Snowmobiling

Under a blanket of snow, the north woods become the land of unexplored adventures. Hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails connect with one another taking riders into dense forests and through scenic vistas. Many of the area's forest and lake trails connect directly to restaurants, gas stations and lodging.

 

Trail snow conditions for: Itasca State Park

 

Comment details: for February 1, 2012

Great time to be out making a snowman in the snow! Warmer winds are blowing and the temps are forecast in the low to mid 30s. Snow conditions are poor for skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

 

SKI TRAILS: portions of the ski trails were packed or track set by 2/1/2011. Trails recently groomed include Bike Trail, South Entrance, Wilderness Drive East and West and the Wilderness Drive portion (junction of Two Spot to Nicollet Trail head) of the skijoring trail.

 

TRAIL CONDITIONS: Trails are in fair to poor condition. Base ranges from exposed soil to ½ inch packed snow. Frequent bare spots are appearing in the set track and along open areas with prolonged sun exposure. Caution is advised for bare spots especially on hills and curves. Snow is settling/melting in sunny spots with the warm weather.

 

 

 

CLASSIC ONLY TRAILS: Bike, Aiton Heights, Deer Park, Myrtle Lake Crossover, McKay Lake Crossover, North Ozawindib.

CLASSIC & SKATE: South Entrance, Ozawindib South, DeSoto, Wilderness Drive East, Eagle Scout East.

SKATE ONLY: Nicollet, Wilderness Drive West, Red Pine, Eagle Scout West.

NEW: SKIJORING TRAILS: The trails from North Wilderness Drive to Two Spot Junction, Two Spot Junction to Nicollet Trail, and Two Spot Trail is packed and great for skate skiing with your dog! To access the trail, drive past the Mississippi Headwaters Parking lot and continue west on Wilderness drive to the junction of Wilderness Drive and the access road to Lake Ozawindib (refer to the park summer map).

 

SNOWMOBILE TRAILS: Snowmobile trails are in fair to poor condition. No current report available.

 

SNOWSHOE TRAILS: Conditions are poor for snowshoeing. More snow is needed for snowshoeing. Snowshoe Trails include: Dr. Roberts, Brower, LaSalle, Schoolcraft.

 

OTHER NOTES: Enjoy the Headwaters of the Mississippi River in winter. The water is open where the lake drains over the rocks into the river. Ice thickness ranges from 6 to 15 inches, with open water near springs and creeks. WINTER BIRDING: a variety of woodpeckers and purple finches are frequenting the feeders at the Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center. Redpolls have arrived. A brown creeper is seen occasionally on pine trees around the visitor center.

 

Caution!  Before traveling on the lakes, consult your snowmobile map looking for rivers and streams coming into and going out of the lakes as these areas will have open water.  Always use good judgment and drive safely.  Remember, the lakes are not groomed.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snow_depth/index.html.

Forest Riders Snowmobile Trails, approximately 300 miles of trails. The Forest Riders Snowmobile Club was formed approximately 30 years ago and started grooming trails mainly in the Two Inlets State Forest. Over the years, trails have been added and now the trail system connects to Park Rapids, Smoky Hills, Paul Bunyan State Forest, Lake George and all through Itasca State Park.

The trails which would not be possible if not for private property owners. Please respect all signs. For more information see: http://www.forestriderstrailclub.com/winter/about_the_club/index.asp and http://www.forestriderstrailclub.com/winter/maps/index.asp

Itasca State Park, 31 miles of snowmobile trails circle the park's perimeter and connect with other trails that lead to Park Rapids, Walker, Bemidji, Bagley, Mahnomen and Detroit Lakes. For more information see: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/itasca/trails.html

Heartland State Trail, a 49-mile multiple use, paved trail between Park Rapids and Cass Lake. The Nevis Trailblazers Snowmobile Club grooms the east-west alternate portion of the Heartland Trail to Sno-Way 1, 5 miles west of Walker. The entire Heartland Trail is groomed for snowmobiling, however studded tracks are prohibited on the asphalt. Altogether the Trailblazers Club grooms approximately 245 miles of trails in the Paul Bunyan State Forest and Wilder Trails. For more information see: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/heartland/index.html or http://www.nevismn.com/trailblazers/trailmaps.htm.

Grant-in-Aid Trail System

Paul Bunyan State Trail, Snowmobiling is the primary winter use along both the paved and undeveloped sections of the 110-mile trail; however studded tracks are prohibited on the paved surface. The trail provides connections to many miles of groomed snowmobile trails in the county Grants-in-Aid trail system. The Heartland Trail and Paul Bunyan Trail connect 3 miles east of Akeley at the Hubbard/Cass line on Highway 34. For more information see: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/paul_bunyan/index.html and http://www.nevismn.com/trailblazers/trailmaps.htm

Huntersville State Forest and trails south of Park Rapids are maintained by the Menahga Trail Breakers. For more information see: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/snowmobiling/map16.pdf

Chippewa National Forest Snowmobile Trails. Over 330 miles of snowmobile trails provide snowmobilers access to 1,300 lakes, scenic woodlands and frozen wetlands. Trails connected to nearly 200 miles of routes surrounding the forest. The Soo Line Trail, an old railroad grade extending from Cass Lake to Moose Lake, is the longest motorized recreation trail in Minnesota. Snowmobilers may also travel on unplowed National Forest roads unless posted closed to recreational motor vehicle use. Cross-country travel off forest roads is prohibited.

For more information call (218)547-1044 or see:http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/chippewa

DNR Puts Snowmobiling on the Map

Snowmobilers in Minnesota have over 22,000 miles of trails to choose from! Now the DNR's new maps make it easier than ever to chart a course for a great ride.

Interactive Snowmobile Trails Map
A new interactive snowmobile trail map makes it easy to see trails, corridors, and nearby recreation areas, and to search, zoom, pan, and print your results.

Garmin GPS Snowmobile Trails Map
Download the DNR's new GPS background map for easy reference on the trail.

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