Michigan Snowmobile Trail Reports
for Northern Lower and the U.P.

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WHAT A RIDE IT'S BEEN... THE GLASS ELEVATORS OF TOURISM!

Unbelievable.  Snow accumulations we haven't seen in years, snirtless trails, one temporary thaw in the entire post-Christmas ride.... it's been a blast.  Cold!  But riding has been, on average, pretty good for a good, long stretch.  The economy, unfortunately, has chosen to defy these awesome conditions.  Towns that should have recorded record occupancy are still looking for your trailer to pull into town for a sweet ride.

Speaking of rides:  It's like two glass elevators, side-by-side, going in opposite directions; one up, one down.  Go ahead, wave at the folks in the other elevator.  As the conditions have shot toward the 100th floor this winter, the economy has plummeted past level 3 and 2 and G (ground) and is still going!

In September '08, the only thing that seemed capable of affecting the snowmobile season was a) weather and b) fuel prices.  Wow, did we miss the bend and hit a tree on that one!  I mean, the economy was soft, but not spongelike... that is, until October '08!  As the stock market drops as low as the northern Michigan temps these last few days, we still see a winter that has provided, for those who traveled north, a wonderful season to date.

Oops, hold on, folks... the elevators are about change directions!   Get ready to wave at them again.  The stock market/economy will go up!  Northern Michigan towns will recover!  But the wonderful snow conditions will go south - literally!  Temps will break 40 degrees beginning Thursday for 5 days!  It's enough to make you dizzy.

: |   InfoMIguy  03.03.09  09.35         jmclntock@voyager.net

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

What a blast across Northern Michigan.  Trails in Northern Lower and much of the UP are still looking good (better in some areas despite the one-day thaw a week ago).  The Gaylord-MightyMac corridor just picked up another mighty 6-8 in the last 6-8 and how about Baraga County?!  Finally, great stuff to report West of Marquette and westward to Wisconsin.  All in all, you gotta say that 2008 went out like a Lion and 2009 is coming in like one... wait, considering Detroit's NFL record year, and in honor of Baraga and her neighbors, and in consideration of the play on words, let's change that to "Went out like a Packer; Came in like Packer!!!  Yeh, put a helmet on that cheesehead and go riding on that Freshly Packered Snow!

:)  InfoMIguy  01.01.09  12:36

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WHAT A BLAST FOR CHRISTMAS WEEK!

It seems more like February for the Northern Lower.  Absolutely beautiful trail conditions for pre-Christmas, but it comes with a price.  How do you get there when Maceday Lake in Clarkston looks like a scene from 8 Below.  With 6'-16' slated for everywhere south of Saginaw, getting north might be a bit of a stretch.  So, to the weekend warrior... Oh, the rewards!  Once again, the UP is looking south wondering why the trolls are provided a preponderance of precipitous pleasure.  Blowing will continue Saturday and give way to another storm on Sunday.  If you're planning on hitting this Polar Snow Cap - representing the fingers region of the Michigan Mitten - Christmas Week will offer plenty of base, as well as decreased winds and improved travel conditions by Monday.  Snowfall will continue straight through to Christmas Eve.  Call your destination in advance, especially in the UP, and enjoy this Ted Nugent Friday... snowy trails for a Weekend Warrior and snowy roads for a Motor City Madhouse.

:)  InfoMIguy  12.19.08  12:43

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2 SEASONS IN 2 DAYS!

If I recall, we went the entire winter last year without a real thaw and yet we've already had one this year!  Yesterday, Frosty lost a lot of weight, and at my house, lost his head.  But just as my daughter mourns the deteriorating health of her snowman - a metaphor for the trails by the way - most of Northern Lower and EUP is under a Winter Weather Advisory for more snow.  Temps have fallen quicker than Frosty's head, leaving an ice sheet large enough to appease Al Gore.  Winds are 50mph at the Mac Bridge - which is shut down.  It's icy, windy... dangerous on trail as well as I-75, so sit tight today.  Temps and continued snow through the week will do what the Lion's have been unable to:  Restore the Roar! 

:(  InfoMIguy  12.15.08  08:55

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HEY, WELLSTON... DIG THIS:  SNOW!

When you surf InfoMI.com and choose Snowmobile Trail Map, you notice a snow depth link that is provided, not to portray base conditions; rather, provide a sense of what's in the woods in various locations.  This is often helpful to follow where the new snow piles up.  Just for grins, check out the snowflake in NW Lower near Manistee.  It's an itty, bitty town where I hunt, and it's close to the Boon Perpetual Bonfire Trail (w of cadillac).  Well, Wellston has 30" of snow on the ground.  Go there.  Ride the trails.  Check out the pole barn flea market.  Stop by my brother-in-law's cabin (key under the frozen mat) and make yourself at home.  30"!  Let's see, that's six times the ground cover of many WUP locales.  Go figure!

:)  InfoMIguy  12.11.08  12:07

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SHIFT YOUR BACHMAN TURNER INTO OVERDRIVE & LET IT RIDE!

Remember how that tune kicked off?:  "Good-bye, hard life, don't cry, would you let it ride!"  Northern Michigan has once again been blessed with an abundance of snow.  Likely the best start, at least for the LP in a dozen years.  I know what you're thinking... is this like the Lions - NFL Champions of the Pre-Season and 0-13 thereafter?!  Hmmm.  With another storm on its way for tonight through Tuesday, I'd say so far so good.  Trail Reports for just about everyone are Great.  UP notes usual cautions of some wet spots, some lumbering, some reroutes, some deer running into Lake Superior while the northern Lower says watch for planes hitting houses in the Kalkaska area...  sounds like the Trails are the right place to be!

:) InfoMIguy  12.08.08  13:48

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STILL SNOWIN' FOR WEEKEND RIDE!

What a week we've had.  Snow Sstorm on Tuesday, mellow on Wednesday, Lake Effect on Thursday and scattered Lake Effect on Friday and Saturday.  The EUP and NW Lower received the majority of the recent lake effect.  12"-24" on the ground is the norm in these parts.  Trail base is beautiful across most of the northern Michigan, especially the UP east of Big Bay and the Northwest Lower.  That area includes a majority of trail networks, buck-eighty-gas-n-go's, and places to stay.  Travel advisories will come and go in many places due to Lake Effect squawls making visibility tough from time to time so travel with caution.  Enjoy the weekend.  For those unable to break away, don't fret, the forecast doesn't look to let up on cold and snow for the next seven-to-ten!

:)  InfoMIguy  12.5.08  14:04

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"ALL ABOARD" THE POLAR EXPRESS!

The urban dictionary defines "It's All Good!" as "despite any doubt, everything is cool!"  Likely, you've seen trail reports from Indian River to the Soo, Munising to Houghton, and you're wondering just how accurate the reports truly are.  Trust me, "It's all good!"  On top of already solid trail base with a) scheduled grooming; b) cold temperatures; and c) midweek trail opener quietness - throughout most of northern Michigan - the forecast is Prolificly Polarific... for instance, Indian River is receiving 1"+/hour as this is written.  Here's the latest:

1. Eastern UP (Alger, N Schoolcraft, Luce, Chippewa & Mackinac counties)... 12"-24" through Friday

1. NW Lower (Emmet, Cheboygan, Otsego, Crawford, Grand Traverse, Manistee, Lake, Wexford & Roscommon counties)... 10"-20" through Friday

1. NE & Central Lower (Presque Isle, Alpena, Montmorency, Arenac, Iosco... you get the picture)... 6"-12"

There you have it, one-foot to two-feet throughout most trails over the next three days on top of the half-foot to foot of snow already on the ground.  Base conditions that were very good with 4"+ base will be as smooth and swift as riding the Polar Express.  Speaking of a certain scene from that movie, remember that ice is merely a sheet right now on the smaller lakes so keep it on the trail.  As always, call ahead to your favorite destination as many have pre-Christmas discounts, and no need to discount their reported base by 30% as some riders do, when you have this much snow, it just doesn't matter.  IT'S ALL GOOD!  Please drive safely going north and sledding forth!

:) InfoMIguy  12.3.08  09:30

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NORTHERN MICHIGAN SCHOOLS CLOSE IN HONOR OF SNOWMOBILE TRAIL OPENING DAY!

While growing up in Farmington Hills, I'd hear of northern Michigan schools closing for Rifle-Deer opener and scoffed; that is until my freshman year at Lake State where every Brady Hall dorm room had a thirty-ought and over-under nestled amidst a pile of dirty clothes in the closet.  Now a Northerner, I wondered if this morning's closings was a new ritual.  MEA-negotiated and all!

A critical mass of school closings - entire Northern Lower and Easter Upper - is almost miraculous says this morning's meteorologist.  Then again, he had predicted accumulations for Grayling and Alpena without considering the possibility that every other trail-town in Northern Michigan would crash their little SnowFest... Lake Ann, 13"... Petoskey... 7"  Mmmm Mmmm Good.  Back to the mirac, I asked my 6 year-old daughter, Elyse, if she knew how we could be so blessed with blizzard bliss on the Trail Opening Day.  For even Heikki Lunta denied reports that he 'snow danced with the stars all night'.  Ellie responded without uttering a word.... falling like a timbered pine onto her back and moving her arms and legs swiftly back and forth in the fresh 8" at our place.  Ah, yes, the snow angels.   That is surely a good sign for the season ahead, Heikki's efforts notwithstanding!

INTERACTIVE TRAIL REPORT COMING ONLINE AT INFOMI.COM SOON

Specifically targeted trail reports covering all sled systems through Michigan will be coming online.  Bookmark us now and look to InfoMI as the quick go-to for trail conditions!

:) InfoMIguy - 12.1.08  -  09:37

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2008 IS ALREADY PILING, PLOWING DRIFTING, SHIFTING AND SHAPING UP TO BE  A SLEDRIFIC SEASON!

We'll be Blowing Out the trail report to bring you specific route information with an enhanced, interactive overview of real-time conditions throughout northern Michigan.  Keep it here to keep it real; we'll be updating over the next couple weeks.

- JCM  11.25.08  12:41

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SUNDAY'S SERMON:  BLESSING OF THE STRAITS...

Sleds-Aplenty over the weekend enjoyed white-out conditions throughout the Northern Lower this past weekend following the multi-county teacher hooky-high-jinks on Friday.  Sunday's prophecy became Monday's revelation with a WARNING for the STRAITS area for snow accumulations of EIGHT or more - beginning a half-hour from now (1pm) until 5am on Tuesday!  So, as the trails continue to freeze and please throughout the UP, it is the Straits area that continues to shiver and deliver the Chemin Magnifique (superb trail).  So, for this MLK, JR. Week, the place to chill and thrill appears to be the Gaylord-Cheboygan corridor.  Riders can Springvale-it from Wolverine to Petoskey/Harbor; Rail-Trail it from Gaylord to Cheboygan; Mackinaw-Hawks-it from Cheboygan through the Black Mountain Rec Area to Millersburg and Eastern beyond; go West young man from Indian River to Alanson and rail-it to Mackinaw... do the Clark Grisdale "Grand Canyon Sigh" at the Mighty Mac Bridge and let the NW wind at your back rip-tide you all the way back to Cheboygan, Indian River, Gaylord, Whathaveyou!  Be careful traveling as the winds can create whiteout conditions such as those during that 50-car Mosh Pit on I-75 back on 12.31.98.  Call ahead for rooms and local trail conditions.  A minimum of light snow is expected each of the next 10 days.  Enjoy!

JCM  1.21.08  12:48  www.johnmclintock.com

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SCHOOL'S OUT - FOR - FRIDAY... SCHOOL'S BEEN BLOWN TO BREEZES

Slaughtering Alice Cooper tunes aside, sledders in Northern Michigan awoke to a half-hour-long scroll of school closings throughout the Northern Lower and Eastern UP due to light snow, high winds and blowing/drifting conditions.  Cadillac NW to Traverse E to Gaylord N through Wolverine, Vandy, Indian River, Mackatack, Chegirlgan, St. Ignace, the SOO, W to Newberry... you get the picture.  It wasn't significant accumulation that mattered today, it was mother nature's way of putting down an icy ribbon.  Since the blasphemist thaw at December's end, January has been slowly but surely adding inches to her waist until now... and its enough inches for many areas to loosen the belt, and get the sled off the bed.  Light snow and cold temps remain in the forecast for the next seven days so don't be shy, book a room and let 'er fly.

JCM  1.18.08  17:00

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THING ARE LOOKING UP AND EVEN LOWER PENINSULA, TOO!

The Heart of the Inland Waterway - Indian River, MI - was the heart of a snow system Thursday night that dumped 8" on the region.  Known for only 105" of annual snowfall, this region has been blessed with the best of 'em.  As mentioned previously, the wkend is still short of sustainable, groomable trail conditions throughout northern Michigan - including most of the UP, but snow showers - including a sizeable mid-week system - should get the sleds back on track for next weekend.  If you're blackberry-bluetoothing this from your sled this weekend... hit some back country trails where the accumulation is enough to put some spin on your grin -- the Pigeon River Country State Forest - for example.  Use your head, call ahead, and do not cut across the inland lakes until the ice thickens... reminds me of my brother crossing Walled Lake downstate in his pickup truck back in the 70's... Glub-glub-glub!  Temps will remain below freezing for the next double-digit days with snow (mostly light) nearly every day.  

JCM  1.12.08  13:08pm  www.johnmclintock.com

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ANOTHER FINE MESS!

Easy come, easy go.  Don't like the weather in Michigan... Wait a day!  In like a lion... Out like a lamb!  Oh, the cliches one can turn to whence the weather has gone south... literally!  Mild temps are bad enough; kinda like a Swiffer that sweeps away the surface snow but leaves the bottom stuff stuck to the floor... Rain, however, is altogether different; like a Dyson Vacuum Cleaner that sucks the sap out of your hardwood floor... or for the sake of our analogy; the life out of our trails.  A week ago, traffic on the Gaylord-to-Indian River rail corridor was like rush hour on the John Lodge; today it's barren.  Muddy.  It looks more like early November than early January.  Ice anglers are bobbing on shantyboats in the middle of lakes wondering what happened! 

All is not lost, though.  Temps will be dropping soon with snow on the way; in fact, the forecast calls a string of snow days through the weekend.  Will it be enough to restore the trail roar by this weekend?  Unlikely.  Martin Luther King's three-day weekend might be the better plan!  Let's hope and pray!

JCM  1.8.08  11:05   www.johnmclintock.com

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ARCTIC CLIPPER GIVES WAY TO GULF STREAM GUMBO SKIFF SKIPPER

Fret not Eskimobilers, the Clipper will reach our ports with a snowmobiler salute by New Year's Day, driving our temps down to the teens for highs.  In the meantime, like right now, a SYSTEM SNOW STORM is barrel-rolling up the state, leaving fresh powder in its wake.  This Gumbo Boat Skipper will deliver 3"-8" to a large area of the Lower Peninsula Sea of Snowmobiling, creating a Gulf of Sled Gladness throughout the Northern Lower.  It appears, however, the skipper will go dryland at the Straits, leaving the EUP under lighter fare.  As for specific reports, we'll have to wait to daybreak to match the whoms to the what in accumulation.  Suffice to say, Grand Rapids to Gaylord and Manistee to Midland are seeing more white than a group of wheat-intolerant folks at a sandwich bar!  If you're out riding tonight or early tomorrow, drop me an email so we can straight-to-the-trail with a couple good or bad spots to hit or miss!

JCM  12.28.07  15:00  jmclintock@voyager.net 

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WARMTH OF CHRISTMAS SPIRIT... GOOD FOR MANKIND, NOT YOUR 'HIND!

A little melt can't be helped this time of year when the warmth of the Christmas spirit roughens the trails a bit.  Trails throughout northern Michigan held up, but have become not-so-kind-to-your-'hind!  An arctic clipper will push well down to the Mason-Dixon line to keep the melt away.  Light lake-effect moved SE across the EUP and NLower providing some trail improvement to spots like Emmet County.  The system stuff is headed in tomorrow for the weekend but early predictions of accumulation are spotty at best.  As for now, all's clear on the Western Front and until that changes, the Christmas melt might need the New Year to soften the ride with new snow.  Still, we're miles (of rideable trail network) ahead of the last several years, so strap on a pillow and get out there!  Call your destination chamber or snowmobile club for specific trail reports as conditions are too scattered for a general concensus.

JCM  12.27.07  16:41  www.johnmclintock.com

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OFF TO THE RACES...

For the first December in years - perhaps since Keith Gornick lent me his Range Rover to get in and out of Otsego Club Resort during the 59" of November lake-effect in '96 - snowmobile trails, including the base-elusive rail routes, are looking mighty good.  Whether or not this Red Wings/Pistons-esque start will resemble something closer to the Tigers second-half of '07 (Mets, nothwithstanding) is yet to be seen.  Suffice for now, sledding is a "GO" throughout most of Northern Michigan.

Typically in the early season, we're focused on the lake effect along the Superior Coast... like 12-gauge spray from Topinabee Gary after lunch at the Breakers on Mullett Lake... scattered mounds of accumulation carnage here and there; total miss of the action everywhere else.  Traditional big guns like Big Bay, Munising and Grand Marais have started out well, yet it's the rookies that have come to shine in this opener.

Where on earth did the Celtics come from this year?!  So is the case with Ishpeming and the UP's southern coast, and the LP's southern swath of Clare and Cadillac.  I've taken Ishpeming off my prayer list for December and we hear the MSA is taking her off the endangered list as well.  Cadillac claims to have it's best start in... well, Ever!  I hunt just W of Cadillac in the perpetual snow-trail campfire town of Boon and no knee-high boots are gonna get me muzzleloadin' in them woods this year!  No surprise, where you hear about the serious car accidents; sadly, it often relates to improving trails.

"Yeh, I wuzza travlin' o'er har, see, and the flakes wuz da size ah hockey pucks, coodn't see a-thang... den it dun turn to a frozen rain I's tell ya - hittin the winshiled so dag nabbed hard dat I's taught it was lead spray from Topinabee Gary's 1906 Sears 12-guage.  So we's got a hockey rink dab nabbed on top of dem snow piles... it wuzn't fit for man nor beast, I's tell ya."

Ah, maybe so, friend, but the sledder knows that's a recipe cooked up by Mother Nature that just might win the Michigan Trail Fair!

Enjoy this early blessing of snow; keep it safe out there!

- JCM  12.20.07  13:03  www.johnmclintock.com