Sault Ste. Marie Trail Report – 02/09
SAULT STE. MARIE UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association – 02/09 Good morning! <> <> Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Facebook Page <> Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Trail Report on MSA <> SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/12/2025 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. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Accumulating snow returns to the Northwoods later this afternoon into Saturday as a cold front swings across the area, ushering in a much colder air mass for the weekend. Several inches of snow is expected across parts of northwest lower and the eastern U.P. by Saturday morning with additional lake effect snow continuing through Saturday. Below zero wind chills are expected for most areas late tonight through Saturday. Wind gusts of 25-35+ mph will lead to patchy blowing/drifting snow, especially across open areas. Quickly dropping temps tonight may freeze wet roads by Saturday morning. Combination of snow, winds, and temperatures will lead to hazardous travel conditions across parts of the area through Saturday morning. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberryAccumulating snow returns to the Northwoods later this afternoon into Saturday as a cold front swings across the area, ushering in a much colder air mass for the weekend. Several inches of snow is expected across parts of northwest lower and the eastern U.P. by Saturday morning with additional lake effect snow continuing through Saturday. Below zero wind chills are expected for most areas late tonight through Saturday. Wind gusts of 25-35+ mph will lead to patchy blowing/drifting snow, especially across open areas. Quickly dropping temps tonight may freeze wet roads by Saturday morning. Combination of snow, winds, and temperatures will lead to hazardous travel conditions across parts of the area through Saturday morning. 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. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> A cold front will push through the area on Friday bringing a period of light snow across the U.P Friday afternoon and early evening. Lake effect snow will develop Friday night and continue into Saturday for the northwest wind snowbelts. Windy conditions and cold temperatures will result in wind chills in the -10s and -20s Friday night into Saturday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaA cold front will push through the area on Friday bringing a period of light snow across the U.P Friday afternoon and early evening. Lake effect snow will develop Friday night and continue into Saturday for the northwest wind snowbelts. Windy conditions and cold temperatures will result in wind chills in the -10s and -20s Friday night into Saturday. SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Old Soo Line Grade Lodge >> 12/11/25 WEATHER UPDATE via Meteorologist Brad Sugden >> SNOW TIME!! SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/11/25 WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> Lake effect snow showers slowly confine to the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Whitefish Bay area tonight, with some additional accumulation potential. Looking ahead, most areas start dry with just some light lake effect snow. A clipper passes through Friday evening / overnight, opening the door for a sharply colder and snowier weekend. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberryLake effect snow showers slowly confine to the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Whitefish Bay area tonight, with some additional accumulation potential. Looking ahead, most areas start dry with just some light lake effect snow. A clipper passes through Friday evening / overnight, opening the door for a sharply colder and snowier weekend. #MIwx WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Lake effect snow weakens today, though a couple of inches of fluffy snow is still possible over the east today. The next system to bring widespread snow arrives Friday, with snow totals near 3 inches of the east and for the Copper Country with totals around an inch elsewhere before NW wind lake effect snow resumes. Look for low temps to fall to near 0 in the interior west Friday night! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLake effect snow weakens today, though a couple of inches of fluffy snow is still possible over the east today. The next system to bring widespread snow arrives Friday, with snow totals near 3 inches of the east and for the Copper Country with totals around an inch elsewhere before NW wind lake effect snow resumes. Look for low temps to fall to near 0 in the interior west Friday night! SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 12/10/25 WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Northwest lake effect snow showers continue, mainly over the eastern U.P. through Thursday night. Cold temperatures persist with lows in the single digits to low 20s, coldest interior west, and highs on Thursday in the 20s. Expect single digit wind chills during the overnight periods. The next round of widespread light snowfall arrives on Friday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaNorthwest lake effect snow showers continue, mainly over the eastern U.P. through Thursday night. Cold temperatures persist with lows in the single digits to low 20s, coldest interior west, and highs on Thursday in the 20s. Expect single digit wind chills during the overnight periods. The next round of widespread light snowfall arrives on Friday. WEATHER UPDATE via Michigan Storm Chasers >> Northwest winds kick in later today, allowing for lake effect snow to return primarily for the areas drenched in shades of blue. A couple locations will pick up 1-3" or greater within the most intense bands. We are monitoring the Kalkaska county region the closest for potential upgrades, but this should be a good base forecast to get you through the end of the day on Thursday, December 11th. This forecast starts at 5 pm EST this evening when the advisories end for the system, while the lake effect bands begin coming on shore. A couple of squalls may produce blowing snow, reduced visibilities under half a mile, and a very miniscule chance for thundersnow. Areas without a color designation are not anticipated to benefit from the lake effect snow this time around. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Lake effect snow returns to the UP today through tomorrow for the north to northwest wind snowbelts. The greatest accumulations are expected east of Marquette. Gusty north to northwest winds may create areas of low visibility and blowing snow at times. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaLake effect snow returns to the UP today through tomorrow for the north to northwest wind snowbelts. The greatest accumulations are expected east of Marquette. Gusty north to northwest winds may create areas of low visibility and blowing snow at times. <> Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links <>
I think it took Steve a few days to mentally recover from a stressful run down 49 on Monday. Definitely takes nerves of steel to cross the beaver pond the 1st time! He sent me this very detailed report from his perspective on how the run went-
“Thank you to Pete for following the groomer and providing live reports from our grooming run on Trail 49 Monday night.
As reported, Passenger Chris and I left town around 5:30pm Monday night and headed to Kinross on Trail 49. It was our first attempt of the season to go all the way through behind the Chippewa County Road Commision property and across the big beaver pond south of 12 Mile Road. I believe the last time Trail 49 was groomed between 3 Mile and 5 ½ Mile Roads was December 26th.
The trip started out great as we touched up the city trails on our way out of town. We busted through the big snowbank by the substation just south of town and headed south. I don’t think the trail could have been any rougher. We dug the front of the drag in deep and started knocking the tops off the bumps. Conditions were near perfect as we could carry a pile of snow with us and it would fall into the low spots as we moved along. It was a slow stretch as we were running only 3-4 mph.
We continued south and headed towards the swamp south of 12 Mile. Trip was uneventful as we crossed the pond and arrived in Kinross where we turn around.
We headed north on the return trip and couldn’t believe how nice the trails looked. The moguls we gone, and the trail was surprisingly smooth.
We made it to the beaver pond and started our way across. We were just clearing the bridge when I realized we had brown slush and water coming out from the drag. I had just enough time to warn Chris we were in water before we broke through with the groomer. Somehow, I managed to not panic and kept my speed constant. I didn’t want to stop and I didn’t want to spin the tracks with more throttle. There was a string of explicatives from both of us in the cab as we slowly climbed our way out. I had enough snow with me in the drag that it covered the hole we made on the way by.
Overall, Trail 49 is in very good shape. We will be able to groom everything except the pond itself moving forward. Another trip or two through the 3 Mile to 5 ½ Mile Road stretch will have it back to normal.
We are still receiving complaints of riders going off trail on Trail 49. The latest is from the Amish community just south of town. Several years ago, they purchased the land our trail runs across south of 6 Mile Road. It was pretty neat to allow our request to continue using their newly owned land for our snowmobile trail. They said no one person could decide to let us access their land. They had meetings within their community and they overwhelmingly supported keeping the trail where it was. As you ride through there, notice they ran their fence lines off the woods line leaving us enough room to safely groom through there.
There have been riders going off trail and getting into their pastures. Somehow, we need to keep everyone on our trails. If you ride with riders that continually break the rules, find new riding partners. We work way too hard keeping the trails we have.
Steve Lawson”
Great reminder Steve! Please always respect the landowners that so graciously allow access across their property. If you’re unsure whether or not it’s private property, just stay on the trail. It’s pretty simple, really. All of 49 follows private property so just follow the trail please! And let your riding partners know to do the same. After having this trail partially closed all season, riders know just how vital this trail is to our area. Let’s not lose it due to trespassing.
Thanks all! And thank you Steve for your dedication and detailed reports!
Word is that 49 is holding up great!Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
Winter storm warning has been issued! We are expecting fresh snow over most of our area. As of today, everything is as flat as if can be. The cold has really helped with the water holes and sleds are passing all areas easily.
Mike and our newest trainee just completed the city trails. We have made the decision to leave the city trails and trail 49 from the Soo to Kinross alone as far as grooming until Sunday. With fresh snow on top of a flat base, we think this is best for riders and will allow you to have snow for cooling vs a super hard packed trail, and will really help freeze up any remaining soft spots.
Our spare Tucker is running triple duty while we await a fix for our newer Tucker that has an electrical issue. This is another reason we have made this decision. Trail 8 from the Soo to Brimley will be prioritized if it is determined that grooming is needed.
Our Raco, Bay Mills, Brimley, and Kinross south areas remain on the normal schedule.
Please see the pinned post regarding trail 480 and part of 572 in the Spile Dam area.
It should be a great weekend! Thanks all!! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo12/12/2025
Winter storm warning has been issued! We are expecting fresh snow over most of our area. As of today, everything is as flat as if can be. The cold has really helped with the water holes and sleds are passing all areas easily.
Mike and our newest trainee just completed the city trails. We have made the decision to leave the city trails and trail 49 from the Soo to Kinross alone as far as grooming until Sunday. With fresh snow on top of a flat base, we think this is best for riders and will allow you to have snow for cooling vs a super hard packed trail, and will really help freeze up any remaining soft spots.
Our spare Tucker is running triple duty while we await a fix for our newer Tucker that has an electrical issue. This is another reason we have made this decision. Trail 8 from the Soo to Brimley will be prioritized if it is determined that grooming is needed.
Our Raco, Bay Mills, Brimley, and Kinross south areas remain on the normal schedule.
Please see the pinned post regarding trail 480 and part of 472 in the Spile Dam area.
It should be a great weekend! Thanks all!! ❄️❄️❄️ 
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
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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Last night added about 7” on the scale!
Let it keep snowing!
Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association #soo #snowphotos
Posted December 11th at 7pm.
This is for Friday night, AND Saturday, AND Sunday. Don't come at me Saturday morning and tell me I'm wrong. Read, please!
Lake effect kicks in after a weak clipper system Friday night into Saturday morning for those in the U.P. and Northern Lower. Lake effect goes most of Saturday in a west northwest wind.
Sunday, that wind is more north. That'll keep the lake effect coming off Lake Superior for the U.P., but confine it to the shoreline areas of the Lower Peninsula.
IT. WILL. BE. COLD. Therefore, we'll have some intense lake effect bands. Some of the smaller lake effect bands in between the bigger ones that develop won't make it very far inland in the cold, dry air. Highs on Saturday will be in the single digits in the West U.P. and 10s every where else. Wind chill will be sub-zero all day long.
Sunday will warm a tad, but still be cold and windy.
I'll post daily maps individually over the next 24hrs. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey
Groomer Ken got out to play off trail in the Raco area today on the forest service roads. He said there’s lots of fluff and to be mindful off trail for stumps and rocks as the base on the off trail roads and 2 tracks is still building. Love when our volunteers get to get out and play a bit!
Thanks for sharing, Ken! ❄️❄️❄️ #soo #snowphotos
Hello everyone!
‼️ Important trail notice!!! ‼️
You may have seen us talk about the construction on trails 472 & 480 in the Spile Dam area between Raco, Rudyard, and Kinross.
There is MAJOR construction in there to build a brand new bridge, as well as build up the road (from sand/dirt to gravel). There is a ton of equipment in there.
While we do not have authority to close the trail, we are strongly advising that you avoid this area until further notice. The gate on the Raco end remains closed.
We cannot groom from Tilson road on 472 all the way to just the other side of the Raco gate on 480.
I wanted to share a visual on the map of where we are talking about. The green area in the rectangle is where we are asking you to avoid, for your own safety, and the safety of the contractors.
Expected completion is sometime in January, weather depending. We will update as we learn more.
I’ll pin this post so that it’s easy to reference.
Thanks all! #soo12/10/25
Hello everyone!
‼️ Important trail notice!!! ‼️
You may have seen us talk about the construction on trails 472 & 480 in the Spile Dam area between Raco, Rudyard, and Kinross.
There is MAJOR construction in there to build a brand new bridge, as well as build up the road (from sand/dirt to gravel). There is a ton of equipment in there.
While we do not have authority to close the trail, we are strongly advising that you avoid this area until further notice. The gate on the Raco end remains closed.
We cannot groom from Tilson road on 472 all the way to just the other side of the Raco gate on 480.
I wanted to share a visual on the map of where we are talking about. The green area in the rectangle is where we are asking you to avoid, for your own safety, and the safety of the contractors.
Expected completion is sometime in January, weather depending. We will update as we learn more.
I’ll pin this post so that it’s easy to reference.
Thanks all!
We are watching for more snow chances Friday into Saturday. More details either later today, or first thing tomorrow. Keep it tuned in here at MSC! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskeyNorthwest winds kick in later today, allowing for lake effect snow to return primarily for the areas drenched in shades of blue. A couple locations will pick up 1-3" or greater within the most intense bands. We are monitoring the Kalkaska county region the closest for potential upgrades, but this should be a good base forecast to get you through the end of the day on Thursday, December 11th. This forecast starts at 5 pm EST this evening when the advisories end for the system, while the lake effect bands begin coming on shore. A couple of squalls may produce blowing snow, reduced visibilities under half a mile, and a very miniscule chance for thundersnow. Areas without a color designation are not anticipated to benefit from the lake effect snow this time around.
We are watching for more snow chances Friday into Saturday. More details either later today, or first thing tomorrow. Keep it tuned in here at MSC!
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