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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Winter trails back in good shape across area

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 2/1/17

REGIONAL— A return to more seasonable temperatures and a bit of fresh snow has helped local snowmobile trail crews get the winter recreation season back on track after a record-setting melt in …

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Winter trails back in good shape across area

Posted

REGIONAL— A return to more seasonable temperatures and a bit of fresh snow has helped local snowmobile trail crews get the winter recreation season back on track after a record-setting melt in mid-to-late January.

Meanwhile, the slushy snow left behind by the melt has turned hard, providing a rock solid base for all kinds of other winter activities, from skiing to fat tire biking to dog-sledding.

The cooler weather came just in time to refreeze area swamps and stiffen the snowpack while enough of the white stuff was still around for trail groomers to work with. A week ago, DNR Tower Area Trails Manager Joe Majerus wasn’t sure what his staff would find as they took groomers back out on the trails after a week of exceptionally mild weather. But, said Majerus, “We put in some extra shifts and things are pretty good.” Both the Taconite and Arrowhead trails are now rated in good to very condition, with a trail base of 1-4 inches and anywhere from 14-24 inches of snow remaining on the ground. Two-to-four inches of fresh snow fell on the area on Monday, and a bit more fresh powder is currently in the forecast for the weekend, which will help to improve trail conditions, according to Majerus.

At the same time, Majerus notes that the conditions remain icy in some locations, particularly on corners. And other areas aren’t icy enough. “We’ve flagged the floating bridge in the Lost Lake Swamp. There’s still open water there and we haven’t been able to groom.”

The ten-day forecast holds on and off chances of light snow, with seasonably moderate temperatures, which should help to further stiffen swamps and stream crossings.