Northern Bayfield County

[bayfield rider]

I updated my report this morning after our 122 mile Saturday. Forest Road conditions are good and the Valhalla groomer is scheduled to start panning Wednesday. There is more brush to remove due after the trails were brushed earlier. I expect trails to be in poor to good condition once they are panned. More wet snow is needed to fill in.

We will take another ride yet today to see how much snow we received. I guess 3-4" as the storm stayed to the south.

Not able to post pics.

[bayfield rider]

Just back from a 75 mile ride. Up to 12" which creates some nice powder riding on forest roads. TR3 in the Old Baldy area was groomed today.

There are numerous forest roads (FR248, 423, 241, Hahn Rd., etc) in the Barrens area northeast of Iron River that are plowed and likely will be all winter to support logging. Ruins some very good riding.

[bayfield rider]

We have about 7" of good snow and up to 10" total possible through tonight.

Time for another report after Jackie and I had an enjoyable 75 mile ride Sunday afternoon and then dinner at the PubNGrub. Forest Road conditions are very good to excellent with up to 14" of light snow on top of a solid base. The area received 4-5" of LES Friday which put a nice white top coating on things. NWS says 4-7" through Tuesday night which will really benefit the trails and no thaws for the next seven days so the snow depths should only improve.

I would give the trails a fair rating at best even the ones that have been panned which is typical for early season conditions. From what we could tell, the only trails that have been panned are TR31 south of Valhalla and north to three miles from Bayfield, TR19 and portions of TR51.

Its has been tough going for the local clubs to complete all the brushing and removal of downed trees after late Fall ice and wind. Plus the Valhalla groomer has been on the sideline for repairs and hopes to get back out there today/tomorrow and touch all the system trails by the weekend. There is light snow laying on the trails and hopefully more coming in the next 24 hours which will help the base. TR40 west of Valhalla at least to TR41 has some areas where the trail is blocked so I suggest you avoid that area. Be on the outlook for low hanging branches and downed trees until the work is completed.

After four rides this season, it appears that plowing is not a major issue thus far. It looks as if plowing of TR19 west of County C to South Stone Rd. has ended as logging about 1/2 mile north of South Stone Rd. has ended. FR102/103 and Friendly Valley north and east of Valhalla may be ongoing but I am not certain of that. However, according the my musher contacts, there is extensive plowing in the Barrens area north and east of Iron River. FR248 from BattleAxe to FR236, FR 423, 241, South end of Hahn Rd. Bailey Lake Rd. and probably others. I have avoided that area but will check it out later.

Reports are that the trail to the casino in Red Cliff will be open this Winter. However, until the groomer gets that far I will hold off on that one. If it is open, that will assist riders with a good option for gas which is hard to come by north of Valhalla and access in/out of Bayfield an issue. I have yet to hear if gas will be available in Cornie but early reports are that it will be which is great news. Remember, the C-Side between Valhalla and Washburn is closed so no gas and food. For those unfamiliar with our area west of Bayfield and the Valhalla area, it is primarily forest with very little development other than the communities next to Lake Superior.

Said all that, the forest road are great and I hope the trails will be upgraded to at least good condition if we get the snow and the groomers go over them

[bayfield rider]

My Bayfield/Valhalla trail report from 12/26. The weather system with temps in the upper 30's and rain coming in prior to New Years could be a problem, especially for the trails. Forest roads will hold up much better. Hope we get snow on the tail end of the system.

http://www.snowtracks.com/wisconsin/bayfield.htm

[bayfield rider]

Like other areas of northern Wisconsin and Western Michigan and other parts, the Bayfield area received rain over the holiday which put a damper on riding and downgraded the trail and snow conditions. However, we rode on New Years Day with very cold temps and -20 to -30 wind chills and found that conditions were better than anticipated. We did get up to 2" of grainy type snow New Years Eve that provided adequate lube for the suspension ans softened things up a bit..

The groomed trails are hard and some are icier than others but they did not get full of ruts like I had thought. I would rate the trails from poor to good. The west end of TR19 and TR40 towards Cornie were the poor rating as they were very icey and lacked the fresh snow.. TRT40 west of Valhalla has finally been cleared of downed trees but TR1 west of Bayfield has not been groomed due to wet conditions.

The Forest Roads saw their base shrink from up to 16" to the 8-12" range so there is still a good base. I would rate the Forest Roads good to very good and that is where the best riding is. We did not ride south of TR40 which is west of Valhalla.

I apologize for the lack of pics in this report as my chip was full and it was too cold to delete pics. The warming house at Valhalla provided a great place to warm up a bit with the large open fireplace.

At this time, the NWS is saying continued cold temps through the next seven to ten days. No major snowmakers are in the forecast but there is a chance of our area getting some light snow and possibly light LES. That is important for the groomers to get back out there.

We appreciate those who braved the road conditions this weekend; Doug/Gloriann; Mike/Mick/Tom/Stacy, Marisa/Brady, Todd/Lori, Jerri/Becky and Brian and family. Others considering coming up this week will find good but not great riding.

Gary
aka Bayfieldrider
www.woodsidecottages.com

[bayfield rider]

A bit of good news.

The Valhalla groomer starting grooming again yesterday. The plan is to groom during the day. TR1 west of Bayfield is on the schedule for the first time this season. The base is very solid and there is up to 2" of snow to work with.

With the hard base and continued cold temps, the groomer only needs and inch or two to maintain current conditions.

The Forest Roads are in good to very good condition but there are some plowed FR's that may not be rideable.

I have no information about the Port Wing groomer but I was told that conditions around Herbster and Port Wing are mostly poor and maybe fair at best. I know first hand they were poor on TR41/TR1 going towards Cornie.

Bayfieldrider

[bayfield rider]

Jackie & I did a 75 mile ride this afternoon down to the Old Badly area and Valhalla. The trails have a very solid base, most are freshly groomed and they are hard, fast and mostly very smooth. Both the Valhalla and Port Wing groomers were on the trails today working in the 1-2" of light snow we received last night. Saw zero sleds so we had the whole area to ourselves.

Forest Road conditions continue to be good to very good with a solid base and some are as smooth as groomed trails. We found one that had not been traveled which was fun working our way through a foot or more of crusty snow. Jackie handled it like a pro!

No question that the Bayfield/Valhalla area will provide good to very good riding going into this weekend which will be hard to find in most parts of Wisconsin and the western UP. We are under a Lake Effect Watch Thursday through Saturday with 4-10" possible and continued cold temps. Bring it!

Be on the watch for sled dogs on Forest Roads "AND" groomed trails. We saw that mushers had been on a few groomed trails today which is a concern due to the higher volumes of traffic compared to Forest Roads. Sled Dog teams can be very difficult to see so be on the watch.

Come on up and enjoy what we have to offer!

Jackie & Gary
www.woodsidecottages.com

[bayfield rider]

The 6" we received Friday really helped the snow pack on top of the very solid groomed trails. The snow pack ranges from 4-8". Forest road riding continues to be very good. Current conditions will continue with cold temps at least the next ten days. The Bayfield area could receive 3-4" of snow the next 36 hours.

Bayfield Rider

[bayfield rider]

Update: We received 5" today and the NWS has issued a LES Warning for another 5-10" through Wednesday evening..

Our Thursday ride should be a blast!

Bayfieldrider

[bayfield rider]

The Bayfield/Valhalla/Iron River area received up to 10" last week. We picked up another 2-3" this morning.

Conditions are very good and will stay that way with the continued cold temps.

Here is my report http://www.snowtracks.com/wisconsin/bayfield.htm Sorry but I can't do pics.
Bayfieldrider
www.woodsidecottages.com