Today was not a nice day for snow lovers. It was over 40 degrees. That, along with the heavy traffic on the trails this weekend, left us with numerous spots of dirt throughout the system. We need snow badly to revitalize the trails.
According the TV 9 and 10, we should receive some snow off and on through Thursday. Earlier this afternoon, our President alerted all groomer operators that Monday through Wednesday we will be dropping back to one groom a day…morning shift only.
By Thursday, we should have enough new snow to resume a full schedule…hopefully.
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To better access the forest trails, you’ll want to use one of the Staging Areas below:
33 Rd Staging Area–S of M-55–approx.. 3 miles west of Cadillac on M-55 (watch for signs)
Caberfae Staging Area–approx.. 12 miles west of Cadillac on M-55 (watch for signs)
Boon Staging Area–park in plowed area south of Boon Grocery
Note: The porta-a-johns were removed from our staging areas today as our contracts on them expired 3-15-13.
Another busy record weekend with temps reaching into the 30’s didn’t do our trails any favors – however, this next week is looking like a dream for great trail conditions! Snow showers in the forecast for the next 5 days with a possible significant snowfall on Tuesday over our higher elevation area at the north end of Lake Gogebic and areas north of Lake Gogebic. Temps will be dropping all the way down into the single digits for highs this week and below zero for nighttime temps. These are the conditions we’ve been waiting for – these will all add up to great trail conditions this week and most importantly this busy holiday weekend coming up.
We have all three groomers going on all trails and there shouldn’t be a bad trail out there by Tuesday or Wednesday with the change in weather conditions. We received another 4 – 6 inches of new over last night on top of several inches from the night before and it’s still snowing as I’m writing this. I think we’re in a weather pattern where we’ll probably see constant snow over much of this week.
Continue to watch for logging truck traffic over a portion of Trail 102, and always remember to respect the trucks and give them the right of way at all times – for your safety… Please remember to always ride to the right and single file to prevent accidents, especially on blind corners. The logging on a portion of Trail 13 south has been reduced already to about a mile of that section, south of the Root Celler. Reduce speed through this area and watch for truck traffic as well.
I know some of you will not want to hear this but the way you ride on the trails dramatically impacts the condition of the trails. “Goosing” your sleds on corners results in throwing all the snow off the corners, causing bare conditions and making the groomer have to spend extra time trying to plow snow back onto the corners. “Goosing your sled wherever you stop and start again creates moguls, sometimes into driveways. These are just a few things you can change to help keep the trails in good ride able condition. We appreciate the help you can give.
Please ride safe! That’s all for now from Carolyn at the Hoop. For additional information about the Lake Gogebic area please visit the chamber website at www.LakeGogebicArea.com or call us at 1-888-464-3242 (888-GOGEBIC). From all of us here at Lake Gogebic we hope you have a great ride and a safe trip!
