Trail Conditions: Good
Snow Cover: Good
Date of Report: January 18, 2026
Area Report:
A huge THANK YOU to Stillwaters for hosting our annual breakfast fundraiser yesterday, and to all who showed up to support the Sayner Barnstormers! The food was incredible (as always)!
Over the past few days, we’ve had anywhere from 5″ to 8″ of fresh snow. We wish it would have had some moisture in it to help it stick to the trails, but we’ll take what we can get. Trails have been grooming out nicely every night. If you are a morning rider, you’ve been experiencing some really great riding. By afternoon, heavy traffic takes it’s toll and things get bumpier, especially on the busier trails like 7N out of Star Lake.
We will continue grooming nightly. With the drop in temps expected this week, I’m anticipating the same trail conditions; they’ll be great in the mornings, but get bumpier quickly since there isn’t much moisture in the snow.
Remember, if you aren’t able to keep your sled on your side of the trail as you enter corners, you’re going too fast and putting the safety of others at risk! You can drive too slow many times, but you may only drive too fast once! SAFETY TRUMPS EGO!
Ride RIght & Ride Safe!
Mark your calendars for these upcoming Barnstormer events:
Saturday, February 7 – Chili dump at The Murm from 2:00 – 5:00.
Sunday, February 15 – Pizza fundraiser at Hillside Tavern from 4:00 – 8:00.
Saturday, March 14 – Drawing for Snowmobile Raffle at Sayner Pub at 5:00!
Snowmobiling Information
The Sayner Barnstormers are proud groomers of the Sayner – Star Lake Wisconsin area snowmobile trails. Our club was founded back on November 26, 1969, with 27 charter members. The Barnstormers trails stretch all the way from Hwy 70, just east of Arbor Vitae, all the way up to Old Hwy B, just west of Land O Lakes. We groom these trails with three tractors each equipped with 9-foot-6-inch grooming drags built by Sno*Boss of Eagle River and Arrowhead Groomers of St. Germain.
Snowmobiling was born here in the 1920s, when Carl Eliason, of Sayner, invented the first snowmobile in 1924 (he called it a snow machine initially). He took his first patent out on November 24, 1927. He has been featured in History Magazine, in the Modern Marvels section. You can still see some of the very first snowmobiles to ever be ridden in Sayner’s History Museum and at Eliason Lumber, both located on Hwy 155 in Sayner.
Our trails cover a variety of terrains including beautiful wooded trails, lake crossings, and some road routes. Over the years signage has improved tremendously, with the most recent addition of intersection numbers, making it easier for snowmobilers to figure out where they are. These intersection numbers were also created to assist snowmobilers and emergency crews to find each other in the unfortunate event of an accident.
Through the combined efforts of the Sayner Barnstormers and our great neighboring clubs, we feel that Vilas County has the best maintained and marked trails in the world. Our trails adjoin St Germain’s BoBoen Club, Arbor Vitae / Minocqua Cross Country Cruiser’s, Eagle River SnoEagle’s, Land O Lakes Frosty Club’s , and Boulder Junction’s trails. Other clubs in the county include the Conover Snow Buddies, Manitowish SnoSkeeters, Presque Isle SnoBunnies, Phelps, and Lac du Flambeau Northern Horseshoe.
See you on the trails and always, Please Ride Safe!!!