Thursday--February 4, 2010

All 4 of the groomers are running their regular and extra routes Thursday through Sunday to keep the trails in as good as shape as possible.  The trails remain at about a 8 on a scale of 1-10.  The RR grades have some bare spots (wind blew the snow off) but they are short and only a few of them.  The tight, twisty sections in the woods are thin but snow covered.  The wide open forest and seasonal roads are smooth, snow covered ice and flat.  ALL trails are very rideable and will not damage the sleds.  Use extreme caution this weekend due to all of the ice (there were at least 3 accidents last weekend) and all of families and large groups that will be on the trails Friday-Sunday.

The route from Lake Mitchell's west end to Pole Road (Hemlock Park) is CLOSED.  The suggested routes  out of the Cadillac "West" area is to follow the trail along M-115 south east to 44Rd and then the White Pine Trail south, OR  go west along M-55, (follow the trail signs), cross M-55 at the Gas Station and follow the signs along Pole Road and 27 Rd to the start of the groomed trail.  The 2nd route is through a residential area:  Go Slow and RESPECT PRIVATE PROPERTY.

Snow gauge*: 4 inches

Tuesday--February 2, 2010

The trails remain in great shape and it looks like they could remain that way throughout the week if our weather pattern stays the course. Temperatures remain below freezing and the snow machine spits out snow every now and then but not great accumulation is forecasted. At least three groomers are out every day with some groomers doing two routes each day.

Sure hope you are headed this way for the North American Snow Festival scheduled to start Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with Opening Ceremonies at the Armory immediately followed by the Chili Cook-Off. For more details about the event check out the NASF link.

The trails will be busy this weekend so keep safety and fun foremost on your mind as you enjoy this special weekend in the Cadillac area.

Snow gauge*: 3 1/4 inches

Saturday evening--January 30, 2010

Three groomers were out today and report the trails are in suprisingly good shape...most are about an 8 out of 10. The Boon groomer did Trail 37 south, while the 8920 groomed Trails 6, 376, 677, 687, 638 and the 7920 groomed Trail 35 east from Fairchild Creek to Hobart then Trail 5 North to McGuires then Trail 5 south to LeRoy. There is an ice base on all trails and light snow covering throughout the entire system. The absence of snirt is quite amazing. It is frozen solid and the trails are white. There are a few "chatter bumps" in some places the groomers can't get out. Fortunately they aren't deep and they aren't throughout the entire system.

Snow gauge*: 3 inches

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*SNOW GAUGE is located in Cadillac West 1 mile N of the 33 Rd Staging Area near M55 in a protected area subject to limited blowing and drifting. The amount of snowfall on the gauge and the amount reported will most likely differ as the snow on the gauge (ground) keeps compacting. The daily reports are based on the local news coverage, visual observations, and reports from groomer operators and folks living near the trail system.. It should also be noted the snow gauge is rather centrally located in the trail sytem. Areas to the west of the gauge generally get more snow and areas to the north, south and east typically get the same or less snow.

Address: Cadillac Winter Promotions, P.O. Box 363 Cadillac, MI 49601

Email: Dick Alexa, President: rgalexa@hotmail.com