Vilas-Ashland-Iron-Price Trail report

[pclark]

I base out of Manitowish Waters and we just wrapped up 4 days of very good riding. 638 miles total spread out over Vilas, Oneida, Price, Iron, and Ashland Counties. All counties very good to excellent. I guess Boulder Junction has a groomer down so they may be a little behind. Price county was awesome as usual and not much traffic. Iron very good except where Groomers can't do the swamp trails (I know that goes for all clubs). Rode up to Saxon Harbor on Lake Superior Thursday, all trails excellent. Hats off to Minocqua area clubs, their trails were great on Tuesday. Presque Isle trails awesome, Manitowish and Mercer good, lots of traffic starting on Thursday.

It was already getting very busy up here on Friday morning in anticipation of Super Bowl weekend. I would expect trails to take a beating this weekend with the warm temps coming on Saturday and Sunday. Some road trails have been scraped down pretty good so will be bare after this weekend. I would stay off the lakes unless you know them. I rode several and was staying around the barrels or stakes and there is still slushy areas, after the warm up coming I would stick to dry land until it gets colder again.

Hats off to all the clubs up here that make it happen. it's been a great year so far with tons of snow in most of these areas and should be able to sustain a day or two of warm weather. In town trails will get bare but if you pick places where typically no one likes to venture you will have great riding.

Stay right, stay off the lakes, and stay safe.

 

[old abe]

Thanks much for the good report!

 

[pclark]

Just a quick report on what I saw this morning when we left Manitowish Waters. Trails had been groomed overnight and it was 25 degrees and with little traffic they looked pretty good from the road. A little shirty in town and gas stations and road trails are bare in certain areas but not unridable. We had 39 degrees at our pace on Sunday, I did not ride (Shoveled snow off the roof) but some decent size groups were out riding and Ye Olde Shalleighle in Manitowish was pretty busy around 3pm. On the way down to Minocqua the trails all looked pretty good as well. Even south of Minocqua they looked nice and white back away from the roads all the way to almost Wausau.

I think Vilas, Oneida, Price, Iron, Ashland survived the 2 day warm up pretty well and it looks colder this week but not a lot of snow. Plenty of snow if you know the area and where to go. Hope that helps anyone riding this week.