Snowmobile Trail Conditions

We hit the trail and grabbed breakfast at The Last Wilderness in Presque Isle.

After some great food (as usual) we headed for Bergland.  Trail 1 was in good shape most of the way and was freshly groomed near Lake Gogebic so we stayed on it until we hit Fish Tales.

Then we ran the lake to the north end.  It was in good condition with a few snow drifts.  We fueled up and headed for Rockland, but had an issue with one of the sleds.  So we turned around and decided to back track closer to home.  We headed down trail 13 (the east side of Lake Gogebic) and it had just been groomed.  That trail is great when it’s smooth, but can be awful if it’s rough.  Needless to say, that made for a great ride!  We hooked up with trail 2 east and rode to trail 13 (local) south.


Then made our way across the Cisco Chain to Bents camp.

After a great dinner we headed back home to Presque Isle.

Distance: 165
Previous: 560
Season Total: 725

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We decided to head east to check the trails for the upcoming Valentine 500 ride for Snowballcancer.org .  We took trail 1 north out of P.I. to trail 2 towards Watersmeet.

Trail 2 was in great shape except for one wet spot.  When we were approaching the wet area a groomer stopped us to warn us about it (thanks!).

After getting gas we ate at the cafe in Watersmeet.  The service was good and the food was decent.  Then we continued east to Iron River.    We made our way into Iron River, then turned south on trail 15.  This trail was in great shape also all the way to Laona.

We fueled up in Laona, then decided to meet my brother and another friend in Bergland.  We reversed course back up through Iron River and on trail 2 back towards Watersmeet.  Then we took trail 3 north to Bruce Crossing, MI.

We made it into Bergland and met our buddies at Bergland Bay Bar.  From there we made our way back to Presque Isle.
The trails were excellent except for trail 8 between Ewen and Bergland.  They were out grooming it so hopefully it will improve!

Distance: 290
Previous: 270
Season Total: 560

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Today was another great day of riding!  It all started with another great meal at The Last Wilderness in Presque Isle, WI.  We almost always ride Michigan trails, but we noticed the trails in Presque Isle were pretty nice the last few days.  So to mix it up we headed for Boulder Junction WI.

Our plan was to stop at Gooches A1 bar, but we must have missed a turn.  Instead, we stopped into Headwaters, just north of Boulder Junction on highway M.  After some refreshments we headed for Bents Camp in Land O Lakes WI.  We left Bents and headed to town to top off our tanks.  After gassing up we headed north to Watersmeet, MI.

Then we went west on trail 2 back towards home.

Every trail was in great shape with the exception of those that are plowed for cars and logging.  (even those trails weren’t terrible)  We made it home by 7pm in time to pack up our stuff for the trip home tomorrow.

Distance: 130
Previous: 140
Season Total: 270

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This was our first real ride of the season. I rode once before just before new years with my daughter, but only put on 14 miles that way. We wanted to get the sleds out and loosen everything up before the longer rides we have planned next month.

I was joined by my buddy Adam, my Dad and good friend Nick Keller (Snowballcancer.org).  We grabbed breakfast at The Last Wilderness in Presque Isle, WI.  Trail 6 from Winchester to Presque Isle was excellent!

In the past 2 seasons the Snobunnies have REALLY stepped up their game and improved their grooming!  After breakfast we headed north for Bergland.  Trail 1 out of P.I. to Marenisco and up to Lake Gogebic was fantastic!  There is plenty of snow and the scenery is spectacular for early season riding!

We took the lake from the Gogebic Lodge up the West shore and into Bergland.  After fueling up we grabbed a bite to eat at JW’s BBQ and Brew .  The service was excellent and the food was even better!  After that we headed over to visit with our friends from the Prairie Riders snowmobile club.

We rode down the lake to Root Cellar and then took trail 13 south to trail 2 east then local trail 13 to Rogers Bar.

After hanging out there for a while we headed for Milltowner in Marenisco.  We got dinner there and headed for home.  Every trail we rode was in fantastic shape.  We also got some great photos during the ride.

Distance: 140
Previous: 0
Season Total: 140

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We took yesterday off after our V500 ride.  Today is was the fun ride for Snowballcancer.org.



The pace was a lot slower and we had some fun stops along the way.



The trails were in decent shape and everyone had a great time.  There were kids that rode along as well as adults in their 60’s.

A great time was had by everyone!

Distance: 220
Previous: 1,402
Season Total: 1,622

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This ride always holds a special place in my heart, especially the last 2 years.  With several family members and friends who have battled cancer (including my daughter) there is nothing more I’d love to see than a cure!

The ride is 500+ miles to raise money for Snowballcancer.org.  A foundation that helps families that are battling cancer.

My brother Brian and I woke up at 3am and were out the driveway at 4:11am to start our long journey.

We were meeting our group at 9am in Watersmeet so we wanted to get some miles on before we met up. After putting on 150 miles we met up with the group and headed out for the rest of the day.

The first 350 miles were pretty easy, but there were some break downs and mishaps that slowed us up a bit.  Most of our riding was to the East, you can see the map I included below.  Overall the trails were in great shape until we made our way back to Bergland, MI.

Distance: 517
Previous: 885
Season Total: 1,402

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This was our last day of the trip.  Everyone was feeling very comfortable so we decided to run up to Lake of the Clouds on Lake Superior.  For as bad as trail 1 was beat last night, we all mentally prepared to beat and bang through the woods for the first 10 miles, but to our surprise they actually groomed it!  Nice job GAG (Gogebic Area Grooming)!  When we turned on to trail 2, it was in great shape as well.  We took trail 1 north into Bergland.  For a Saturday morning the trail was in surprisingly good shape.

(If our buddies don’t show up for the snowmobile trip, we make sure to remind them what they missed out on)

On our way into Bergland I decided to check on trail 1 north out of Bergland towards White Pine.

It was in great shape so we kept going north and stopped at Konteka in White Pine.  The staff there is always so helpful and friendly I always enjoy coming back.  After a bite to eat we gassed up and headed for the Porkies!

Our rookie riders had a couple sled problems, after we got those worked out we hiked up the hill and enjoyed the view.

Then we took the boundary road to trail 102 towards Bergland.  The road was in awesome shape, 102 had a few ruts, but nothing too bad.

Rant warning – I can’t understand what happens to peoples brains when they get on a snowmobile.  All common sense goes right out the window!  While coming down trail 102 around a blind corner, there were 3 sleds parked with a toddler running around on the trail.  I have kids of my own and know they need to play and have fun, but come on people, not in a blind corner!  If something happened to that kid, everyone involved would feel awful.  This was just one example of people doing dumb stuff on the trail that we saw over the last few days.  There were others (all adults) with their machines parked all over an intersection, literally blocking the entire trail.  Let me put this into simple terms for you people that don’t ride a lot:  Would you park your car / truck in the middle of I-90?  How about Lake Shore Drive?  Not a good idea, use your head!

After fueling up in Bergland we took trail 13 towards Watersmeet.  The northern half of 13 was in great shape, it got worse the further south we went (probably more traffic down there).  We stopped at Rogers bar for a beverage, then made our way home to pack up for the trip home tomorrow.

Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10

Distance: 212
Previous: 673
Season Total: 885

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After our “break in” day yesterday with my buddies who have never ridden a sled, we decided to venture out a bit further on the rail grades.  Both guys did great and rode like old pro’s by the end of the day.

Trail 1 from Presque Isle to Marenisco was really rough and hasn’t been groomed for the last few days.  Obviously with the amount of traffic and limited options to get to Michigan (trail 11 is closed) it takes it’s toll on this trail.  Hopefully GAG (Gogebic Area Grooming) can get things together and keep this trail groomed for the rest of the season.  Once we got to trail to and headed for Watersmeet, things improved considerably.  The UP Thunder Riders ALWAYS do an amazing job on their trails!

We grabbed breakfast at the Pine Cone Cafe in Land O Lakes WI which was great as usual!

(chicken and dumplings)
Then we headed north to trail 2 and took that east to Iron River.  After we got east of trail 107 it was smooth sailing the entire way.  The closer we got to Iron River, the more rocks we saw on the trail.  We decided to get gas there and head back.  The further east we went, the more the snow thinned out.

On our way back we decided to check out trail 107 and crossed paths with the groomer.

We stopped at UP Chucks for some soup and then made our way back to Presque Isle.

Trail 1 from Marenisco to Presque Isle was beat to hell again!  I gotta give a shout out to the Presque Isle Sno Bunnies!  For the first time in SEVERAL years, they did a better job on their trails than GAG did on trail 1.  Thanks, we sure do appreciate it!

Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10

Distance: 236
Previous: 437
Season Total: 673

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We rode a loop up trail 1 to Bergland, had lunch, then back down trail 13 to Presque Isle.  Trail 1 was in amazing condition (just groomed) and trail 13 was in decent shape.


A few bumps in the corner, but nothing terrible.


Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10

Distance: 142
Previous: 295
Season Total: 437

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We rode trail 1 north to Bergland and crossed paths with the groomer.  It was a great run up there.  After getting gas and some food we made our way up towards Rockland and Ontonogon.  We stopped at Henrys Never Inn then headed towards Bruce Crossing.  One of our sleds started to have a problem so we headed for Bergland.  We made it home and had a great day!

Overall Trail Rating: 7 out of 10

Distance: 206
Previous: 89
Season Total: 295

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