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March 16, 2010 General Synopsis continued...
Rain seriously deteriorated trail conditions throughout northeastern
Minnesota, snowmobile travel not recommended, all grooming has ceased.
There is basically no snow left... Report by
Chad Jones / Editor snowmobiletrails.com -
Grand Marais, Minnesota. Send your report to us!
March 4th
2010 Dropped at Four Seasons in Finland - headed towards Laux lake
trail was good till you got close to the lake. Cut over to the
North Shore trail headed
south toward Yukon trail. Yukon was closed by the forest service?
South of Beaver Bay/Silver Bay (Twin bays) north shore trail was
packed and dirt in corners. North of Trail junction @ BB/SB trail was
great. Headed back North on
North Shore trail. Took Moose Walk to Wildehurst-trail was smooth
and packed. Timber Wolf to Tomahawk trail - Timber Wolf was bumpy with
dirt showing on hills - Tomahawk was
smooth and packed. Snow got thinner & thinner the closer to Isabella
you got. At the Stony Creek they said the trail was closed by Ely.
Headed back towards Finland. Weather was great, made 120 miles from
noon till six. North Shore Trail got real busy after 3 o'clock. Gonna
try Devil Track Lake next wed if the snow holds- wanna see the new
lodge @ Hungry Jack. Report by
Joe F., Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. Send your report to us!
February 20th, 2010 Our group of 3 left Silver Bay and
headed to Devil Track Lake for Lunch via the
North Shore State Trail. The trail was freshly groomed and made
for a quick ride. After a great lunch at the 'Landing' at
Devil Track Resort we heading
to Hungry Jack Lodge to see the new building. We took the Gunflint
Trail up to Hungry Jack. The 'G' trail
was not groomed and we wondered why we went that way. However we made
it and the lodge is beautiful! We returned to
Silver Bay via the North Shore State
Trail late in the afternoon, the trail was still great! 230 miles
for the day. Report by Scott S., Hastings, Minnesota. See
trailhead option H for
planning this route. Send your report to us!
February 11th, 2010 Headed
from Lutsen down the North Shore State Trail to
the start of the Pequaywan Hoyt Lakes Trail,
about 100 miles, trail was freshly groomed. Headed north to Hoyt lakes with
a gas stop at The Pequaywan Inn. The trail again was freshly groomed. From
Hoyt Lakes we made our way to Babbitt via The Taconite Trail Spur which is a
blast to ride. 30' wide and smooth as glass. Stopped in Babbitt for gas and
took off down the Stoney Spur Trail which was in excellent condition. At the
end of the Stoney Spur you catch the Tomahawk Trail
which was really rough for about 8 miles, but we met the groomer heading
towards Ely. After that it was good going.
Stopped at The Knotted Pine for gas and took the long way down the Yukon
Trail which only had one track over it since the groomer. Caught the
North Shore State Trail and headed up to
Finland for gas, again, and headed home to Lutsen. All total, this is a 370
mile loop. We did it in one day, but would make for an excellent overnight
trip. All the trails we rode were in EXCELLENT condition and those involved
should be commended. Come on up to the Shore and experience THE BEST riding
in the State. Oh, by the way, spent some $$$ with the local business people
so that they will be around in the future. We need them. Happy Trails! Report by
Mark B., Northfield, Minnesota. See trailhead options
K or M for
planning this route.
Send your report to us!
February 9th, 2010 Rode
from Lutsen to Silver Rapids Lodge in Ely. The
North Shore State Trail hasn't been
groomed since the fresh snow, but was a lot of fun to ride. The
Tomahawk Trail was good to Isabella, but
turned rough until we got to the Jay Matillia shelter. From there to
Ely it was fair, with the corners getting rough. From Silver Rapids
Lodge we rode the lake trail down to Babbitt which was a lot of fun,
easy miles. The Stoney Spur Trail from Babbitt back to the
Tomahawk Trail and to the Knotted Pine for
gas. Rode the Yukon Trail down to Two Harbors, and took the
State Trail back to Lutsen for the
day. This is a great loop to ride, @ 305 miles All in all, trails are
in good shape, but after they get groomed, they well be EXCELLENT. Report by
Mark B., Northfield, Minnesota. See trailhead options
K or M for
planning this route.
Send your report to us!
February 8, 2010 Rode
from Lutsen up to Rydens Border Store plowing through 6-12 " of fresh
powder. The Grand Portage
snowmobile trails were a blast with some of the best views you can
find in Minnesota. Stopped at Lakewind General Store at Devil Track
Lake for maps and info, the people there are great. On the way back
we rode up the Gunflint to Hungry Jack Lodge. New place is sweet, but
the spur trail leaves a little bit to be desired. The off trail
riding is as good as you can ask for. Report by Mark B., Northfield, Minnesota. See trailhead options
K or M for
planning this route.
Send your report to us!
February 4th, 2010 We rode the
north shore state trail on Wed Feb 4th
from south of Two Harbors to Finland. Then rode to Isabella and then
down to the Brimson trail and south back to our cabin. 190 miles and
the trail were great!!! All of them were smooth and lots of snow. The
DNR lists the trails as good but they are very good to excellent. Report by
Jon W., Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. See
trailhead option I for planning this route.
Send your report to us!
January
27th, 2010 Stayed
at Devil Track Resort
1-22-2010 through 1-25-2010
Trails were in fair condition on Friday and Saturday. Friday went to
the Trestle Inn via the North Shore State
Trail and Tomahawk Trail. North Shore
Trail was rough but rideable with some dirt spots. The Tomahawk Trail
was freshly groomed and great. Saturday took the
Gunflint Snowmobile Trail System /
Swamper Trail to Hungry Jack
Lodge for lunch (great new lodge MUST SEE!!) then to the
Gunflint Lodge and back down the
trail to the Trail Center for supper and Expressway back to Devil
Track. The trails were a little low on snow with some rocks but
rideable. THEN THE SNOW CAME SATURDAY NIGHT!! Sunday rode the North
Shore State Trail again to the Schroeder shelter and built a snowman.
10-11 inches of fresh snow on newly groomed trail with the woods
flocked with snow. What a sight!! Took the North Shore State Trail
back and headed up the Gunflint again with 12-14 inches of fresh snow.
What a ride!! Very little traffic the entire weekend. Maybe 10-12
sleds on Saturday and 4 sleds on Sunday and Monday. Trails got the
snow they needed!! Looking forward to our next trip back in two weeks. Report by
Mike S., Aitkin, Minnesota. See trailhead
option C for planning this route.
Send your report to us!
January
25th, 2010 Headed out @noon to verify snow
depths up along Grade/Forest Road 153. Headed out on Tofte trail from home and found
very little snow along lakeshore up to Carlton Peak. Snow
accumulations were getting better, around 6-8" by the
North Shore State Trail. Then headed
north on Wringer Lake road and found only one track and great riding,
once to the "Grade" there was about 11-13" of heavy wet snow and great
riding. Over to Trestle Inn and snow was plentiful! Played around on
various logging roads in area then back on State Trail which had more
traffic and back up to Grade and broke trail down Wringer Lake road,
which was a hard ride due to all the brush heavy with snow and ice in
trail, after spending a lot of time clearing trail to pass through,
made it back to State Trail and headed for home. All in all a great
day to be out in new snow and little traffic. Groomer will be out on
Thursday if not earlier for trail packing for Beargrease Sled Dog
Marathon which starts this Sunday, so keep your sled to the right and
watch your speed if riding during the race!! Happy sleddin'. Report by
Blake N., Tofte, Minnesota. See trailhead
option O for planning this route.
Send your report to us!
January 25th, 2010 Devil
Track Lake to Tofte via North Shore State Trail... day started out at
38 degrees, around 11am wind picked up and temp has dropped 10
degrees. Great trail conditions if you like powder and ungroomed
trails. Trees flocked with snow and fresh deer and wolf tracks on
trails. We ran into only one other sledder. On the way back to Devil
Track Lake the howling wind starting to make some nice drifts. Trail
should be groomed to Caribou Trail today and then from Caribou Trail
to Grand Marais tomorrow. Some great sledding this week with all the
fresh snow! We put 76 miles on with some sorties into the deep
backwoods powder and lake shredding, was very difficult to take pics
with blowing snow, poor light... image at top right of page and image
below are from today. See trailhead options
C, J,
K, M, N, or
O for
planning this route. Report by
Chad Jones / Editor snowmobiletrails.com -
Grand Marais, Minnesota. Send your report to us!
January
16-17th, 2010 I
didn't use hand warmers the ENTIRE weekend. My cousin and I rode over
150 miles on 1/16/10. We started in Two Harbors, took the North Shore
Trail and Yukon trail to Isabella. The trails had plenty of snow, but
the warm weather made for more drag and fuel consumption. We fueled
up (along with 20 other sleds) in Isabella at the Knotted Pine and
headed to Finland for food. Trails surrounding Finland were rather
bumpy, but we rode back to Two Harbors Saturday night. Overall, it
was a great day for snowmobiling. Awesome weather again on Sunday.
We took the North Shore Trail to Dixie's to watch the Vikings beat the
Cowboys with other snowmobilers. After the game we made about a 100
mile loop. We took the Yukon Trail to the Brimson Trail. The Brimson
trail had deep snow and was beautiful through the trees. We took the
Brimson west and than headed south back to Two Harbors. Great
weather, great riding, great football game, and a GREAT weekend. Report by
Adam O., Belle Plain, Minnesota. See trailhead
option I for planning this route.
Send your report to us!
January
17th, 2010 We
rode the trails out from Tofte from Dec 26th thru Jan 8th. There was
only a couple inches on the shore, but 18" - 20" 5 miles over the
hill. The trails were beautifully groomed and the powder fresh. The
State Trail was groomed every day. Report by Jay
S., Stillwater, Minnesota. See trailhead
option O for planning this route.
Send your report to us!
January 7th, 2010 Devil
Track Lake to downtown Grand Marais... bright sunshine and cold, we
left Devil Track lake midday to checkout the spur trail from downtown
Grand Marais that connects to the
North Shore
State Trail. Decent trail conditions with some snirt and a few
bare spots, but pretty darn good base exists on the State Trail
towards Lutsen. The spur from downtown was in fair shape with the
poorest section being the first mile or so from downtown, once you're
north of the Gunflint Trail / County Road 12 conditions really
improve. On the other hand the trail into downtown to lodging and fuel
is the best we've seen it in years. If your considering staying in
downtown
Grand Marais the trails out of town are rideable up to the State
Trail. See trailhead options
C or J for
planning this route. Report by
Chad Jones / Editor snowmobiletrails.com -
Grand Marais, Minnesota. Send your report to us!
January
3rd, 2010 On Saturday, December 26th, I
ventured out of Silver Bay, got on around 60 miles. None of the
trails had been groomed so I had to follow other tracks, and there
weren't many. Whenever I stepped off the track I was riding, I found
the snow went up past my knees. I got into the
Moosewalk, then back on the
North Shore State Trail, it was fun to
get out. Many of the snow filled trees were bent over into the trail,
you had to dodge them, and many were hard to avoid. The next day,
Sunday, my friend and I went out of Two Harbors, the lot had not been
plowed out so we parked on the road, we went up the Yukon Trail
several miles until we met up with the guys who were running the
groomer. Lots of small branches were prevalent, and they were trying
to clear off the excess overhangs as well as trying to smooth out the
two feet plus of fresh snowfall. Quite a job. We backtracked a bit,
tried heading towards Hugo's along the Brimson access, but ran out of
tracks to follow, so we turned around, went into Dixies, then hit the
North Shore State Trail for a bit.
Again, no groomers had been on the
North
Shore State Trail. We only saw a few sleds out. Put on over 45
miles.
Saturday, January 2nd,
we'd heard the groomers had been out all week, and we were anxious to
try some early season trails. We started at the highway #2 lot out of
Two Harbors, the lot was plowed, but empty, except for three other
trucks. Temps were hovering around zero. The trails were great, some
places had a little build up in the middle where the groomer left a
ridge, but they were fairly hard, flat and fast. We followed the
North Shore State Trail until we got to Silver Bay, and it
seemed at every new turn, there was a perfect picture postcard scene
awaiting. It was so beautiful, the sun was out, the air was cold, and
the sleds were running great. As soon as we reached the
Moosewalk turn-off, we went in, but the
conditions there were not as good as I'd hoped, they were a little
beat up, still extremely picturesque, but a little rougher than
usual. Quite a few branches overhanging still, but LOTS of snow. We
got back on the
North Shore State Trail , which was in great shape, got some gas in
Finland, followed the Baptism trail to the
North Shore State Trail , and flat out boogied
until we got up to the intersection onto the
Tomahawk, and followed it up to the Trestle Inn. That part of the
Tomahawk was as good as I have ever seen it, other than the one big
bump right by the swamp entrance, and a few whippy brush branches
dangling on one small stretch, the trail was superb. We had a great
lunch at the Trestle. I counted 22 sleds in the parking lot when we
left. We went back down south along the
North Shore State Trail , and the cameras were
also in high gear, as the sights were utterly dazzling. We got around
135 miles on. If anyone likes to see some fantastic outdoor stuff,
this is a great time to get out to view and enjoy some of the most
spectacular trail riding in the state!! Report by Dick
T., Duluth, Minnesota. For trailhead in Two Harbors see
trailhead option I.
For trailhead in Silver Bay see trailhead option H,
for planning these routes.
Send your report to us!
January
2nd, 2010 Our trip started on Dec 29 at
Devil Track Lodge. We
stayed there and rode in and out. Fabulous accommodations and great
staff. We rode the freshly groomed
Gunflint Snowmobile Trail System for a short loop as one of the
four in our party was new to riding. Trails were typical for early
riding, with some twigs and brush sticking up, but were in pretty good
shape considering. Watch for big bumps where the groomer picks up and
sets down. The state trail wasn't groomed till 12/31, and it had some
of the same issues with twigs etc, but was like butter smooth.. All in
all a great ride and a good first trip for our rookie (way to go
Lauren). All I can say is the hot tub at the Devil Track was a
welcome sight each night. We also made a trip up to the Hungry Jack
Lodge for lunch. What a beautiful brand new place they have there.
Absolutely worth the ride!! When we headed home on New Years Day, we
felt lucky to miss the newly arrived cold. Whew! Great way to start
the season off. Thanks for the tips on the lodge and great trails.
We'll be back soon!! Report by Neal L., Shoreview, Minnesota. See
trailhead option C for
planning this route. Send your report to us!
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SNOWMOBILE
TRAIL SYSTEMS
North Shore State Snowmobile Trail
From Duluth to Grand Marais, Minnesota the 153
mile long North Shore State Snowmobile Trail system traverses St.
Louis, Lake and Cook Counties of Northeastern Minnesota, along the
vistas overlooking Lake Superior. The trail system winds its way
through forests and nearby Lake Superior scenic overlooks.
(Requires MN "State Trail" Snowmobile Permit Sticker, this is an
addition to the regular registration.)
More Local North Shore Snowmobile Trails
Grand
Portage Trail System northeast corner of Minnesota
Duluth Cross Town Trail - West Section 33
miles West area of Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth Cross Town Trail - East Section 12
miles East area of Duluth, Minnesota
Taft Trail North out of Duluth, Minnesota
Pequaywan Lake Trail 10 miles North out of
Duluth, Minnesota
Two Harbors Corridor Trail 9.6 miles East end
of Two Harbors, Minnesota
Gooseberry State Park Trail 3-9 miles
Located at Hwy 61 and Gooseberry River/State Park
Red Dot Trail 15 miles East end of Beaver Bay,
Minnesota
Tettegouche Trail 10 miles and Sawtooth Trail 15
miles East of Silver Bay, Minnesota
Moose Walk Trail 15 miles North of Silver
Bay, Minnesota
Tomahawk Trail 86 miles North of Little
Marais, Minnesota
Lutsen Trail System 67 miles Between Tofte,
Minnesota and
Cascade River State Park
The X Trail North of Cascade River State
Park and leads to the Gunflint Trail System
Grand Marais Trail 5.5 miles
Gunflint Trail System 125 miles
Grand Portage Trail System Over 100
miles of loops, great scenery and well groomed trails.
Ontario Snowmobile Trails from the Gunflint
Trail/Gunflint Lake/Sag Lake area.
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