Vilas County
- Thread starter pclark
- Start date
hermie
Well-known member
It also says temporary closing leaving the possibility of reopening if some miracle a winter storm actually hits the north woods. I am pretty sure a couple of years ago they changed the rules on reopening the trails. If they close and then get more snow each club can do there own inspections and if all is good they can reopen. I don't see that happening this year but at least now I believe it's a possibility.
pclark
Well-known member
They are temporarily closed at noon on Sunday 3/2. May re-open if and when more snow comes. Not sure why 3/2? They are all dirt right now after the last 4 days. I did see a sled yesterday in the park by the Pea Patch, assuming he came over via the lake. It’s 32 this morning and everything looks white after we got a fresh 1/2” of snow overnight.
SledTL
Active member
I've seen some comments that if the trails are "open," reservations for the upcoming weekend technically can't be cancelled for no riding ability.
hermie
Well-known member
If this is true that is really crappy and I wouldn't patronize that hotel or resort again if they decided that's the only criteria if you can ride or not if trails are open. There not a sledder in there rite mind would ride the trails unless you want to have a reason to get a new sled next year
pclark
Well-known member
If that was the case, no one would patronize a place like ever again. The letter states “Temporarily Closed” which I would interpret as closed, yes?
What's BS? Protecting our land owners? Making sure trails are safe? I can't speak for Vilas County...but We've been doing it this way a long time..with very few issues. Unfortunately Mother Nature didn't cooperate this year, nor last year....we can't control that....But what we will do is try to keep land owners happy.
SledTL
Active member
Correct, but then why wait until sunday? It was dirt on Monday. I am just passing along what I saw.
indy_500
Well-known member
Why are trails still technically open in Vilas? Easy, because it’s such a pain in the arse to reopen, so instead of closing them as soon as conditions don’t permit a snowmobile to ride, they keep them open an extra week just in case weather improves. Anywhere south of Oneida, will open day after snowfall, and close the day of a meltdown. Why can 90+% of the counties in the state operate so swiftly but a few in the northwoods think they’re special? You can bet your rear end there will be some guys running lakes and ditches this weekend, and opt to take a marked trail a few miles to get to their favorite watering hole. Given current conditions, any snowmobile traffic will do property damage at this point, to me that’s not protecting landowners property, that’s just plain ignorance.
This was not directed at you, I’m well aware you do not live in Vilas and just voicing my opinion, there’s just no excuse for them to keep the trails open until Mar 2… just a bunch of political BS
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attakman, I think perhaps indy was relating to all the pain in the ass confusion, and chit shuffle created by these last 2 years of the chit winter weather has brought forth. Especially after 2 very good years? Landowners property interests, and safe riding conditions, always carry the the priority in my book! Period, no way around that. Businesses are really hungry, and become short sided, because of the same. However they will have no business either way, without the trails to ride. When you lose a trail by land owner issues, they are very hard to get back, or even reroute. And that problem seems to spread like the flu once one domino falls. Just my opinions.
Vilas has gone bare before waited for snow which did come but that was before all the opening formalities that are in place now. Landowners understood no trails were closed. I would say traffic has increased since early to mid 2000s so maybe increased traffic has something to do with pissed off landowners. More trespassing.
100 PERCENT!!!....I never would have opened in the first place...they never had a proper base on them....pressure from the Minocqua area pushed them to open and it was WRONG. Minocqua and Eagle River are tourist traps, that relay mostly on tourism...they do not care if you ride dirt...their trails can be down to mud and gravel, and they will report fair conditions just to get your money (this has gone on for years and years, ask whitedust)....they also don't have near as many private land owners as the clubs in southern Oneida County.....but rather than sit here and vent poison on it...I have a solution. First off the issue is really not Oneida County...we have so many clubs who's trails connect or share areas that it would be impossible to zone....This is a Vilas County Issue....Vilas Should be zoned....North and South....the north consisting of Winchester, Manitowish Waters, Presque Isle, Conover, Boulder JCT, Lac Du Flambeau, Land O Lakes, and Phelps.....the south consisting of Eagle River, St Germain, Star Lake, Plum Lake, Arbor Vitae, and Woodruff...northern Vilas County including the towns I listed get historically more snow, thus should open earlier (around the time the yoop opens).....the southern Vilas Towns do not get that extra snow fall and should not have opened.....there was no more snow in Woodruff than there was in Nokomis/Rhinelander or Tomahawk (I saved the satalight image of snow depth from NWS when the trails opened)....It was extremely difficult for the woodruff businesses in Oneida county to watch the Arbor Vitae businesses in Vilas County across the street be open and them having to stay closed....that is what caused the issue....That and frankly mother nature. But I don't believe we would have had as much politics, and BS going on if Vilas was in zones...I realize Eagle River, and the Minocqua area would not like this..but it would be more honest, and realistic.
I agree with Vilas zones especially due to low snowfall the last 2 years. Weather patterns change Vilas needs to change with that trend. Then there is 3 lake trails spread over Oneida, Forest and nip Vilas or butt it how do they even groom trails when many county approvals are needed. Zones need to be set up especially when counties butt up to each other.
Well thought out whitedust. If correcting some, correct all it pertains to! My friend has been saying the same thing.
Zones are a topic of issue every year up here and for some reason everyone can not get on the same page. If I understand correctly when Vilas opened up there was at least one club that did not want to open which is fine for them as it would have been best for them, but us at the top with the snow get affected as it then gets to be a hot topic whether to open up Vilas when there are more clubs involved that have to agree versus a lesser amount if there were zones.
What does it take to establish zones in Vilas majority club vote or does it have to be unanimous? It’s the logical thing to do for north and south zones Phelps and Lando have a lot more snow than ER every season as does PI and Boulder.
indy_500
Well-known member
Yep, I just can’t wrap my head around how 90% of counties in the state operate just fine with zones but a few select up north continue to say “doesn’t work for us” LOL got it…