Michigan Trail Report

Trail Reports


Baldwin Area Trail Report – Wolf Lake Motel and Resort – 04/07

Hi All. Our ATV Rentals can ride right from the Resort. ATV and ORV trails are open and riders have been out, so until the next snowmobile season gets here there is still something to do. We do have a couple rooms available for this up coming weekend. Check out our Facebook page for current pictures. All of the local grooming snowmobile clubs have their ratings as closed and their rating are on our website. We have our Snowmobile Rentals ready to go, so if you don’t have one or if yours breaks down, we have you covered. (weather permitting on course) Also check out our Snow report page below.


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Keep an eye on our ATV & Snow Report for all the reports from the local grooming clubs and everything about ATV’s & Snowmobiles and our trail report, on one of the largest trail systems, plus there is a link to the Michigan DNR website for the new signage changes. Remember that there some ATV and dirt bike trails that you can ride year around here too, including the Little O and Tin Cup Springs. PLEASE DO NOT RIDE YOUR ORV ON SNOWMOBILE ONLY TRAILS. You can call us at 231 745 4101 during business hours of 8am until 10pm, to reserve an ATV, Room or Snowmobile. But if you just need a trail report please look at our website and take a look at the WolfCam for the snow totals.

Gift Certificates are available for ATV, Boat, Room, Snowmobile Rentals. Check out our specials and the WOLFCAM for the snow totals.

If you don’t have your sled ready, when time comes to ride, just call us, our rentals will be ready to go.



We are members of the Cycle Conservation Club of Michigan, Baldwin Trailriders, Irons Area Tourist Association, Wellston Area Recreation and Tourist Bureau, Benzie-Manistee Snowbirds, Lake County ORV Club and the Michigan Snowmobile Association. These are the local grooming clubs, in which we help support all of your favorite sports. When I go to an area, I always buy the new map for the season from the local snowmobile or ORV club. Trails may change and so do the maps. But I always spend my hard earned money, only with the businesses that support my sport. All those advertisers on the Snowmobile or ORV Club maps are the people, that help make those trails possible for all of us to ride. Just my two cents.



We have rooms available for this week and weekend, so what are you waiting for? We are snowmobilers too, and know if there isn’t enough snow to ride, you don’t want to come up and not be able to ride. Just call us before you come up and we will tell you the conditions at that time and if there is not good enough snow to ride, you can cancel your room with no penalties. But if there is enough snow to ride we expect you to keep your reservation. If you need a room or snowmobile rental, just give us a call 231-745-4101, office hours are 8am until 10pm, so call soon to get your room reserved or they will be all gone. We do have some discounts at a few local restaurants to save you even more money.


Check out the WOLFCAM for the snow totals.


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I CAN NOT SAY THIS ENOUGH, WEEKDAY RIDING IS THE BEST. SMOOTH TRAILS AND LESS TO NO TRAFFIC.



Make sure you STOP when they see the groomers so they can move by. It’s really dangerous to have riders keep moving when the groomers pass. Make sure you wave and show your support. Also, please stay off the ribbon so it will set up, and the trails will stay smoother longer.


Here is a list of the snowmobile trails in this area, are you ready? The Baldwin trails, (146 miles) go west to Reed City and south from here to Newaygo, Irons trails wrap around Wolf Lake and then heads north, east and west for 122 miles and connects to Cadillac and Wellston trails, Cadillac trails connect into the Irons and Wellston trails all the way to Cadillac, then south to Leroy, they groom 124 miles, Wellston trails goes west to connect to Cadillac trails and south to the Irons Trails and west to Freesoil for 68 miles and north to the, Benzie/Manistee trail system. The Pere Marquette trail connects to The Baldwin trail and all the way to Evart and up to Leroy 144 miles, the south Pere Marquette trail goes to Grand Rapids, I think about 140 miles, then north the Benzie/Manistee trail goes all the way to the Maple City another 147 miles I think. Let’s total this up, 146 + 122 + 124 + 68 + 140 + 147 = 747 in groomed connecting trails just in this area alone and we are right in the middle of them. I know most of the groomer operators and their schedules, so if it’s bumpy one way, we know which way to go, to have smooth trails. I don’t know about you but that’s a ton of riding. Now there is more trails to get to, but that would be just over kill and this is not even counting the hundreds of miles of the two tracks and seasonal roads that you can ride. Why spent an extra $200 to $300 in fuel to get to Gaylord or the UP when we have fantastic riding right here.

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Remember that the mid week riding is the best, less to no traffic, no lines at the gas pump and you don’t have to worry so much about the crazies coming up the trail at you.


There are over 740 miles of connecting groomed trails that run through this area and surrounding areas, so why would you want to go anywhere else? Plus miles and miles of two tracks and seasonal roads. We have two bedroom lake front rooms with full kitchens, living rooms with a sofa sleeper, (sleeps 6 – $110 a night), double lake front rooms with a queen and full beds and a kitchenette and dining table and chairs (sleeps 4 – $88 a night). Double motel rooms with two double beds and a mini fridge, (sleeps 4 – $59 a night) and single motel rooms with one full bed, (sleeps 2 – $44 a night) and our large Bunk House which has two bed rooms with queen bunk beds and a queen sofa sleeper, full kitchen, full living room, a breakfast bar and a fireplace (sleeps 10 – $ 167 a night). We have something for everyone.


Visit us at www.wolflakemotel.com or call 231-745-4101, office hours are 8am until 10pm 7 days of the week. See ya soon on the trails.

April 7, 2014 |

St. Ignace Trail Report – 04/03

OK, so here it is on April 3rd, and last night I went out for my first ride of the season. A quick little trip after work turned into a 122 mile trek. We left Iggy went out the Cedarville connector to M-134 and 16 mile rd, off trail across to the Kenneth and the RR Grade, off trail across to the Truck trail, out the Caffey to Rexton, down to Epoufette and back to Iggy along our Western loop. Overall 122 miles, and maybe total of 4-5 miles of sub-standard trail.

The Cedarville connector- East Lake Rd is down to mostly gravel, shoulder riding required.
Off trail – snow still really deep, knee to waist in most places, and got stuck once.
Truck trail is starting to get a bit choppy, but really ridable. The areas that the logger had previously plowed are getting pretty icy, but ridable.
Caffey trail going to Rexton has been plowed by the loggers, and there are section that are kinda bad, about 100 yards that are fresh and mostly down to sand – passable but I would not recommend going that way.
Up by Rexton, the sides of the rods are of course about shot.
Going down from Rexton to Epoufette, that stretch that the loggers plowed is down to sand, a really tough mile there. This trail isn’t packed as well as ours is, and consequently is much looser and has some sand mixed in.
From Epoufette East it is in really good condition, flat fast lots of snow and only maybe 1 or 2 small slush spots.
From the Trail stop in towards Iggy, again in really good and fast condition, all the way to the junction of Castle Rock Rd and Round Lake Road where we found a surprise – a Damsel in Distress.

Apparently she was looking for a place to go hiking and drove her small SUV all the way out Castle Rock Rd, she didn’t make the corner and was down to the frame. We brought her back to town and hopefully friends will get the car out today. but Castle Rock Rd now has a few ruts in it, not really bad, but not nearly as nice as when we went out earlier in the day.

The RR Grade from Iggy to Castle Rock Rd is got some decent side rollers in it, and at the bottom of some are slush holes that will only get worse. Maybe 1/3 of this 4 miles is in OK shape, defiantly not ‘good’

Looking at that, I have no idea what is going to happen for sure. I figure we will get 1-3′ of snow on Friday which will freshen things up. Everything is still freezing at night, so we are in a preserve maybe Mid-March type of weather/riding pattern. Would I ride this weekend? I did yesterday and had a blast, this weekend will be fine. Sides of roads are hit and plowed roads are a bit tough and getting icy, so what should you do this weekend? RIDE! One more good weekend left, probably 2 questionable ones after that.

Suggested routes for this weekend? You can park at the ice rink lot right in Iggy, and deal with the slush for the first 4 miles (not too bad) Choose your trip to Trout Lake (getting into town, trail is bumpy but snow covered), leave there and go across to Rexton, down to Epoufette ( deal with 1 mile of tough logger plowed trail with some sand), and then back along the Southern route to Iggy. Probably a good 80-90 mile run and should be some pretty good trails.

If you want to go North, then leave Iggy, take the Western side of the lower loop – trail 471, then take 2, and go North, usually I would recommend the caffey (#2) up to Rexton here, but today I say stay North, and connect up with 473 (TASA powerline/swamp trail) to go over to Rexton, then North from there.

I talked to a guy who ran 190 miles yesterday from Moran up to Paradise and he said for the most part it was flat snow covered fun with maybe a total of 4-5 miles of crap with roads and plowed stuff.

Flat out – if you want to do some spring riding there are some great trails left, and some great DEEP off trail stuff too, right on the South side of the UP.

Base: 16 inches

Snowfall Past 24 hours: 0 inches

Last Grooming: 3-30 – Sunday night – all trails.

Current Trail Conditions: Fair

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April 3, 2014 | Uncategorized
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