Ontonagon Area Trail Report – 03/08
ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via Scott’s Superior Inn and Cabins >> 03/08
What an absolutely amazing day! I had the pleasure of giving some of our guests a tour, and we couldn’t have asked for better conditions. The trails were fantastic! Days like today remind me just how much I love this job!
1️⃣ Victoria Dam Falls – Completely iced over! I’ve never seen it like this before. Nature never ceases to amaze me! ❄️
2️⃣ Bonanza Falls – A quick stop to take in the beauty before heading up the trails. The fresh snow made everything look magical!
3️⃣ Lake of the Clouds – The final stop on today’s ride, and what a view! The perfect way to end an unforgettable tour. Thanks Arthur for taking over the last leg (had to go to back to the office).
If you’re looking for an unforgettable adventure, this is the place to be!
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ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via North Country Snowmobile Club UP >> 03/08
We recommend using 137/12 rail grade to access Ontonagon rather than trail 12 down Norwich road. We have ceased grooming the ditch trail detour. Erika Hoffmann caught our crew headed out yesterday afternoon providing these great videos. We have 1 groomer down, but we’re keeping up!
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ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via North Country Snowmobile Club UP >> 03/07
Trails are incredible. Download Groomer Tracker to see the trails we groomed over the last 24 hours. We did a few passes down Rock Hill trail 13 to set it up for a great weekend. Great snow on the trails!! Be careful of water hazards opening up, but they’ll be navigable. Cold temps last night helped trails freeze in hard during our grooming. Trail 12 from 101 North/NE to Ontonagon is not groomed.
📸 Hamilton’s North Coast Adventures
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ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via Scott’s Superior Inn and Cabins >> 03/06
A fresh dumping of snow has hit the Ontonagon and Porcupine Mountains area this week, with some spots reporting over 20 inches of new snowfall! This has provided a much-needed refresh to the trails, creating a fantastic base for riding.
Trail Conditions:
Groomers are working tirelessly to catch up with the heavy snowfall. With this much fresh powder, it may take a couple of days to get everything fully packed and smoothed out, but riders can still expect excellent conditions across the Western U.P. Some trails may be a bit soft until grooming efforts are complete, so plan accordingly and ride with caution.
What to Expect:
Plenty of fresh snow for great riding.
Groomers running regularly, but some trails may still be in progress.
Watch for deep snow in ungroomed sections and be prepared for changing conditions.
Cold temps should help maintain trail quality in the coming days.
This is shaping up to be one of the best weekends for riding this season, so get out and enjoy the fresh powder while it lasts! As always, ride safe, respect private property, and support the local businesses that keep our trail system alive.
For up-to-date trail conditions, be sure to check with local clubs and grooming reports.
Happy riding!
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ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via Scott’s Superior Inn and Cabins >> 03/06
The skies are clearing! The FRESH snow is DEEP! The groomers are headed OUT! We have 1 machine down and PB22 and NH20 are reporting for duty. Please ride slowly today with equipment out on the trails. Enjoy this video from North Coast Steve from Sunday night’s reset of rock hill trail 13 by the Ontonagon River.
Trails were mostly flat ahead of this snow, great riding ahead!
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Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
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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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.
WEATHER UPDATE via Meteorologist Brad Sugden >> SNOW TIME!!
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
WATERSMEET - WESTERN U.P. UPDATE via U.P. Thunder Riders Snowmobile Club >> UPDATED 12/11/25- Crews finally pushed through and cleared all the trails on Wednesday and we sent our two groomers out today (Thursday) and were able to pan everything. Still had a few more trees come down and small stuff to clear but they are all groomed. This is early season and with the storm damage don’t expect things to be great. We have a good start to building a base but it is thin now that everything is packed down. So time for some normal snow. Early season conditions, Ride Right , stay safe and again a HUGE THANK YOU to all the crews with there equipment and the snowmobilers who helped with the cleanup. #watersmeet #westernup #snowphotos
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Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links
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