Explore Minnesota Winter Trails Update - Jan. 10, 2019

Good to excellent cross-country ski and snowmobile trail conditions can be found throughout northern Minnesota. Rain fell throughout the central and southern regions of the state earlier this week causing conditions to deteriorate in these areas.

Unseasonably warm temperatures are expected again this weekend so skiers and snowmobilers in northern Minnesota will really enjoy time out on the trails!

 

[Northeast] [Northwest] [Central] [Minneapolis-St. Paul Area] [Southern]

 

Northeast Region

International Falls/Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs National Park has staked the Green Trail from Franks Bay through to Gold Portage and marked the known pressure ridges. The Voyageurs National Park Association is helping with funding to allow park staff to groom the trails during the partial government shutdown. This has made accessibility easier and safer - thanks VNPA! The Rainy Lake Visitor Center will be open this weekend from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Visitor Center parking lot is available for riders needing a place to park their vehicles and trailers.

Grand Rapids/Bigfork

The Cow Horn Road and River Road ski trails running through Golden Anniversary State Forest are groomed and trail conditions are reported to be very good. The trails have a 1 to 3 inch base, and the ground is covered in 10 to 15 inches of snow. Learn more about the many Grand Rapids area trails.

Hibbing/Side Lake

The ski and snowmobile trails at McCarthy Beach State Park are in good condition. Both are groomed with an 8 inch base. Just off the trails, the ground is covered in roughly 10 inches of snow. The nearby George Washington State Forest - Tim Corey Snowmobile Trail is groomed and in good condition, with a 1 to 3 inch base. Some portions of the trail are icy -- please ride with caution.

Ely

Total snow accumulation in the Ely vicinity is 14 to 22 inches. Area ski trails, including the Babbitt Golf Course and Birch Lake Plantation trails, are groomed and in excellent condition. Sections of the Arrowhead/David Dill State Snowmobile Trail have been groomed, and conditions are good. The trail base measures 2 to 5 inches. At Bear Head Lake State Park, the ski trails are groomed and in very good condition. These trails have a 6 to 7 inch base. The snowmobile trails are now groomed and in excellent condition.

Grand Marais/Gunflint Trail

In Cook County, just outside of Grand Marais up the Gunflint Trail, the entire Upper Gunflint Trail Nordic Ski Trail System is groomed and in excellent condition. The trail system has an 8 to 12 inch base, with 16 to 20 inches of snow off the trails. The entire Banadad Ski Trail System has been tracked and is in excellent shape. Other area ski trails are in similar condition. Area snowmobile trails are groomed and in good shape. Check out some of the trails via web cams placed throughout Cook County. For the most current updates, check the Cook County Ski Trail Conditions web page.

Silver Bay

Tettegouche State Park is covered in more than 2 feet of snow. The ski trails are groomed and in excellent condition with a 16 inch base. Area snowmobile trails are also groomed with a 16 inch base. Conditions are considered very good. Just to the south, excellent conditions are reported for Gooseberry Falls State Park's cross-country ski and snowmobile trails. Both trails have a 7 to 8 inch groomed surface. Total accumulation in the park measures 18 to 26 inches.

Duluth/Grand Marais

Fair conditions are reported for the C.J. Ramstad/North Shore State Snowmobile Trail, running from Duluth to Grand Marais. The trail base measures 5 to 8 inches, and the entire trail has been groomed. The trail will be regroomed Friday and Saturday nights.

Carlton

Rain and high winds have affected trail conditions at Jay Cooke State Park. The ski trails have been groomed but remain icy so conditions have been down-graded to fair.

McGregor

Rain and high winds have left the ski and snowmobile trails at Savanna Portage State Park in poor condition.

Northwest Region

Roseau

More than a foot of snow covers the ground at Hayes Lake State Park. The snowmobile trails are groomed and in good condition, with a 6 inch base. The cross-country ski trails have also been groomed. These trails are in excellent condition with a 4 inch base.

Baudette

The Northwest Angle Edge Riders are working on grooming and re-grooming area land and lake trails following 5 inches of fresh snow. Riders will want to watch for pressure ridges on the lake trails. The north/south sections of trail from Roseau to the Angle are in good shape. Areas where the trail has an east/west direction have snow drifts making them rough. For more information, check out the Lake of the Woods Snowmobiling web page.

Bemidji

The ski trails at Lake Bemidji State Park are freshly tracked. The trail base measures 4 inches, and skiers report very good conditions. The snowmobile trails also have a 4 inch groomed surface. Conditions are considered good. Area snow cover is roughly one foot. 

Walker

The Paul Bunyan State Trail in the Walker vicinity is groomed and riders report good conditions for snowmobiling. The trail base measures 3 inches, with roughly a foot of snow off the trails. Nearby, the Heartland State Trail - North offers similar conditions for snowmobiling.

Park Rapids

The ski and snowmobile trails at Itasca State Park are groomed and in excellent condition. Approximately 15 inches of snow covers the ground. Other area snowmobile trails are partially groomed and in decent riding condition.

Central Region

Pelican Rapids/Battle Lake

The ski and snowmobile trails at Maplewood State Park have been down-graded due to recent rainfall. While the snowmobile trails are freshly groomed, conditions are considered fair. The ski trails are in poor condition.

Fergus Falls/Osakis

The Central Lakes State Trail is groomed for snowmobiling but conditions are now fair due to the deteriorated trail base.

Alexandria

The ski trails at Lake Carlos State Park have turned icy due to rainfall earlier this week. Conditions are now considered poor. The snowmobile trails, however, continue to be groomed by the Douglas Area Trails Association. Riders report good conditions along the 3 to 4 inch groomed surface. Local snow depth is roughly 10 inches.

Brainerd/Pequot Lakes

Snowmobile trail conditions for the Paul Bunyan State Trail have deteriorated rapidly, and riders report poor to fair conditions following recent warm temperatures and rain. The trail base now measures 0 to 2 inches.

Onamia/Garrison

The ski and snowmobile trails at Mille Lacs-Kathio State Park have deteriorated due rainfall. Both have an icy, hard 1 inch base, and conditions are considered fair at best.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Most ski and snowmobile trails remain closed or are listed in poor condition due to a lack of snow.

Southern Region

Most ski and snowmobile trails remain closed or are listed in poor condition due to a lack of snow.

 

Explore Minnesota will report winter trail conditions each Thursday during the winter season, with updates as changes in conditions warrant. Information used to compile the Winter Trails Update is provided courtesy of the Minnesota DNR, Voyageurs National Park, the Three Rivers Park District and communities throughout the state.

Begin planning your winter getaway by one of our travel counselors at 888-VISITMN (888-847-4866), or request a customized travel planner at Contact a Travel Counselor.

Please note that a Snowmobile State Trail sticker is required for all snowmobiles operating on state or grant-in-aid trails. All cross-country skiers on state park or forest ski trails or on state or grant-in-aid trails who are 16 years or older must have a Minnesota Ski Pass. For further information, contact the Department of Natural Resources, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 1-888-646-6367. To order cross-country ski passes and snowmobile trail stickers, dial 1-888-665-4236 or access the DNR Online License Sales web site. To locate a license center in Minnesota to purchase ski passes and snowmobile stickers, check out DNR License Agents