Area snowmobile trails lacking snow

Minnesota’s snowmobile trails will officially open Monday, but whether they’ll be ready to ride is questionable. Warm weather this past weekend reduced the amount of snow on the ground, and most snowmobile club officials say trails aren’t ready to ride.
“At the moment, I’d say trails are unrideable, and most likely won’t be rideable on the first (Monday),” said Duluth’s Bob Klein, lead director of the Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association’s Region 7. “I do know our trails are ready. Everyone has their trail work done and is ready to open the gates on the first. We’re just waiting for snow.”
Phillip Lockett, trail administrator for the Reservoir Riders Snowmobile Club in Fredenberg Township, agreed that trails are not in good shape.
“I would say that none of them are ready to ride,” Lockett said. “There’s not enough snow in our area. They’re pretty marginal, other than in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula of Michigan).”
Klein said trails in eastern Duluth have only about an inch of snow on them. In higher elevations, some trails might have more snow on them, but none have more than 6 inches, Lockett said.
“We really do need a foot of snow on the ground when we start grooming,” Klein said.
For snowmobile trail conditions in Minnesota, go to mndnr.gov.
For snowmobile trail conditions in Wisconsin - where parts of the South Shore of Lake Superior have seen significant snowfall this month - go to travelwisconsin.com.