Trail Reports
Up-to-date Michigan Tech Groomer Reports
December 14, 2019
Churning Rapids Snow Bike– groomed Saturday morning. Should be good riding. May need to run soft tires.
Swedetown – All trails tilled and tracked, and the snow bike trails were groomed on Friday evening. Excellent conditions throughout the system! Grooming completed at 9:00 am.
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All Churning Rapids trails dragged and tracked. Excellent conditions.
December 13, 2019
Chassell– groomed and tracked Friday morning. Grooming completed at 10:00 a.m. Conditions are excellent.
Churning Rapids Snow Bike – Trails groomed Thursday evening. Surface is a little soft, so we recommend less than 5 psi for fat biking.
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All Maasto Hiihto trails dragged and tracked. We plan to drag and track all Churning Rapids trails tomorrow morning. Very good to excellent conditions.
December 12, 2019
Chassell– Groomed and tracked Thursday morning. Excellent conditions. Grooming completed at 8:00 a.m.
Churning Rapids Snow Bike – Trails groomed Wednesday evening. Good conditions Thursday morning, but more snow on the way during the day. We will groom again Thursday night.
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All trails rolled and tracked. Very good conditions.
Swedetown – All trails tilled and tracked. Excellent conditions prevail throughout the system–the new snow is very firm! The Multipurpose Trail has been packed and rolled. Snow bike trails have been packed and dragged, conditions are improving but low tire pressure still recommended.
December 11, 2019
Swedetown – Trails are being tilled and tracked but continuing snow throughout the day will lead to slower conditions. The skate lanes and classic tracks will be soft as we work to consolidate Nature’s bounty. Report posted at 7:45 am.
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All trails rolled. Due to the cold weather and blowing snow an abbreviated track pattern was set. The River trail in the gorge and Mud Lake were not tracked. Some trails that are normally double tracked were single tracked. We plan to roll and track all trails tomorrow morning.
Churning Rapids Snow Bike – Trails are very soft with all the new snow and wind. We will be grooming Wednesday afternoon and Thursday evening. Hoping for good riding conditions Friday and into the weekend.
December 10, 2019
Chassell – Groomed and tracks set Tuesday morning. Conditions are excellent. A winter wonderland.
Churning Rapids Snow Bike – Trails were packed Monday evening, and we plan to head out again later Tuesday morning. Trails will be very soft.
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All trails rolled and tracked. Tracks are getting covered quick by snow and wind. Very soft conditions.
Swedetown – All trails tilled and tracked, but expect to find soft conditions with all the new snow that came down (and keeps coming!) Valley and Greenstone have been tracked with our popular “Ski with Friends” tracks: side-by-side classic tracks. The snow bike trails are being groomed, but it is slow-going with all of this snow. Grooming completed at 12:00 pm.
December 9, 2019
Chassell– With the warm temps and rain on Sunday, the trail became very soft. It is now very icy and dangerous. Grooming is suspended until we receive snow.
Swedetown – Yesterday’s thaw has turned into today’s base: we now have 4-6″ of extremely hard base being rapidly covered by the latest front. All trails were dragged this morning, but the groomer’s work is being covered quickly. The snow bike trails were dragged Sunday evening and are firm and fast. Grooming completed at 9:00 am.
December 8, 2019
Swedetown – Today’s warm temperatures have led to soft conditions on the trails at Swedetown. The Multipurpose (Dog) Loops have been packed and rolled, but there are a few damp spots in low areas. The snow bike trails are dragged and rideable with a few random soft spots, under 5 psi recommend. Grooming completed at 11:30 am.
December 7, 2019
Swedetown – Skate lanes were freshly dragged; both trails and tracks are firm and fast!
Chassell trail- The trail is now open. The trail was groomed on Friday. Conditions are very good to excellent.
December 6, 2019
Swedetown – ALL trails tilled and tracked with the Husky! Excellent conditions prevail throughout the system. Grooming continues on the snow bike trails for Global Snow Bike Day tomorrow–the trails should be firm and fun for everyone! Grooming completed at 12:00 pm.
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All trails rolled. Tracks set on all trails except for the River trail between Sidewinder and Dam hill, and Mud Lake. Good to very good conditions.
Churning Rapids Snow Bike – Trails groomed Friday evening. Should be in good shape for the weekend.
December 5, 2019
Churning Rapids Snow Bike – Trails were groomed late Wednesday evening. As of Thursday morning they are still a bit soft. Please run low tire pressure (less than 5 psi) if you go out today.
Swedetown – The skate lanes are freshly dragged and the classic tracks are looking good! Grooming completed at 9:30 am.
Snow bike trails have been snowmobile packed and we hope to drag tomorrow for weekend, expect soft conditions until temperatures drop and the trails harden.
December 4, 2019
Churning Rapids Snow Bike – Trails are currently very soft. We plan to groom again Wednesday evening. Also, we will be hosting a group fat bike ride from the Tomasi Road trailhead at 10:00 on Saturday.
Swedetown – All trails tilled and tracked, except for Papa Bear and Powderhouse, which were dragged (but not tracked) to build up more base for the big groomer. Conditions range from very good to excellent. Grooming completed at 9:30 am.
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All trails dragged except for Ruby Marsh, Diagonal, and the Spring Creek/Thoroughfare intersection to Christensen Rd. City-side, Meadow/Vista, New River trail, River Bypass, and Lookout Loop tracked. Good to very good conditions.
December 3, 2019
Swedetown – Skate lanes were dragged, classic tracks are in good shape. No grooming on the snow bike trails, but we hope to be back up and running on those soon. Grooming completed at 9:30 am.
December 2, 2019
Churning Rapids Snow Bike – All trails were groomed Sunday afternoon including the connector to the Tomasi trailhead and Christensen Road. The surface may be a little soft, so low tire pressure (less than 5 psi) is recommended.
Chassell – The upper 5km is groomed and tracked and in good shape. Access via the parking area on Archambeau Road. The lower 5km still has wet spots and branches and other debris.
Swedetown – All trails freshly dragged. Flat trails with good base (i.e., Len’s Loop, Valley, Greenstone, Cedar and Tamarack) were tilled and tracked with the Husky today! The snow bike trail is down temporarily due to mechanical issues with our SBT grooming machine–we are hoping to have a fix as soon as possible.
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All trails tracked except for the River trail between Sidewinder and Dam hill, and Mud Lake. Good to very good conditions everywhere.
December 1, 2019
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All trails have now been rolled at Maasto Hiihto and Churning Rapids! The upper and lower half of the River trail will still be closed for the 2019-20 season. We plan to set tracks on a few trails tomorrow.
Swedetown – All trails, packed, dragged, and tracked. Very good conditions prevail throughout the system, but there are still a couple of wind-blown thin spots.
November 30, 2019
Michigan Tech – Trails are still soft but beginning to firm up. The plan for today is to pack and flattened upper trails and flatten the lower trails. Tolkien was rolled yesterday (11/29) but with many trees down, it will not be fully opened until at least Monday (12/2). Cemetery is still closed today. Classic tracks are coming soon! With more snow expected tonight, we plan to set classic tracks on all upper trails for Monday (12/2).
Swedetown – All trails are now open at Swedetown! All trails are dragged and tracked; good to very good conditions prevail throughout the system. The Bear Loops will be a little soft because they were just opened up, but should firm up quickly. Reminder: today is the last day of deer season, dress appropriately–be safe and have fun! Grooming completed at 9:30 am.
November 29, 2019
Swedetown – All trails dragged and tracked, except for Flamingo and the Bear Loops. Good to very good conditions throughout the system. The Bear Loops have been rolled and packed but are quite soft. Grooming completed at 8:30 am.
November 28, 2019
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All trails rolled except for Meadow/Vista, and Mud Lake. There are still too many rough areas to set tracks. We hope to set tracks at the end of this week or early next week if enough snow accumulates.
Swedetown: Pine, Len’s, Valley, Greenstone, Cedar, Birch and Tamarack have all been dragged and tracked. Ed’s and Powderhouse have been packed and rolled. Conditions are improving rapidly as the new snow consolidates. Grooming completed at 1:00 pm.
November 27, 2019
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – All trails rolled except for Mud Lake. There are some thin spots in wind blown areas, and a few wet areas. We plan to roll most trails again tomorrow.
Swedetown – Grooming is temporarily suspended to protect the base while the new snow accumulates. We will post updated reports as conditions change throughout the day.
Swedetown Update: Pine, Len’s, Valley, Greenstone, Cedar, Birch and Tamarack have all been rolled, and will be dragged and tracked early Thursday morning. Expect soft conditions, but after Mother Nature’s recent stinginess, who’s complaining about 20+ inches of snow on the trails!
November 26, 2019
Swedetown – With a 2″-3″ base, the trails at Swedetown are holding up, but just barely. Trails were dragged this morning, but there are numerous thin/dirty/grassy spots, especially on part of Greenstone between the first cable and the gate near Powderhouse. The new area on Tamarack suffered extensive damage from a snowmobile, and the trail has been rerouted on the old section. Grooming completed at 8:00 am.
Michigan Tech – New snow is on its way!! This morning the trails received a light dusting of snow and underneath is a firm pack of thin base. With heavy snow predicted for tomorrow, we will be rolling throughout the day to pack it down. Husky, Cemetery and Lower Trails closedthrough the rest of today but hopefully will open tomorrow with several inches of new snow. Thank you for your patience during the fluctuating weather
November 25, 2019
Swedetown – Skate lanes were dragged Sunday evening in anticipation of warm temperatures on Monday. Conditions will be soft and thin spots are showing on some trails.
November 24, 2019
Swedetown – Skate lanes were dragged this morning; classic tracks are still looking good, but expect soft conditions as the temperatures climb. Grooming completed at 10:00 am.
November 23, 2019
Swedetown – Skate lanes were dragged this morning; classic tracks are looking good! Grooming completed at 8:30 am.
Snow bike trails are groomed and rideable, come check out the newest loop #5, 5+ K of twisting rolling trail. Low pressure recommended. Loop 4 is not ready yet.
Michigan Tech – After a cold night, the upper and competition trails are fast and firm this morning. With the warm weather expected today and into tomorrow, trails will remain as-is until temps drop and more snow accumulates. Husky, Cemetery and Lower Trails closed until further notice due to many thin and wet spots.
November 22, 2019
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – City-side, New River Trail, River Bypass, and Meadow/Vista trails rolled. There are many areas of open water, exposed ground, and debris.
Swedetown – With a little help from Mother Nature this week, the trails are rapidly improving! All trails are open except for the Bear Loops and the Multipurpose Trail, and all trails are dragged and and tracked. There are a couple of wet spots on Cedar, but they are easily avoided. The skate lane is firm, and both skate and classic skiers can expect to find the best conditions during the colder parts of they day. Reminder: 8 more days of deer season, so please dress appropriately.
November 18, 2019
Swedetown – Due to warm temperatures and low snow conditions, grooming has been suspended until conditions improve.
November 17, 2019
Swedetown -All trails are open except for the Bear Loops and the Multipurpose Trail. All trails tracked and dragged, and rapidly accumulating snow is improving overall trail quality. There are still some thin spots, so bring your “B” skis. Grooming completed at 11;30 am.
November 16, 2019
Swedetown -All trails are open except for the Bear Loops and the Multipurpose Trail. All trails tracked and dragged, with typical early season conditions.
November 15, 2019
Swedetown – Preseason grooming continues at Swedetown Trails. Cedar, Birch, Tamarack and Ed’s have been dragged, and tracks were set on Len’s, Valley, Greenstone, and the trails that were dragged today. The best snow will be found on Ed’s and the Tree Loops, but caution should be exercised as typical early-season conditions prevail. The skate lanes are firming up nicely and should be fast during the colder parts of the day. Reminder: Michigan firearm deer season is open: please dress appropriately with bright, conspicuous colors.
November 14, 2019
Swedetown – Conditions are improving as Len’s, Valley and Greenstone have been dragged. There are still thin spots, especially where the recent trail work was completed. Reminder: Michigan firearm deer season starts tomorrow (November 15): please dress appropriately and be aware that you may come across hunters in the area.
November 12, 2019
Chassell – Chassell will not open until at least December 1, depending on trail conditions.
Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids – City-side, New River Trail, Meadow/Vista, Outback, and Mud Lake Bypass trails rolled. Snow cover is very thin and there are many areas of exposed ground, rocks and other debris.
Swedetown – Rolling continues as the new snow accumulates. Len’s, Valley and Greenstone were rolled, with conditions rapidly improving. Expect to find some thin spots on the newly worked sections of the trail. Reminder: Michigan firearm season will be starting in two days. Please exercise caution and wear appropriate blaze orange or other conspicuous clothing.
November 11, 2019
Swedetown – Grooming continued over the weekend, and Powderhouse and Pine have been rolled. Extensive trail work was done on the “field” section of Powderhouse; please exercise caution as the snow cover may be very thin in the areas were trail improvements were made
November 8, 2019
Swedetown – Grooming for the 2019/2020 ski season started today! Len’s Loop, Valley, Greenstone, Ed’s, Birch, Cedar and Tamarack were rolled. Expect early season conditions, with leaves, branches, wet or thin spots, etc. Please note: trail improvements were done on sections of Len’s Loop, Greenstone, Valley, Powderhouse and a small section on Tamarack. The snow is very thin there, as well as a fair amount of debris, so please exercise special caution in these areas.
Michigan Tech – Upper trails rolled.
