Snowmobile Trail Conditions

We headed out early this morning joined by Brook, another member of our snowmobile club. He drove up last night and wanted to get some miles on since the snow back home has been weak at best. We gassed up, got a sticker for Brook and we were on our way. After taking trail 1 north to trail 2 we headed east. It was a chilly morning and we made our way into Watersmeet, MI. After gassing up we grabbed some food at big mama’s cafe. Then we hit trail 2 east to Iron River and fueled up again. Trail 2 was in perfect shape, freshly groomed and we cut the first tracks for most of the way.

I do have one “rant” about this ride. We got behind a group that was riding 30mph on the flat straight sections. If that is the speed you feel comfortable at, great do not ride faster! The problem is, when you turn around 5 times and look me in the face, even at stop signs, what is the point of that if you won’t move over? I mean, if you want to pretend someone isn’t behind you, why even turn around? We had a guy that did this for over 7 miles. If someone wants to get around me, by all means, go ahead! I’ll move over as soon as I know you are there.
Any how, we doubled back to trail 15 and rode that up to Sidnaw and then into Kenton. We grabbed some food at Hoppy’s. Then we took trail 107 back to trail 2 into Watersmeet. We fueled up again and then headed for Marenisco to grab a drink at Bam Bam’s. After leaving Bam Bam’s we headed south on trail 1 to Presque Isle and topped off the tanks.
For all the complaining people were doing this week about lack of snow or poor trail conditions we put on over 1,000 miles in 5 days. We saw 98% snow covered trails and after a few snow storms the trails were perfect.

Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10
Distance: 245
Previous: 1,812
Season Total: 2,057

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We got an early start today and were on the trail by 7. After heading north on trail 11 we ran into the logging area. Fortunately we got 4″ of fresh snow last night which helped this area considerably. After getting through that area it was smooth sailing.

We took trail 2 east into Marinesco and got some breakfast at the wild river cafe. Then we continued east on trail 2 and gassed up in Watersmeet. We headed south on trail 3 into Land O Lakes and then back north on trail 3 to trail 2 east.

We took trail 2 east all the way to iron river. After getting gas there we headed back west on trail 2 and took trail 13 south to Bents Camp for lunch. After a delicious lunch we went north on trail 13 and west on trail to and south on trail 1 back home. The trails were in great shape today and it was the best riding of the week. It certainly helped that we got going early!

Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10
Distance: 225
Previous: 1,587
Season Total: 1,812

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Today ended up being a short trip, but a longer day. We rolled out and took 11 north towards Marenisco.

After arriving in Marenisco for lunch I noticed the rear wheel on one of the sleds was missing. Fortunately my brother took the day off from riding and was able to bring us the truck. We loaded up the sleds and trailered the broken one to the dealer and grabbed another machine to ride. After unloading at the dealer we headed north on trail 1 to White Pine.

We didn’t ride very many miles today (due to the break down) but the trails were still great.

I will be uploading the videos later today. Our internet connection here is very slow!

Overall Trail Rating: 7 out of 10
Distance: 80
Previous: 1,507
Season Total: 1,587

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My pilot buddies (Cale and Rob) showed up last night. We were all excited to hit the trails. Everyone was still complaining today about how bad the trails are. When we got to trail 2, we were the first sleds on it, obviously it was perfect!

We then took trail 13 north to Lake Gogebic and then rode into town. After gassing up we took trail 13 to Rockland and made a stop at Henry’s Never Inn.

We left there and made our way south on trail 3. It was a little rough through that section, but when we got on trail 8 east it was freshly groomed. We took that to Kenton and rode trail 107 south to trail 2 then into Watersmeet. After fueling up we took trail 2 west and trail 1 south. Overall the trails were 98% snow covered. The trails were bare in all the usual places (anywhere that gets a lot of sun).

Overall Trail Rating: 7 out of 10
Distance: 220
Previous: 1,287
Season Total: 1,507

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Today was a special day. Last week I got in touch with Nick Keller from www.snowballcancer.org and set up a day to ride with him.  Nick is the “iron man” of snowmobiling.  In the last 2.5 seasons he has ridden 51,000+ miles on the same sled.  (that’s NOT a typo, 51,000+)  He is doing it all for the foundation he started with his family to raise money for cancer awareness.  We met up in Marenisco around 10am and immediately hit the trail.  We rode trail 2 east to Watersmeet and then gassed up.  Then we headed north with our sights set on Greenland.

After a short stop at Pat’s Yamaha and a quick bite to eat we were back on the trail.  We did a loop that started on trail 13 and then made our way back home.  It was pretty neat to see all of the excitement everywhere we stopped.  No matter if we were at the dealer or at the gas station someone was always coming up asking about the sled “Mary Jane” or why Nick does what he does.  We met a lot of really great people and learned a lot about them.  For the last few days a lot of people had been complaining how bad the trails are.  We put on 315 miles today and it was pretty decent.  It wasn’t the best conditions I’ve seen, but definitely not the worst either!  If you would like to donate to Nick’s cause, please visit his website here:

http://www.snowballcancer.org/

Overall Trail Rating: 7 out of 10
Distance: 315
Previous: 972
Season Total: 1,287

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We got out the door early this morning and were the first sleds into Copper Harbor. After breakfast at the Tamarack restaurant we headed for home.

On the way back we dropped by the Gay bar in Gay, MI. We gassed up there and made our way back to trail 3 west.

After eating lunch at Parkview we set our sights on Bergland. We gassed up in Bergland and stopped at Bambam’s in Marenisco to grab some food. The trails were phenomenal today! In the first 75 miles we rode they were all freshly groomed. We did hit a few bumps on trail 3 through Twin Lakes, but that was about it.

Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10
Distance: 250
Previous: 722
Season Total: 972

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This was supposed to be a guys weekend with my high school buddies. One by one they dropped out and only 2 of us were left. So we decided to make the run to Copper Harbor. We got a late start today. After a stop at the dealer to get some maintenance done we finally got out of Bergland at 4:30pm. Needless to say, the trails were pretty beat by that point. We rode 1-2 ft bumps from Bergland to the other side of Houghton.

After that we ran across a few groomers and things got better. There was more traffic out today than I’ve seen in 4 years! We ended up getting a room at Centennial Cottages which was very convenient. They were just off of trail 3. We got there at 9:30pm and asked the owners if there was anywhere we could go to get something to eat. They said not much was open so they went to their house, got us a pizza and a few beers. Talk about hospitality! They were supper nice, I would definitely stay there again!

Overall Trail Rating: 6 out of 10
Distance: 150
Previous: 572
Season Total: 722

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Today ended up being almost the exact opposite ride of yesterday.  Two guys were so sore from yesterday they stayed at the house to get some R&R.  We met up with my buddy and his club for breakfast at The Last Wilderness Cafe.  After that we took trail 1 north to lake Gogebic and rode that to Bergland.  We gassed up there and then headed out of town.  After a late start this morning we were behind on time to make it back to the dealer to drop off the rental sled.  So we decided to break off from my buddy and his club so we could make it back to Ironwood on time.   We took trail 8 through wakefield and joined back up with trail 2 all the way to Ironwood.  After dopping off the sled we headed back on trail to to trail 11 south.  11 south was by far the best ride of the day.  The groomer had just double groomed the trail and it was in excellent shape.

Overall Trail Rating: 8 out of 10
Distance: 155
Previous: 417
Season Total: 572

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Today was a fun and interesting day.  Last night we got around a foot of fresh snow.  Needless to say, the groomers weren’t able to get it all packed in as much as they would have liked.  After a few hours on the trail, they were beat up pretty good.  I would say they were the worst conditions I’ve ridden in during the last 3 years.  They were a 2 or 3 out of 10.  Obviously this is not a good first impression for my friends that were first time snowmobilers.  We had to ride 60 miles to Ironwood to pick up a rental sled, so that turned into being a heck of a morning.  We grabbed breakfast at Korner Kitchen in Wakefield (pretty decent food and fast service).  By the time we got to Ironwood, we had some sore butts and backs.  My buddies were definitely ready to be done riding on the 2 up!  After we got the rental sled we headed east on trail 8 into Bergland.  After a quick stop at Timberline Ski-doo we headed south on the lake to the Root Cellar for a few snacks.

We left there, crossed the lake and took trail 1 south into Marenisco and stopped at Bam Bam’s for a pizza.  We got back to the house and everyone was pretty well beat.  We met up with some friends at The Bear Bar and talked about the plan for tomorrow.

Overall Trail Rating: 3 out of 10
Distance: 145
Previous: 272
Season Total: 417

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Déjà vu on trail 6 again this morning.  Enough snow to ride, but not enough to groom.  Once we made it into Michigan it was smooth sailing.  We took trail 2 east into Watersmeet and gassed up.  Then continued east to trail 3 north and trail 107.  As you can see in the video, trail 107 was AMAZING!

It is by far one of my favorite trails in the U.P.  We arrived at U.P. Chucks in Kenton and grabbed some refreshments and soup (they always have great soup).  After our short break we got on trail 8 and took that west to Bergland.  Other than the occasional rock or dirty snow patch, the trail was in surprisingly good shape!  We fueled up in Bergland and then took Lake Gogebic south to Fish Tales and joined up with trail 1 south back to Presque Isle.  In just a few hours we put on 163 miles.  Can’t beat that when you are out having fun with your Dad and Brother!

Overall Trail Rating: 8 out of 10
Distance: 163
Previous: 109
Season Total: 272

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