Fresh snow in many parts of Minnesota will boost snowmobile activity as soon as frigid temperatures and high winds subside.
"We've got more snow this year than we've had for the past four or five years,'' said Lee Sigler of Big Stone Lake Sno-Riders in Traverse and Big Stone counties.
Volunteers in his area are hoping to groom trails Thursday night when the arctic air subsides. They'll be working with the latest layer of white stuff to patch windswept bare spots and add to a good base, he said.
"For the most part our trails are in excellent shape," Sigler said.
With the exception of certain areas south and southeast of the Twin Cities where some trails remain closed, snowmobile condition reports are ranging from marginal to excellent.
At Scenic State Park near Bigfork, for example, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said there's a solid 20 inches of snow along a snowmobile trail that travels through pristine, virgin stands of pine trees offering beautiful lake views.
In the Alexandria area, trail conditions were reported to be very good even before 5 inches of new powder fell Sunday night. "We will resume grooming Thursday … and attempt to have everything groomed before the weekend,'' the Douglas Area Trails Association said on its website.
In Garrison on the west side of Mille Lacs, DNR conservation officer Gregory Verkuilen reported that the fresh snow "marginally helped snowmobile-riding conditions.'' Further north on the Iron Range, snowmobile conditions at McCarthy Beach State Park were reported as very good.
Trails around Gooseberry Falls on the North Shore were reported in excellent shape and snowmobile conditions in Itasca County also received high marks this week.
Further north, at Hayes Lake State Park near Roseau, a DNR report said overall trail conditions are very good.
