though we did pick up a general 4-5” inches over much of our area.
We did have groomers out yesterday in the Raco, Bay Mills, and Brimley areas, on 8, 889, and part of 480, as well as on trail 49 from the Soo to 12 mile, and also on 49 from Devils Hill to Kinross and the 494 loop. We skipped the thin section south of 12 to preserve the new snow and let riders pack it. City trails will be done tonight if needed, as well as trail 8 from the Soo to Brimley.
I’ll be going for a ride later today and I’ll report what I see.
Significant snow is forecasted for tomorrow through Tuesday, along with high winds so that could get interesting.
Remember, we are on Groomer Tracker, subscribe today!
Ride safe! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo
Good morning, all! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Our wish has been granted and snow has returned! How much we will get remains to be seen, but sounds like 6” for our general area by tomorrow, then more later in the weekend. Our Raco crew is out on the 889 loop as I type this, and we’ll update once groomers are able to roll out in other areas.
As a reminder- trail 472 from Tilson Rd all the way to the Raco gate on 480 has lots of heavy equipment and a partially plowed road in there with exposed rocks due to bridge construction. We are advising that you stay out of there for now please. We cannot groom it either. See the pinned post for more info and for the exact location.
Also see the post from yesterday for the trouble spots on trail 49.
All other trails have good coveage and a solid base. This new snow will only help.
As always, we will keep you posted! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo
We hope you’re having a great Christmas! Trails are pretty hard packed and icy in spots, and we definitely need snow.
Big thanks to rider Chuck for sending us these pics. These are the worst of the worst spots on our trail system right now. This is trail 49 south of the Soo, north of Kinross. He said that overall the trail is pretty fair with the exception of these spots.
These are the usual trouble spots in the early season. However, we normally can’t even groom this trail until mid January so we are pleased to be ahead of the game.
If we get the new snow that’s forecasted, these areas will easily be filled in.
Always important to share the bad spots too, so we appreciate the pics Chuck!
We’ll keep you updated as snow returns tomorrow into the weekend. ❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo2 #snowphotos
For more information, visit the full briefing packet here :https://www.weather.gov/media/mqt/DssPacket.pdf #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea