Ontonagon Area Trail Report – 12/13
ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via Erika’s Trail Reports – Western UP/Porkies/Ottawa Forest/Ontonagon County >> 12/13
😍 GROOMING INSIDE A SNOW GLOBE 😍
❄ WEEK 2 – ERIKA’S TRAIL REPORTS ❄
(long post but worth the read)
While you were sleeping… 🌙
Our 1st official grooming (Team Trent & Erika) of the 2025-2026 season was MAGICAL!
With real feel of -15F and blizzard-like conditions, we groomed for 10 hours overnight (12/12-12/13) during heavy lake effect snow! North Country Snowmobile Club trail conditions have significantly improved thanks to the dedicated volunteers that have been cleaning the trails day and night for your enjoyment! We rated trails 101, 13 and 137 and unplowed forest roads tonight – EXCELLENT CONDITION!!! WOW, we can’t believe that it is only the 2nd week of December!
🚨 IMPORTANT REMINDERS 🚨
⚠ Heavy lake effect snow going on all weekend: snow quickly accumulating on trails and with low visibility at times
⚠ Trail 12 to Greenland has not been actively groomed yet;
⚠ Trail 12/Norwich Road has not been actively groomed yet;
⚠ Trails 1 and 11 (Porkies/Lake of the Clouds) are being worked on this weekend;
⚠ Snow is deep and plentiful in the forest but lower accumulation near the lakefront
👏🏻 Many thanks to all the group of riders that we saw tonight for being mindful of the groomer. Let’s continue to enjoy snowmobiling in a responsible way and go home safely.
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Visit North Country Snowmobile Club – UP Website >>>>
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Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
LAKE GOGEBIC AREA UPDATE via Gogebic Area Grooming >> Bergland Area Groomer's.. 12-13-25. Blizzard condition's the past 2 day's.
13n to Rockland getting it's first groom tonight. Gogebic Area Grooming ❄️❄️❄️ #lakegogebic #westernup #snowphotos
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.
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
MASS CITY AREA UPDATE via Adventure Motel >> It’s a snowy morning in Mass City, roughly 8” of snow last night. Great to see people taking advantage of the trail conditions! #masscity #westernup #keweenaw #snowphotos
ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via Erika’s Trail Reports - Western UP/Porkies/Ottawa Forest/Ontonagon County >> 😍 GROOMING INSIDE A SNOW GLOBE 😍
❄️ WEEK 2 - ERIKA’S TRAIL REPORTS ❄️
(long post but worth the read)
While you were sleeping… 🌙
Our 1st official grooming (Team Trent & Erika) of the 2025-2026 season was MAGICAL!
With real feel of -15F and blizzard-like conditions, we groomed for 10 hours overnight (12/12-12/13) during heavy lake effect snow! North Country Snowmobile Club trail conditions have significantly improved thanks to the dedicated volunteers that have been cleaning the trails day and night for your enjoyment! We rated trails 101, 13 and 137 and unplowed forest roads tonight - EXCELLENT CONDITION!!! WOW, we can’t believe that it is only the 2nd week of December!
🚨 IMPORTANT REMINDERS 🚨
⚠️ Heavy lake effect snow going on all weekend: snow quickly accumulating on trails and with low visibility at times
⚠️ Trail 12 to Greenland has not been actively groomed yet;
⚠️ Trail 12/Norwich Road has not been actively groomed yet;
⚠️ Trails 1 and 11 (Porkies/Lake of the Clouds) are being worked on this weekend;
⚠️ Snow is deep and plentiful in the forest but lower accumulation near the lakefront
👏🏻 Many thanks to all the group of riders that we saw tonight for being mindful of the groomer. Let’s continue to enjoy snowmobiling in a responsible way and go home safely. #ontonagon #westernup #snowphotos
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
LAKE GOGEBIC AREA UPDATE via Gogebic Area Grooming >> Bergland Area Groomer's update for 12-12-25.
We've been using one machine to open up trail's and the other to pan or groom what gets the green light to cover.
Trail 13 from the Root Cellar south to camp 6 Rd. Has been opened up with a Bully today but still needs work. 13 North of the Root Cellar is still impassable.
Work on 102 has been on going for the past 2 day's and we'll probably be running a machine that direction in the next day or 2.
8w to Wakefield we opened up with hopes of the cold weather and traffic packing it in.
We currently have a machine grooming 8e and 1n.
We are under a winter weather advisory with bitter cold temps and accumulating snow! We'll continue to update as progress is made. Gogebic Area Grooming ❄️❄️❄️ #lakegogebic #westernup #snowphotos
ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via North Country Snowmobile Club UP >> NCSC would like to extend a special shoutout to the Michigan DNR!
Thank you to Ron Yesney, Carly Graff and John Codere for sharing DNR Rangers, Kristen, Dante and Corey with us for the past two days clearing our trails.
Thanks also to Hamilton's North Coast Adventures for donating use of their rental sleds to our clean-up efforts.
Lastly, thanks to our own VP, Rick for his tireless efforts to ensure consistent forward progress on this trail clearing project.
TRAIL REPORT:
- We were able to clear our section of trail 13 from Norwich Rd to the junction with GAG's trail 13 south.
- Tuesday night we were able to groom trail 137 and 13 from the groomer barn in Ontonagon and trail 101 to LP Walsh Rd. Shoutout to Steve and TJ for trail setting those trails.-
- Trail 12 still has many trees down through the power lines and along Norwich Rd. Trail 12 to Driess Creek remains closed due to downed trees.
- All our trails are still in need of TLC, however, Trail 12 between Potato Farm Road and Greenland is in dire need of attention, if anyone is so inclined to volunteer with chainsaws and strong backs.
PS - We would also like to thank the four snowmobilers, two from Minnesota and two from Wisconsin, for finding all our electric chainsaw batteries on trail 1 just south of White Pine. #ontonagon #westernup #snowphotos
WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Impactful winter weather returns this weekend in the form of moderate to heavy lake effect snow and dangerous wind chills. A cold front brings light snow to the U.P. before lake effect snow ramps up across the northwest wind snowbelts this afternoon, persisting into Sunday. Frigid temperatures and gusty winds will result in wind chills falling far below zero for much of the interior west and central.
For additional information, including expected snowfall totals and an hourly breakdown of temperatures, winds, and windchills, please view the full briefing packet found here: www.weather.gov/media/mqt/DssPacket.pdf
Stay safe! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea
WEATHER UPDATE via Michigan Storm Chasers >> The switch is being flipped into the "on" position for lake effect snow this weekend. Much of what you see won't fall today, but as our extremely cold air mass pushes in late tonight, flurries will begin to fly. Much of the higher totals begin beyond 8 pm EST tonight. Lakeshore areas should prepare for travel delays primarily after this time beginning tonight. Heavy lake effect snow will continue on Saturday thanks to a west-northwest wind, which hints at a shift to out of the northwest by Sunday.
There are concerns with dry air, however the favorable zone for dendrites (snowflakes) to form is essentially on the ground with how cold it'll be. Air temperatures on Saturday alone in the UP may just barely be in the positive single-digits. Wind gusts this weekend may jump to 30-35 mph too, so some of this lake effect snow will push further inland. Totals of 1-3" & 2-6" is a safe bet for much of west and southwest Michigan. Some places may jump above 6" where the heaviest of banding sets up. Further north, our typically higher terrain in the Gaylord region will likely see snowfall totals over 6". Into the UP, much cooler temperatures exist here, and snowfall rates may exceed 1" per hour at times. Totals closer to the one foot mark are likely. The western UP does exhibit a decent chance at totals crossing into the 12-24" category. At the current time, totals are leaning on the lower end of the 12-24" category, but those hotspots where microclimate factors come into play could easily push the upper-bounds of this category. SE Michigan... life carries on once more. Being so far away from the lake effect zones, it's expected that you all will get an inch at most. Isolated hotspots of 1-2" are possible, but don't get your hopes up unless you're close to the Ohio border.
Why 1-3" at the border? Well, we do have a clipper passing to our south Saturday, hence the added 1-3" zone that runs along the MI/IN/OH border. Stay tuned here at MSC for updates this weekend on the lake effect snow AND cold that's set to impact us through Monday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskeyThe switch is being flipped into the "on" position for lake effect snow this weekend. Much of what you see won't fall today, but as our extremely cold air mass pushes in late tonight, flurries will begin to fly. Much of the higher totals begin beyond 8 pm EST tonight. Lakeshore areas should prepare for travel delays primarily after this time beginning tonight. Heavy lake effect snow will continue on Saturday thanks to a west-northwest wind, which hints at a shift to out of the northwest by Sunday.
There are concerns with dry air, however the favorable zone for dendrites (snowflakes) to form is essentially on the ground with how cold it'll be. Air temperatures on Saturday alone in the UP may just barely be in the positive single-digits. Wind gusts this weekend may jump to 30-35 mph too, so some of this lake effect snow will push further inland. Totals of 1-3" & 2-6" is a safe bet for much of west and southwest Michigan. Some places may jump above 6" where the heaviest of banding sets up. Further north, our typically higher terrain in the Gaylord region will likely see snowfall totals over 6". Into the UP, much cooler temperatures exist here, and snowfall rates may exceed 1" per hour at times. Totals closer to the one foot mark are likely. The western UP does exhibit a decent chance at totals crossing into the 12-24" category. At the current time, totals are leaning on the lower end of the 12-24" category, but those hotspots where microclimate factors come into play could easily push the upper-bounds of this category. SE Michigan... life carries on once more. Being so far away from the lake effect zones, it's expected that you all will get an inch at most. Isolated hotspots of 1-2" are possible, but don't get your hopes up unless you're close to the Ohio border.
Why 1-3" at the border? Well, we do have a clipper passing to our south Saturday, hence the added 1-3" zone that runs along the MI/IN/OH border. Stay tuned here at MSC for updates this weekend on the lake effect snow AND cold that's set to impact us through Monday.
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Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links
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