Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Reports

2003-2004 Season (Archived)

Houghton Lake Michigan has over 200 miles of snowmobile trails.

Michigan snowmobiling season begins most winters by December and continues through March. This website is dedicated to Michigan snowmobiling and strives to give accurate snowmobile trail reports with pictures. Michigan snowmobiling relies on the efforts of volunteers to help maintain and improve the trail conditions. Check out the webcam page to see current conditions for Michigan Snowmobiling in Houghton Lake. We are avid snowmobiling fans ourselves, and volunteer every year for trail maintenance and grooming. Please support the clubs in the area where you ride by volunteering or donating. Michigan snowmobiling is a sport to be enjoyed by the entire family.

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SNOWMOBILE REPAIR & STUDDING

Please donate to this website if you find it useful. We added a paypal link so you can donate using your paypal account. We have some specials on studding, as well as pre-season prep. Stainless steel Woody's studs installed for $2.50 per stud, 24 hour turnaround. Many styles of backers available. Tunnel protectors extra if required. Pre season prep ($170.00) includes the following: 1. Check all fluids 2. chain-case oil changed 3. grease suspension and bearings 4. Charging system and all lighting check 5. Track tension adjustment 6. Engine compression test. 7. Wearbars check and slider replacement if necessary. 8. General inspection and bolt tightening. 9. Power wash and cleanup 10 Battery test. 11. Coolant system check 12 Belt inspection. Carbide replacement is 10.00 and carbides are approx 45.00/60.00/75.00/90.00 for 4/6/8/10" respectively for most sleds. Carb cleaning is included. 

Another snowmobile season is upon us and the Road Commission says they will do what the can to work with us on the areas that snowmobiles and vehicles have to share. Lets give them a chance and see what happens this year. If you see signs of teamwork from their organization helping the community, give them a friendly thank you.

 

2003-2004 Season (Archived)

Update 6/24/04 9:55 am.  

 Nothing good to write about here. The State has been doing a lot of clear-cutting in this area. There have been several articles written in the Resorter with a lot of people being upset. If you vacation here, have a place here, or just visit the area for recreation, please take the time to write in and voice your opinion on all this clear-cutting. Michigan snowmobiling won't be much without trees. They are calling it forest management, but clearly this is about money, not management. They are leaving a mess behind, and I have yet to see a new tree planted in any of these areas. It looks like a bomb went off when they are done. Michigan will soon look like Ohio if this trend continues. Surely this is just another quick buck scheme by our very short-sited Governor. If that is not the case then someone needs to control this clear-cutting, and force these loggers to re-plant. With Michigans Industries dying out, the last thing we need to mess up is our tourism and wildlife for a few bucks. We will post some pictures of this soon. Funny how than close off all of these two tracks to ORV's because of the so-called damage they cause. I'm sure anyone would rather look a few few bumps in the road, while driving through the forest than look as this devastation. THINK TREES!!!!!

Update 3/30/04 9:55 am.  

 The lake still has ice on it, but surely not for long. They are riding ORV's around here already so that season has begun. Check out the ORV page for those updates. There are still people ice fishing, but be careful if you go out on the lake. Don't ride the Lake unless you have checked it out carefully. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/26/04 9:55 am.  

 Looks like our snow is gone for good. We will begin taking pictures of the ORV trails and reporting on them. Check out the ORV page for those updates. Thank You to all that contributed to this web page, and hope to see you this fall when the snow flies. We will update this page with information on the snowmobile trail grooming/brushing operations and as it continues into the summer. Visit the link at the top for information on Houghton Lake fishing, it will take you to Lyman's on the Lake.  There are still people ice fishing, but be careful if you go out on the lake. Last nights low was 50+ so the ice will begin to do strange things. Don't ride the Lake unless you have checked it out carefully. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/20/04 9:55 am.  

 Still more warm temps today, with a high expected to get to 46. the lake is getting a little slushy on top, but there is still plenty of ice for ice fishing. Visit the link at the top for information on Houghton Lake fishing, it will take you to Lyman's on the Lake.  Don't ride the Lake unless you have checked it out carefully. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/18/04 7:55 am.  

 It is snowing now, so far we have between 1/2-1" of new snow. Nothing new in the forecast, still predicting rain for Friday night. If you want to ride, today and Friday may be it if the rain comes. Don't expect good trails.  The lake is still nicely covered with 12-24 inches of ice in most places.  Don't ride the Lake unless you have checked it out carefully. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/17/04 5:55 pm.  

 Nothing new around here in the way of snow, the warm temps last weekend pretty much killed what little snow we had left. There is still snow in the woods but many brown spots between snow covered spots. The trails near Bear Lake and Starvation Lake still have some snow on them, but watch out for deep holes. Jordan Valley was grooming last weekend and they are still grooming near Gaylord.  This is late season riding so even up there you will find bear spots 40-50 yards across. They are saying rain for Friday Night and Saturday and less than an inch of snow between now and then. If you are dying to ride you can still find some places, but it will be marginal in spots. The lake is still nicely covered with 12-24 inches of ice in most places. There were many vehicles on it last weekend and it hasn't got much above freezing for most of this week. Don't ride the Lake unless you have checked it out carefully. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/15/04 2:55 pm.  

 The trails around Bear lake through Starvation Lake and on up to Alba were in fairly decent shape. The snow cover was still quite good, but bare spots were appearing on our return. Looks to stay cold for most of the week maybe we will get more snow. The best bet is still trips to the UP as it snows around here at night, it melts during the day. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/13/04 8:55 am.  

 No new snow overnight, just very cold temps. It was below zero last night. Going to check out the trails as they are calling for snow tonight and tomorrow. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/12/04 5:55 pm.  

 We got a couple of inches of snow overnight and it is staying due to the cold temps. A friend went riding from Bear Lake to starvation Lake and then to the Old Barn. He said it was not all that bad, enough snow, just a little beat up. They got about 5" yesterday. It looks better around here but still not all that great if you want to ride. The ice thickness in front of the resort was 18-24 inches about 100 yards out. With this recent snow the lake is better for riding. No updates over the last few days as we are installing wireless internet throughout the resort, and had the server shut down. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/9/04 10:55 am.  

 No new snow last night and a low of about 18. It did not get above freezing for much of the day yesterday, so what little snow we have left is staying. They say they are grooming around Gaylord, Frederick and Indian River, so maybe there is some fair riding to be had there yet. Still some warmer weather in the forecast for this week, but also some snow showers. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/8/04 10:55 am.  

 Last night we got a trace snow and a low of about 19. We will take a look at the trails around here but without more snow they still aren't suited for riding. And we got a call this morning from a loyal reader at a payphone, "Think spring not Snow you ***hole" Somebody apparently tired of the snow. Now he's the butt of a joke... So for him we will pray for snow as well as Think it. Last year we got a couple good snows in April so who knows, winter may not be over yet.  THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/7/04 10:55 am.  

 Last night we got about 3" of snow but now sleet/freezing rain is coming down. It looks like winter again and they are calling for 2-3 inches of daytime accumulation today.  We will post again today as conditions change. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/6/04 10:55 am.  

 Last night we got about 1/2" of snow and the temps were finally below freezing. Not any better for riding but it looks better. They are calling for 2" tonight and 2" tomorrow. guess we will have to wait and see. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/5/04 10:30 am.  

 Last night we got about 1" of snow/sleet, but it soon turned to all rain. We are now seeing bare spots on the resort grounds and standing water. The lake is a slushy mess, and we haven't seen a sled go by in several days. The trails are most likely done for the season after the last couple days. The weather does not appear to be cooling as they predicted, with daytime highs just below or just above freezing. Some nightime lows in the teens, but we need SNOW and lots of it. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/4/04 12:45 pm.  

 The thawing continues so there is not much chance of riding anywhere in the LP this weekend, barring some heavy snow. Looking at the 2003 winter, we had less snow than this the last week of Feb, but then we were riding again almost a week later so who knows. Our weekend snow prediction has now turned to rain tomorrow with a high of 51. Not looking good. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/2/04 8:45 am.  

 Still nothing good to report, not as warm as yesterday, but still above freezing. They are calling for snow Friday, and heavy snow on Saturday. More rain/drizzle is in the forecast for the next couple days, so not much sense in spending any time looking at the trails. THINK SNOW!!! 

Update 3/1/04 8:45 am.  

 Nothing good to report, the warm weather continues. It is supposed to rain today, probably the worst thing right now. We will look at the trails today and see what they look like. Still supposed to go back to cold temps, but it doesn't look like it right now. 

Update 2/27/04 8:45 pm.  

 Still warming, and it is very difficult to get to the trails from the lake. Devonshire is down to asphalt, but Kimberly still has a little snow on the shoulder. Please stay off the trails during the day as the temps go up. 

Update 2/26/04 8:45 pm.  

 I didn't get as warm as predicted and the local trails are in good shape with the exception of the west Houghton Lake trail.

Update 2/25/04 8:45 pm.  

 Not much new to report, but it got cold last night (below 10 degrees)and is only about 12 degrees right now. Will update later today as conditions change.

Update 2/25/04 8:45 pm.  

 More warm temps today are taking a toll on the new snow. This weekend looks grim, probably will not be the best riding. the Houghton Lake trails are in good shape, but who knows for how long. Here is a note from Terry at the St Helen snowpackers. "Sending the groomer out 2-26-04 12:00 A.M. on the Houghton Lake trail.  My  D.N.R. contact advised me today last night groom was it for Roscommon until we get more snow. I agree we have dirt and standing water on parts of the trail. Tonight will be the last for Houghton Lake also. As you said if they ride the trails this weekend they'll be beat up.  We may be done riding unless we get some good snow. Have a good one and think snow." Not good news, but it's the truth. Also the Rosco-Higgins groomer was out tonight on trail 7. He left some "Serious Suprises" for riders on that trail so be careful. We took a couple pictures of piles of wet snow knee deep on the middle of the trail. Trail 76 from the intersection of The Mis-Kal and Cranberry Lake trail was not groomed and was in terrible shape. The attendant at the Shell station on M-72 West of Dingmans said it was too warm for them to groom. I don't know when they tried, but everyone else had found a decent time to groom. From the parking lot on M-72 north on 76 was great, as was 79 down on the west side. As we said earlier if it hits 40 this weekend, it would be better to stay off the trails as another Arctic air mass is supposed to come in next week. A lot of traffic and 40+ degree temps may very well ruin the trails for the rest of the season.  THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/25/04 8:45 am.  

 No new snow overnight and a high yesterday of about 33. The snow we got is settling, but it is being packed down quite nicely on the trails. Almost everything around H.L. is freshly groomed and the trails to the north were in excellent shape yesterday as well. Reports from M-72 north on 76 and 79 also indicated great trails. They even went into Frederick on 679 and found things to be in good shape. A few pictures will be posted today. Might want to come up before the weekend as the warm up forecast is getting worse. If it hits 40 this weekend, it would be better to stay off the trails as another Arctic air mass is supposed to come in next week. A lot of traffic and 40+ degree temps may very well ruin the trails for the rest of the season. THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/24/04 10:45 am.  

 Wow, we had 1" of snow predicted and we got about 8+. Some areas got even more. They groomed Leota and the West Houghton Lake trail yesterday, and are grooming St Helen and possibly Meredith today. Trying to get everything packed as a warm up is predicted for the weekend. Right now most everthing is in great shape. If you are looking to ride, might want to come before the weekend crowds and the warm weather. Those two will make for a bad combination this weekend. THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/23/04 8:45 am.  

 Yesterday the trails were in good shape considering the weather we had. The were some very vet spots on trail 655 not far from the split at 654. Leota was still a little bumpy, it was just to bad to get in one groom. The Chamber's other Groomer is still down so they are working with one. Hopefully it will be back tomorrow. Big Joe went out Sat night and groomed to St. Helen and several of the other local trails.  I went out last night at 9:00pm and got stuck on a hill on 655. Joe came out with his truck and we got the drag back on the trail and I hit it twice from the other direction. I went all the way to Meredith and back from the parking lot on Owens Rd., then hit 654 and trail 6 to Beaver Rd.  Owens Rd and Duck Lake Rd also got groomed in both directions. I got back at 8:30 this morning. Mike may be trying to groom Leota and the West Houghton Lake trail today. That will surely take a day or two. It started snowing last night at about 11:00pm and it is still snowing now. There is 2-3 inches so far, it is on the snowgage. They are saying 3-6 more for today, and up to 2 tonight. Some pictures from last night are posted below. THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

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Update 2/21/04 12:15 pm.  

 We got about 3" of heavy wet snow, and all the trails south of town are in great shape. I groomed to Leota this morning, it was a mess. It will probably take one more pass to get it good and flat. It went almost two weeks without being groomed because of drifted trails and broken groomers. looks like they got a little less snow just north of us. THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. THEY ARE GROOMING ST. HELEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAT NIGHT AND SOME DURING THE DAY. MIKE R AND MIKE J WILL BE DAYTIME GROOMING AND MYSELF AND BIG JOE VOLUNTEERED SOME EARLY MORNING HOURS, PROBABLY STARTING AT 2-3 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/20/04 7:15 am.  

 We got about 2" of heavy wet snow, so the roads are covered well again. The H.L. groomer did not get to Leota yesterday, it was just too wet to groom. Will update later today if they are able to go out. Not sure what today will bring, but they are calling for 3" tonight. We could sure use that snow. A picture from this morning is posted below. One thing I forgot to mention was the price of Gas in Frederik yesterday, $1.93 for premium, at the BP. We got it in H.L. yesterday for $1.71. If you are heading that way, make sure you have gas and don't need to stop there. Good gouging guys!!! THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. THEY ARE GROOMING ST. HELEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAT NIGHT AND SOME DURING THE DAY. MIKE R AND MIKE J WILL BE DAYTIME GROOMING AND MYSELF AND BIG JOE VOLUNTEERED SOME EARLY MORNING HOURS, PROBABLY STARTING AT 2-3 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

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Update 2/19/04 6:15 pm.  

 We need snow, these warm temps are killing us. The weather is up for grabs over the next 24 hours, with 1-2 for tonight, tomorrow day, and tomorrow night. Could be 6 inches total, or could be more freezing rain ad drizzle. Will update early AM tomorrow, keep an eye on the webcam. The trails are looking snirty, and many corners are a mess. They groomed from Houghton Lake to Grayling and further north on Trail #7. They would have been better off staying off some of the trails, the groomers made a mess. South of M-72 the groomers just blew all the snow off the trails, especially on the corners. Big clumps of snow rolled off the trail out into the woods. If they are going to groom, at least they could take the time to pull the snow in around the corners. I know it's time consuming, but that's what I do when I'm grooming and come into a corner that's all blown out. Enough of all that, some pictures are posted below. I have to say for a weekday, it's the worst I have seen the trails north of H.L. also Phil still has the RX-1 for sale, pictures are below and on the snowmobiles for sale page. THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. THEY ARE GROOMING ST. HELEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAT NIGHT AND SOME DURING THE DAY. MIKE R AND MIKE J WILL BE DAYTIME GROOMING AND MYSELF AND BIG JOE VOLUNTEERED SOME EARLY MORNING HOURS, PROBABLY STARTING AT 2-3 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

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                    Trail 7 North of Robinson Lake Road    Trail 7 North or Muskegon river            Trail 7 & Mead

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                    Trail 7 South of Mead    Duck Lake Rd                Duck Lake Rd                Trail 76 West                Trail 76 West  

 

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Mead Rd

Update 2/18/04 8:15 pm.  

 Still no new snow, and temps near 35. Myself and Big Joe were out grooming last night, he went to St Helen and came back about 11:00pm. I went out at 4:00am and finished trail 655 to Meredith at 10:30 am. We also groomed Duck Lake Rd and Owens on our way back to town. Mike J was going out to Leota today, but they will not groom the W. Houghton Lake until they get the other groomer back. It's looking like Thurs-Friday. They may get a loaner for Thurs or Friday. Hopefully theNothing new to report, the trails didn't see much traffic yesterday. They came and picked up the broken groomer from the chamber yesterday, hopefully they will get it back soon, looks like Wed afternoon. The Leota trail and the West Houghton Trail will not be groomed until the other groomer is back from repair. If they get stuck they would have no way to get it out without the other tractor. There is freezing drizzle in the forecast for tonight, and up to two inches of snow for tomorrow.  THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. THEY ARE GROOMING ST. HELEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAT NIGHT AND SOME DURING THE DAY. MIKE R AND MIKE J WILL BE DAYTIME GROOMING AND MYSELF AND BIG JOE VOLUNTEERED SOME EARLY MORNING HOURS, PROBABLY STARTING AT 2-3 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/17/04 10:15 am.  

 No new snow and a low last night of -5. Nothing new to report, the trails didn't see much traffic yesterday. They came and picked up the broken groomer from the chamber yesterday, hopefully they will get it back soon, looks like Wed afternoon. The Leota trail and the West Houghton Trail will not be groomed until the other groomer is back from repair. If they get stuck they would have no way to get it out without the other tractor. Will take a look at all of the trails around the area today and post some pictures later tonight. St Helen groomed to Roscommon and Houghton Lake yesterday with both of their groomers.  THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. THEY ARE GROOMING ST. HELEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAT NIGHT AND SOME DURING THE DAY. MIKE R AND MIKE J WILL BE DAYTIME GROOMING AND MYSELF AND BIG JOE VOLUNTEERED SOME EARLY MORNING HOURS, PROBABLY STARTING AT 2-3 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/16/04 8:15 am.  

 No new snow and a low last night of -18. Most of the trails around Houghton Lake were groomed Sunday, with the exception of the Loeta trail and the West Houghton Lake trail. I went out to finish the Prudenville loop I started on Sat and got stuck. i had to call Mike at 3:00 am and he came out with a few shovels and we started digging. We got it out about 5:00 am and I finished the loop. Wow....what fun, it was -15 and we were out digging. A warm up is predicted for this week, so hopefully it wont last for long. St Helen snowpackers e-mailed me and they were going out sunday also. THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. THEY ARE GROOMING ST. HELEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAT NIGHT AND SOME DURING THE DAY. MIKE R AND MIKE J WILL BE DAYTIME GROOMING AND MYSELF AND BIG JOE VOLUNTEERED SOME EARLY MORNING HOURS, PROBABLY STARTING AT 2-3 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/15/04 10:45 pm.  

 No new snow today and a high of about 20. The trails around Houghton Lake got a little bumpy by late Sat, and the West Higgins Trail did not get groomed by Rosco-Higgins on Friday. Mike and Mike went out Friday and one of the groomers got stuck in the large drifts that formed on Beaver Rd. in Thursday nights winds. They had to use the other groomer to get it out and lost most of the Day, so the trail to Leota did not get groomed, nor did the West Houghton Lake Trail. One of the groomers has to be parked due to mechanical problems. Big Joe got on the remaining groomer at 11:00 pm Sat, and drove till 5:00am. He groomed trail 654 down to Grass Lake Road, then the small loop South-East back to Trail 6. The he went to Meredith and back. I got in at 5:30 and finished 654 back to the parking lot at Owens Road. Then I headed towards St Helen down Owens Road and Duck Lake Road. I got on #6 towards St Helen and turned around at the bridge. The Snowpackers had recently groomed their side also. I returned on Trail #6, and then took trail 655 towards Meredith. The trail was also drifted over so I spent two hours backing up and then grooming towards trail #6. Once I got through I turned around and headed south on 655. About 3 miles into it I crossed another clear cut area, and had to cross about 1 mile with the drag up as there was no place to turn around. Then I backed up and slowly worked at the drifts. With the other groomer out of order, I could not afford to get stuck. So another 2 hours and that drift area was cleared. Then I continued down 655 towards Meredith to Grass Lake Rd and turned around and came back 655 all the way to the Owens Rd parking lot. It tool almost 12 hours. I explained this detail so others might understand all the work these trails take, only to need it again after only 6-8 hours of heavy traffic. Next time you pin the throttle starting off on the trail, just remember you just started a Mogul that you will probably be driving over later on you way home. The other groomer is supposed to be fixed by Tuesday, so hopefully with the new volunteers and Mike & Mike's training, we can keep up the trails better on the weekends. Mike J has to be in the saddle 12 hours to get the West Houghton Lake trail done, and he has been the only one driving it to to numerous hazards. I understand why no-one wants to groom on weekends. A lot of traffic and more than once I had to climb a hill hoping no-one was going to be flying over it not expecting me and a VERY large tractor. I'm sure anyone can figure out the loser on that one. So if you want grooming on weekends, drive cautiously and expect that the groomers could be around any corner, or over any hill. Enough said, we intended to get more groomed this weekend but mechanical problems and high winds hampered our efforts.  THINK SNOW. THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. THEY ARE GROOMING ST. HELEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAT NIGHT AND SOME DURING THE DAY. MIKE R AND MIKE J WILL BE DAYTIME GROOMING AND MYSELF AND BIG JOE VOLUNTEERED SOME EARLY MORNING HOURS, PROBABLY STARTING AT 2-3 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/14/04 5:15 pm.  

 No new snow today and a high of about 20. The Houghton Lake Trails held up suprisingly well this weekend so far, It looks like they will be grooming again tonight. One of the groomers is down so only one will be out tonight. The west Houghton Lake trail did not get groomed yesterday as the groomer got stuck on his way out that way and they had to use the other tractor to get it out. A couple trails drifted so bad that they cannot get the groomer down them. THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. THEY ARE GROOMING ST. HELEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAT NIGHT AND SOME DURING THE DAY. MIKE R AND MIKE J WILL BE DAYTIME GROOMING AND MYSELF AND BIG JOE VOLUNTEERED SOME EARLY MORNING HOURS, PROBABLY STARTING AT 2-3 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

FOR SALE

2003 Yamaha RX-1, 700 miles, black, 192 studs. clutches overdriven w/heel clicker wts. after market S.S. exhaust system ( 11 lbs. less weight ) $5600.00

Update 2/13/04 8:15 am.  

 A few flurries yesterday and overnight but nothing big and a low of about 18. Most of the Houghton Lake trail system was groomed last night, and the Leota and West Higgins trail will be groomed today. The trail to Meredith was groomed as well as the Prudenville loops. Myself and Big Joe got our groomer training last night from Mike Rankin and Mike Jacobs from the Chamber. They went to Meredith and I went to St Helen. We also blasted down Duck Lake Rd. up to five points. The other side of St Helen was groomed also by the snowpackers. They are grooming to Roscommon today. The West Higgins and Leota trail grooming takes 12 hours so hopefully people can appreciate the work it takes. Mike J does the West trail in one shot. They also have another volunteer getting training on the West Higgings lake trail we will get his name also and post it. THEY WILL BE GROOMING THE HOUGHTON LAKE AND THE ST. HELEN TRAILS THIS WEEKEND DURING THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. WATCH OUT FOR THE GROOMERS!!!. THEY ARE GROOMING ST. HELEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAT NIGHT AND SOME DURING THE DAY. MIKE R AND MIKE J WILL BE DAYTIME GROOMING AND MYSELF AND BIG JOE VOLUNTEERED SOME EARLY MORNING HOURS, PROBABLY STARTING AT 2-3 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING. EVERYONE WANTS BETTER TRAILS ON THE WEEKEND, SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS AND MOVE TO THE SIDE WHEN YOU SEE ONE COMMING. THINK SNOW!!!

FOR SALE

2003 Yamaha RX-1, 700 miles, black, 192 studs. clutches overdriven w/heel clicker wts. after market S.S. exhaust system ( 11 lbs. less weight ) $5600.00

Update 2/12/04 8:15 am.  

 Just a skiff of snow overnight and lows of about 18. Some light flurries are in the forecast and after Friday snow predicted most every day. Nothing much new off to the North either, but riders are reporting good trails from here all the way to Lakes of the North and beyond. We read Pete's page from Sledheads of Frederick as we do most every day. He took quite a trip over the last couple days and found good riding and smooth trails most everywhere he went. Check out his page if you are heading up that way, he does an excellent job of accurate reporting on the trails. THINK SNOW!!!

FOR SALE

2003 Yamaha RX-1, 700 miles, black, 192 studs. clutches overdriven w/heel clicker wts. after market S.S. exhaust system ( 11 lbs. less weight ) $5600.00

Update 2/10/04 9:15 pm.  

 We got another 1-2" of new snow today, and it was about 27 degrees. Nothing much new to report, other than they are grooming the trails as we speak. They got a little more snow off to our north but not much. Snow showers predicted every day over the next 5 days, with 1-3 for Wed night. THINK SNOW!!!!  And our friend Phil from Bear Lake wanted us to post his info on the RX-1 he is selling. We call him to find out how the trails are up that way. So here it is...This machine is flawless. e-mail or call for more info.

2003 Yamaha RX-1, 700 miles, black, 192 studs. clutches overdriven w/heel clicker wts. after market S.S. exhaust system ( 11 lbs. less weight ) $5600.00

Update 2/9/04 8:15 pm.  

 We got about 1" of new snow today, and it was about 28 degrees. The trails took a beating over the weekend, and they are out working on them today. the St Helen groomer e-mailed us today and he was on his way to Houghton Lake. They will groom to Roscommon tomorrow. The Chamber was out today getting the Houghton Lake trails in shape. Myself and Big Joe volunteered to help with the grooming today, and the Chamber said we could ride along till we got the hang of it. We both are night owls so maybe we can help with night-time operations. I know the St. Helen guys need more volunteers also. And our friend Phil from Bear Lake wanted us to post his info on the RX-1 he is selling. We call him to find out how the trails are up that way. So here it is...This machine is flawless.

2003 Yamaha RX-1, 700 miles, black, 192 studs. clutches overdriven w/heel clicker wts. after market S.S. exhaust system ( 11 lbs. less weight ) $5600.00

We will post pictures of the trails on Thursday or Friday so everyone can see how we started the weekend. Most of the problem with the snow, it that it is very grainy and does not pack well. The Chamber groomers are filling in the holes when they groom, but 10-15 sled can blow it all out again. Wetter snow makes for better trails, and we just haven't had enough of it. Lets be thankful that we have snow, and although sometimes rough riding, it's better than nothing at all. THINK SNOW!!!!

Update 2/7/04 8:15 am.  

 We got just a skiff of snow overnight and a low of about 5. An e-mail from the snow packers indicated they were grooming both of their trail sections yesterday, both to Roscommon and Houghton Lake. Don't forget about their fun ride today, it's not too late to sign up, read the post on 2/4/04. We didn't ride last night but we several reports from guests here that rode various places that all of the trails we excellent. A crew that comes every year, rode from here to the U.P. and back. They had the Bridge Authority transport their sleds across the bridge. They said it was the best riding they have had in 10+ years. Not sure how long that will remain true over the weekend, but we will take a look later this evening. I think even in the Up the trails get tired after a weekend. THINK SNOW!!!!

Update 2/6/04 9:15 am.  

 Here is an article of how our governor is once again screwing us. The sooner she's gone the better. This is where our snowmobile trail permit funds are going!! Please take the time to write in or call and voice your opinion on this. This link was posted on our visitors trail report board. Thank's Dennis!!!

http://www.mogulmashers.com/MSA%20Article.htm

Contact the Governor:
Governor Jennifer Granholm
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: (517) 373-3400
FAX: (517) 335-6863

Update 2/6/04 9:00 am.  

 We still have a few snowmobiles left for this weekend. Call if you are interested. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. Also same day service on many minor snowmobile repairs and studding. Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. We have specials on Cabin/Snowmobile rental packages both weekday and weekend. Click on the snowmobile rental link. We got about 3-4 inches of snow overnight, and now we are getting a fine mist. We rode north again and everything we rode was in excellent shape. Trail 76 to Lakes of the North was great. Trail 4 to Frederick was a little heavier traveled, but still good. then We came back down on trail 7. Looks like everthing has a fresh groom for the weekend, and they even groomed som seasonal roads in the houghton Lake system. also the St Helen snowpackers ride is this weekend, see the post on 2/4/04 for more information. We heard a little more about the accident causing the death of the owner of Dingmans, Pat Modos. He was thrown from his snowmobile on a hill, and was hit by the riders following him. He died 6 hours later from the injuries. Please Ride safe! THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 2/5/04 9:50 am.  

 On a sad note we just heard that Pat Modos the owner of Dingman's was killed in a snowmobile accident yesterday. Pat was a long time supporter of the Wertz Warriers and was joining them on their ride yesterday. We don't know anything more about it but we will post it when we hear. We were about to take some guests of the resort on a ride up there. Or prayers go out to Pat and his family. Please ride Safely!!

Update 2/5/04 9:00 am.  

 We still have a few snowmobiles left for this weekend. Call if you are interested. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. Also same day service on many minor snowmobile repairs and studding. Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. We have specials on Cabin/Snowmobile rental packages both weekday and weekend. Click on the snowmobile rental link. No new snow overnight and a low last night of -5. it's still below zero right now. We checked out the trails all around the surrounding area yesterday. We rode from Houghton Lake up to Dingmans along trail 76. It was freshly groomed the whole way. Then we rode to Starvation Lake and onto Lakes of the North. We then decided to go to Frederick on trail 679, it was also freshly groomed. We stopped and ate then returned to Bear Lake via. 679. We decided to check out the trails to the East as we didn't know anyone who rode them yet. We went back to Frederick, and then got on trail #7, it was not Freshly groomed but it was decent. We then took trail #47 to Lovells. Also a great ride. the gas station in Lovells closes at 7:00pm during the week. It was also freshly groomed. From Lovells we went south on Trail #4 to Trail #409, then trail#9 into Luzerne. We got a munchie at Ma-Deeters, and found the Gas station had not been rebuilt since it burned last year. There is a party store 1/4 mile North on 489 that is selling gas. They also close early during the week. We continued south on #9 to trail to trail #69 into St Helen. Out of St Helen we took trail #6 into the Prudenville loops. Trail #6 was a little bumpier than anything we rode throughout the entire day. I don't know if they get a lot of traffic, or if the base is not flat. It definitely got better after crossing the bridge where the Chamber grooming picks up. I know they are working hard on those trails, and they were out again yesterday. I do know that the chamber graded most of the trails in the fall to get a nice flat base. It appears to have worked well. It looks like they groomed all 88 miles of trails in their system. It was about a 300 mile ride and all of it on exceptionally nice trails. I guess you can ride pretty much anywhere in Northern Lower and have a good experience. They definitely had less snow off to the East, but have made good use of what they have. We didn't see any dirt along the way. Again there is less traffic during the week, so sneak out of work a day or two early to enjoy the same trails with less traffic. THINK SNOW!!!! 

Update 2/4/04 10:00 am.  

 He is some information on the St Helen Snowpackers, if you are interested in joining. Their Snow Run is this weekend, Feb 7th. You can pre-register Friday until 10:00pm at their clubhouse or Sat. from 9:00am till noon at the American Legion Post 416. They will have 50/50 drawings, door prizes and a sit down dinner from 4-7 on Sat. It is 25.00 and it is a 45-50 mile ride with 5 pit stops and a chuckwagon. This is their largest fundraiser of the year. Here's a chance to help out a local club that gets the job done on the trails. You can join for 10.00 a year single, 20.00 family and 25.00 business. You can contact their club here:

St Helen Snowpackers P.O. Box 514, St Helen Mi, 48656  Tel# 989-389-4871

 Update 2/4/04 9:00 am.  

 We are now selling V-force reeds as well as many other snowmobile parts and accessories. A set for an Arctic Cat triple is 270.00 for example. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. Also same day service on many minor snowmobile repairs and studding. Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. We have specials on Cabin/Snowmobile rental packages both weekday and weekend. Click on the snowmobile rental link. No new snow overnight and just a skiff of snow during the day yesterday. A low last night of about 6. the warm temps will help the most recent snowfall pack down and help us build a better base. Pictures of trails off to the north will be posted later today. THINK SNOW!!!! 

Update 2/3/04 10:30 am.  

 This is an update from the St Helen snowpackers:

 Tues. Feb., 03,2003 St. Helen groomers are on the
trails to Houghton lake and Roscommon. Both groomers
went out this A.M.

Update 2/3/04 6:40 am.  

 We got about 3-4 inches of wet snow overnight, and an additional 1-3 is predicted by 7:00 pm tonight. Many of the Prudenville trails were groomed yesterday, but trail 655 to Meredith was not. this snow will surely freshen up the trails. more will be posted later today. THINK SNOW!!!!

Update 2/2/04 10:40 am.  

 No new new snow overnight, and the temps are beginning to warm a little. They are talking a high of 29 for tomorrow, with 2-4 inches of new snow. We need some wetter snow. They are calling for a high of 32 for today. The trails are in the process of being straightened out after the weekend, if you can break away during the week for some of the best riding. Will update on trail conditions later today after we can get out. THINK SNOW!!!!

Update 2/1/04 11:00 am.  

 Only about 1 inch of new snow over the last 48 hours, but extremely cold temps are saving the trails. The trails North to Grayling got a little beat over the weekend, and we will check them today to see if they are grooming. We rode from Houghton Lake to Starvation Lake. Trail 76 was excellent, but 79 was beat. Trail 7 was in decent shape and the Ausable Valley groomer was out about 7:00PM last night. Trails to Meredith held up fairly well also. There were a lot of sleds out over the weekend, not nearly as many on our trails system around Houghton Lake as there were off to the North. Seem to be better riding south of Grayling, at least over this past weekend. If you rode around here this weekend, post your report so the clubs and others can see how they are doing. THINK SNOW!!!!

Update 1/30/04 11:00 am.  

 The Grayling-Rosco groomer came down last night to the bridge, so the trails to the North are in excellent condition. Trail 6 through the Houghton Lake area was also groomed. Most of the Prudenville Trails were groomed before today. The St-Helen trail was groomed Wed, and also up to Roscommon. Everthing around here is in great shape for the weekend. Take it easy and don't blow all of the snow off the corners...it is still icy under there. Lake effect snow is in the forecast, along with frigid temp's through the weekend. Think Snow!!!

Update 1/29/04 3:30 pm.  

 I spoke to Tom Gallagher over at the St. Helen snowpackers and he indicated that the DNR is only allowing them to groom 5 times a week, a max of 54 times a season. So far they have groomed 6 times this year, with the last time Wed AM. They have two groomers and they maintain 50 miles of trails. Rosco-Higgins maintains 39 miles, Houghton Lake Chamber 88 miles, and Ogemaw Hills 90 miles. Their hands are tied as to how much they can groom. One of their groomers is down, and should be back by tomorrow. Please keep in mind all of this is volunteer, with the exception of Ogemaw Hills. If you have complaints call the DNR office and express you opinions. We have the number for the person in charge of St. Helen and we are calling him today. We will check more trails tonight, they should all be freshly groomed for the weekend. The best riding is during the week, so come up and enjoy what few people ever see. 

Update 1/29/04 10:00 am.  

 We are now selling V-force reeds as well as many other snowmobile parts and accessories. A set for an Arctic Cat triple is 270.00 for example. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. Also same day service on many minor snowmobile repairs and studding. Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. We have specials on Cabin/Snowmobile rental packages both weekday and weekend. Click on the snowmobile rental link. We got 1-2 inches of snow yesterday and the low was about -8. Lake effect is still going just north of us. We rode to Alba and through Jorday Valley, then back through Mancelona. We saw groomers on every leg of that trip and the trails were the best I have ever seen. It was snowing so hard from Alba to Mancelona that we couldn't see so we had to stop. We will check trails towards Leota and St. Helen today. The trails north to Grayling will need to be groomed again before the weekend, hopefully the will. Think Snow!!!!

Update 1/28/04 10:00 am.  

 We are now selling V-force reeds as well as many other snowmobile parts and accessories. A set for an Arctic Cat triple is 270.00 for example. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. Also same day service on many minor snowmobile repairs and studding. Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. We have specials on Cabin/Snowmobile rental packages both weekday and weekend. Click on the snowmobile rental link. We got 9-13 inches of snow yesterday and into the night. Lake effect is still going just north of us. They groomed many of the Prudenville Trails last night, 644,655 to Meredith. Trail 6 was not groomed when I looked at it last night. They did not come down with the Groomer from Grayling last night to the snowmobile bridge, at least not by Midnight. They are usually there by 10:00pm. Even without grooming the trails are in excellent shape. Will check more of the trail conditions today.

 Update 1/27/04 10:30 am.  

 We are now selling V-force reeds as well as many other snowmobile parts and accessories. A set for an Arctic Cat triple is 270.00 for example. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. Also same day service on many minor snowmobile repairs and studding. Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. The snow started at about 9:30 this morning. First it was light, now it is very heavy. Hopefully snowfall total will be in the amounts predicted of anywhere between 6-12 inches. The table next to the thermometer shows about how much is actually on the ground. Will post more later today. The snowgauge was cleared this morning before the snow started. Think Snow!!!

Update 1/27/04 3:00 am.  

 We are now selling V-force reeds as well as many other snowmobile parts and accessories. A set for an Arctic Cat triple is 270.00 for example. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. Also same day service on many minor snowmobile repairs and studding. Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. So far we have gotten about 2" of new snow. Not as much as we expected, but better than a bite in the butt. The trails north of the bridge over the Muskegon River were groomed tonight, so that means at least to 4 mile road is flat. Probably all the way to Grayling. The trails south of town off Owens Road haven't been touched. They are still quite rough from all the TUT traffic. So if you are looking to ride Tuesday morning....head North on some flat trails. Maybe they didn't have enough snow to groom South of town. The chambers website indicated they would be better by Tuesday, so maybe they are grooming tomorrow. Think Snow!!!

Update 1/26/04 10:00 am.  

 We are now selling V-force reeds as well as many other snowmobile parts and accessories. A set for an Arctic Cat triple is 270.00 for example. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. Also same day service on many minor snowmobile repairs and studding.Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. No new snow overnight, and the low was about 4. The trails took a beating over the weekend with all of the TUT traffic and the DNR was out in full force. The trails held up surprisingly well. They are starting to turn a little brown, but not too bad. Thank god for the cold temps we had during both weekends of TUT. We rode to Elbow lake and Meredith yesterday and the trails were decent but they need more snow. Not sure if they will groom again before we get more snow. The trails to ST Helen were still bad, right after the bridge. The trails to Grayling are getting pretty rough as well. Most of the seasonal roads and two trascks are still nicely covered so if you are riding today, some of those might be your best bet. We have a winter advisory for the next couple of days, with predictions from 4-10 inches of snow. the radar shows it's on the way, so that should help out the trails. Think Snow!!!!

Update 1/23/04 9:00 pm.  

 Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. We didn't get any new snow overnight, and the low was about -4. Last night we rode to Dingmans. We rode trails 76 and 79, and they were both excellent. Today re rode to Grayling and the trails were still in excellent shape. Hopefully they will run the groomers tonight. Happy TUT 2004 Think Snow!!!!

Update 1/22/04 11:00 am.  

 Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. We got about 4+ inches of new snow overnight, and off to the north we have heard as much as 8". We will check the trails to Grayling today and see what they look like. The Prudenville loops are great. This snow is blowing a lot, so its hard to tell how much is really out there. We are supposed to get 2-4 inches today. Think Snow!!!!

Update 1/21/04 5:00 pm.  

 Thank you for the donations to those that contributed. What we have decided to do is make this a pay site if we do not reach 2000.00 in donations for the year. It will be for guests of the resort and patrons of the shop only. I spent 1/2 hour reading reports from all over the State and find VERY few detailed reports. We have tied this site and webcam to a Satellite dish for 100.00 am month. We had to sign a one year contract. I am tired of getting e-mails from people that write crap. Why visit if it isn't useful? Membership will be 20.00 per year. If 1% of the visitors that we have now join, we will be making more than 2000.00 a year. Enough of all that...here's the report. We didn't get any new snow overnight, and so far today about 1" has fallen. I have heard from 1-5 inches for today so I guess we will wait and see what happens. We rode to Elbow Lake last night down trail 655 towards Meridith. It was great and freshly groomed. I can only assume it was groomed all the way to Meridith. We had friends that went to St. Helen and they reported very rough trails. I don't know what's going on over there, I guess I will try and call the St Helen snowpackers and get an update. Maybe they are getting a lot of traffic over there. I will get an update from a friend at Bear Lake today about the trails North of M-72. Right now everything around here is very nice. Also talked to Scott and he rode from the trail crossing at Mead road South on the trail and he said it was excellent. We don't know anyone that has ridden the trail from the intersection for Leota and Higgins Lake up the west side through the low lying areas. Maybe we will have to check it out. We rode it as far as Jeff's Road and it was excellent. Jus got off the two way from a rider near 4 mile road and he says its great all the way to Grayling. We are thinking of posting two-way id's here so people can call in and let us know what going on out ther when we aren't riding. Don't forget to post your own report in the visitors trail report page. There are three new posts on there from the last couple of days. We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/20/04 8:30 am.  

 We are still taking donations for this site, and so far we only have about 5 for the season. Also don't forget to post your own report in the visitors trail report page. There are three new posts on there from the last couple of days. No new snow overnight and a low of about -10. It is still -9 right now. We rode towards Grayling last night and the trails were VERY bumpy. When we arrived at the Shell station just west of Dingmans, we found the groomer parked with 4+ inches of snow on it. Looks like it hadn't moved since Friday, and that's what they told us when we got gas. I think everyone should start writing some letters complaining. It is busy on weekends, but we rode Sunday and Monday evening and saw less than 10 sleds on our whole trip. They could be grooming late at night. We came back taking mostly roads, Sunset Trail, and then got back on the Cranberry trail. We hit our first groomed trails at the intersection of the Cranberry and the Mis-Kal trail. The groomer was heading towards Houghton Lake. When caught up with the Groomer so we headed south on a pipeline back to Houghton Lake. Not sure if that groomer came down to the bridge over the Muskegon River or not. Then we checked out the trails out of Prudenville of of Owens Road. They were nicely groomed and flat. Trail 655 to Meridith looks like where they started and they did all of the trails that we looked at south of town. We took some pictures and they are below. The lake has excellent snow cover on it and it is packed in many places. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!!. We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

trail01190402.jpg (44002 bytes)    trail01190401.jpg (44820 bytes)    trail01190403.jpg (45575 bytes)

Update 1/19/04 12:30 pm.  

 Just a light dusting overnight, and a low of about 3. We will take some pictures today of the trails and post them. Last night we went to Bear Lake and the trails north of M-72 were ROUGH. A friend that lives in Bear Lake said they had not done much over the weekend, and he came riding south towards Houghton Lake and they were better  down here.  Hopefully they will get them whipped back into shape today. some friends reported a sled stuck in near the mouth of the river around 5-6 pm. It was on old Yamaha and the track broke through. The sled was still running. They called 911 and waited 30-40 minutes and no-one showed up. Hopefully nobody got hurt. and many of the trails around Houghton/Higgins and Grayling were groomed last night. Snow showers are predicted every day throughout the week and very cold temps. There were cars and trucks with large trailers all over the lake during the festival. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!!. We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/18/04 12:30 pm.  

 We got about an inch of snow overnight, and many of the trails around Houghton/Higgins and Grayling were groomed last night. They are calling for snow today, and 1-5 off just to the north of us. Still excellent riding conditions, so riding this week should be some of the best.  If you want to ride....now is the time. Happy TUT 2004!!! Think snow!!! You can't see any open water on the Lake but there are still probably some thin spots. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/17/04 10:30 am.  

 We didn't get any snow overnight, but it is snowing hard right now and we have gotten about 3 inches today. Guests of the Resort have been riding pretty much everywhere and reporting the best trails in 10+ years. You can get anywhere around town on a sled with no problems, and if we get today's forecast of 3-6 it will be even better. We received several donations yesterday, and thank you for all those that contributed. And Lucas and Lisa....thanks for the hammers and donation, things like that make this site worth keeping.  If you want to ride....now is the time. Happy TUT 2004!!! Think snow!!! You can't see any open water on the Lake but there are still probably some thin spots. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/16/04 6:30 pm.  

 No new snow overnight but it is by far the best TUT weather we have had in years. The trails are all groomed and in decent shape. The lake has 8-14 inches of snow on it for riding, and it is frozen pretty well solid all around the shoreline. Denton Creek has frozen over as has the area near Long Point. Read the post on 1/10 about the river. You can't see any open water on the Lake but there are still probably some thin spots. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/14/04 11:30 pm. 

 We had a cancellation for the first weekend of Tip-up-town, the cabin is 600.00 for up to six nights and six persons.

We are now selling V-force reeds as well as many other snowmobile parts and accessories. A set for an Arctic Cat triple is 270.00 for example. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. Also same day service on many minor snowmobile repairs and studding. It is a little frustrating to see that we have only had two donations to this website this year. Makes me think I should have made it only viewable by resort patrons. Even without TUT we receive thousands of hits every day, and only two donations. We probably got 8 inches of snow today, and more is expected for tomorrow. Some riders in for TUT reported snow over the windshields on the two tracks. Probably the best riding we have had in the 4 years we have been at this resort. Some pictures will be posted tomorrow. And this is where we say thank you to Lucas & Lisa for your kind e-mail. And to Tom...I fixed the date, and I have a planner, but thanks anyways. What I really need is a thumb warmer for a 98 Mach Z 800, PN/ 572 1072 00.  That's why there are so many errors on this page. You can't type when you can't feel your fingers. Make sure you have a trail permit if you are on the lake. The only exception to this law is that you must be using your snowmobile as transportation on the ice for the purpose of ice fishing. So you better have a fishing license if you don't have a trail permit and be ready to defend yourself.....probably better to just buy the permit, even if you are only fishing and save the trouble. We will update again later today...as the snow continues to fall.  Read the post on 1/10 about the river. You can't see any open water on the Lake but there are still probably some thin spots. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! HappyTUT 2004!!!!

Update 1/14/04 8:30 am. 

 We had a cancellation for the first weekend of Tip-up-town, the cabin is 600.00 for up to six nights and six persons.

We are now selling V-force reeds as well as many other snowmobile parts and accessories. A set for an Arctic Cat triple is 270.00 for example. We have specials on Woody's studs and carbides. 144 Stainless steel studs, 1.075 for 215.00. We can order anything you may need. Woodys 8" carbides, for many sleds, from 61.00. E-mail us for a quote. Studs installed for .50 each. Slider replacement for most sleds, 30.00 plus parts. If you have a breakdown call us toll free and we can come and pick you up. We got about 1 inch of snow yesterday, and so far this morning about 2" have fallen. We have a snow advisory for today with 4-6 inches expected. We rode the Prudenville Trails yesterday and went to Meredith and Elbow Lake. All trails were groomed and in decent condition. We also rode to Moddersville near Leota and had excellent trails. Moddersville is an unmarked trail that you can pick up about 5 miles West from the intersection where you make a left to go to Leota. Head towards W Houghton/Higgins. and it is about 1 mile after you cross a small bridge. it is Cavanaugh Road and it is not marked. There is a gas station and party store there, and a couple miles up 13 mile road from there is a bar/restaurant. Someplace different to ride. This looks to be the best Tip-Up-Town that we have had in years as far as the snow goes. Make sure you have a trail permit if you are on the lake. The only exception to this law is that you must be using your snowmobile as transportation on the ice for the purpose of ice fishing. So you better have a fishing license if you don't have a trail permit and be ready to defend yourself.....probably better to just buy the permit, even if you are only fishing and save the trouble. We will update again later today...as the snow continues to fall.  Read the post on 1/10 about the river. You can't see any open water on the Lake but there are still probably some thin spots. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/13/04 8:30 am.  

 We got about 1 inch of snow last night and some light drizzle. The warm temps appear to have helped the trails and they groomed last night to pack them down. We rode from Houghton Lake to Grayling and the trails were beautiful. If you are coming for tip-up-town, you might want to come a couple days early and enjoy some great riding. Read the post on 1/10 about the river. You can't see any open water on the Lake but there are still probably some thin spots. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/12/04 8:30 am. 

  We got about 3-4 inches of snow overnight, depending where you look around town. Pretty much the same north around Bear Lake off to out north. It is a wetter heavier snow, just what we needed for the trails. They are calling for more snow over the next few days, but nothing big at this point. You can ride pretty much anywhere you like including towards Leota, Meredith or Elbow Lake. There is still an ice base under all the snow, but hopefully this will pack better than the light snows that we have been getting. Last nights low was only 27. Read the post on 1/10 about the river. You can't see any open water on the Lake but there are still probably some thin spots. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/11/04 8:30 am. 

 We got about 1-2 inches of snow overnight, and it was a little warmer with a low of only 17. We met some friends coming down from Bear lake, and took the Mis-Kal trail to Fife Lake. there were a lot of sleds out yesterday so the trails took a beating. They are very icy under the snow. We took seasonal roads back as they were covered much better. We passed one groomer but he wasn't doing much good due to the lack of snow on the trails. The lot at M-72 was beyond filled. There were a lot of sleds on the Lake yesterday. Read the post on 1/10 about the river. You can't see any open water on the Lake but there are still probably some thin spots. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/10/04 8:30 am. 

 Where is the snow!! No new snow overnight and a low of -3. The ride from here to Starvation Lake was great, but the trails got very bumpy North of M-72 due to all the traffic. The lot at M-72 was filled. They are grooming up there but because of all the traffic, they just couldn't keep up. We rode 150 miles and didn't see a groomer. Most of the open spots on the lake are now frozen and Denton Creek and the area around it is frozen as well. The Muskegon River has frozen part of the way down, so at least it is not such a hazard. Please be advised that Lake Township is no longer placing the barrels around the opening of the river. Last year was the first year they stopped doing this, but the river froze all the way down to the Marina. This is not normal so if you rode on it last year, don't think it is safe to ride on this year. We will look at the area around Long Point today, as it is the last area to freeze. Be careful even when riding the shoreline as their are some bumpy spots on the areas that froze last. Getting on the lake and pinning the throttle is not a good idea at this point. There are still areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/9/04 8:30 am. 

 No new snow overnight and a low of -3. We will take some more pictures today and post them later this evening. The trails to the north were groomed yesterday, including the Cranberry south from from Dingmans. Also both loops of the blue bear were groomed. the trails out of Houghton Lake still have enough snow to ride from here but they are not the best. The lake is a little rough around the shoreline where the open water was only days ago. Getting on the lake and pinning the throttle is not a good idea at this point. There are still areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/8/04 8:30 am. 

 Just a skif of snow overnight and temps down to 0. We rode from Houghton Lake following the shoreline on the lake to West shore and then got on the trail heading north. The trail got better as you go north. We made it to Lakes of the North and back, about 150 miles round trip. Some pictures are posted below. The lake is a little rough around the shoreline where the open water was only days ago. Getting on the lake and pinning the throttle is not a good idea at this point. There are still areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

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Update 1/7/04 8:30 am. 

 About 1/2 inch of snow overnight and temps down to -3. The trails look pretty much the same as yesterday, with a little more snow south towards Meredith and Elbow Lake. North of us they are calling for 2-6 today. Here only about 1" The lake continues to freeze up better and there is still sufficient snow on it to ride. Be careful and stick to the shoreline if you chose to ride the lake. There are still areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/6/04 3:00 pm. 

 Not much new snow overnight, maybe about 1/2 inch. It was about zero last night, and not going to reach much above 10 today. The open spots on the lake are freezing over again so be careful as many of the spots that were open are now glazed over with thin ice. The low temps will sure thicken up the ice for Tip-Up-Town. The trails are all covered but not the best riding at this point Heading north from here is possible, and as you go north the snow gets deeper. We may post some pictures today. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/5/04 8:00 am. 

 We got about 4 inches from the storm yesterday, so everything is white again. It is a very light fluffy snow so it will blow around if we get any wind. Still more snow is in the forecast for the next several days and very cold temps. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 1/4/04 8:00 pm. 

 Went to the UP for a few days, as there was nothing to ride on here. Snow was still sparse throughout most of the UP, with isolated areas having enough to ride. We stayed in South Range, and from there south and north the trails were in decent shape. We went to Copper Harbor, and found a couple thin spots on Friday. It snowed most of the day there yesterday so the trails were in much better shape today. Nothing good to report for Houghton Lake, warm weather has melted all of our snow, and rain has melted all the snow on the lake. Cold temps today have the Lake frozen once again. It is supposed to be COLD throughout the next week with single digit temps. Snow is predicted every day for the next several days, with 1-2 for tonight. Looks like the bulk of this storm is going to hit well south of us. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/30/03 9:00 am. 

 We got a skif of snow last night and temps sank to around 20. Not supposed to go much above freezing today (35) and more snow is in the forecast. There are still many people ice fishing. Take a look at John Dee's forecast by clicking HERE.  There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/29/03 11:00 am. 

 More bad news, last night's low was still above freezing. Almost all the snow is gone around town, and the trails are brown. Still above freezing right now. Forecast is calling for cooler temps starting tonight, but we need a winter miracle to get the trails in shape before the new Year. Most of the snow is gone off the lake and due to all the water runoff from the snow thawing, the lake has many more thin spots. There are still many people ice fishing. Take a look at John Dee's forecast by clicking HERE.  There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/28/03 10:00 am. 

 Nothing good to write about today, with lows last night of about 31. Today we are getting a light rain, so far much lighter than they predicted. We made another trip to Bear Lake yesterday, and the trails south of M-72 were not in bad shape with some brown spots in corners and hilltops. Overall it was a decent ride considering our 40+ temps. Seasonal roads and two-tracks were still nicely covered. But after today we will take another look. Will update again this evening. Take a look at John Dee's forecast by clicking HERE.  There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/27/03 9:00 am. 

 No new snow overnight and lows of about 17. The forecast still looks grim for today, with high's near 40. We rode to Lakes of the north and back from Houghton Lake yesterday, 150 miles round trip. Getting around the Lake was tough, with open areas near the Heights Marina and also on West Shore stretching to Long Point. Most seasonal roads were well covered as were most of the trails, but another day in the 40's will probably change all that. If you want to ride this morning might be your only chance until after the new year. Take a look at John Dee's forecast by clicking HERE. He has some positive news for us sledders about things to come. Hopefully he is right. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/26/03 9:00 am. 

 No new snow overnight and lows of about 20. The forecast still looks grim over the next few days, so riding today might be all you can get for the next week or so. Take a look at John Dee's forecast by clicking HERE. He has some positive news for us sledders about things to come. Hopefully he is right. We will take a few pictures of the trails and post them later today. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/25/03 9:00 am. 

 We woke up this morning to a very white christmas with 4-5 inches of fresh snow and a weather advisory. But the next few days look grim, with temps predicted to hit near 40. Hopefully that will change.MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and Happy holidays from American Oak Resort.There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/24/03 10:00 am. 

 It was snowing hard last night, but only for a few minutes. We only got about a 1/2 inch of snow but temps were about 22. Snow is forecast for the next couple days, but nothing significant. Looks like warm temps again by Friday and Sat, so riding in Lower MI between Christmas and New Years looks pretty grim. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/23/03 10:00 pm. 

 We are taking donations for this site as we did last year. So far only one person has contributed. Nothing much new to report for today, still above average temps with a high around 35. Kinda misty during times, and now the temp has dropped below 30. We will take pictures all around tomorrow, as I believe the worst has past....for now. It is snowing now so maybe tomorrow will look better. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/22/03 11:00 am. 

 The trails in Kalkaska were in pretty decent shape in the morning, but were rapidly deteriorating throughout the day. By 4:30 many of the corners were turning to a slushy brown mess. From Dingmans south the trails were in decent shape with less traffic on them. We turned around at the intersection to Fife Lake/Houghton Lake and they were still fairly well covered. Not sure how far south you can run that trail. Temps today still predicted near 37 for more bad news for the trails. Only good news is that there is fewer sleds out today. Many seasonal roads and two tracks are still nicely covered, even around Houghton Lake. Will report again later this evening as conditions are changing. READ THIS EMAIL FROM A LOCAL NEAR LONG POINT!!!! POSTED TODAY. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Think Snow!!! 

To the folks at American Oak Resort,
    I want to thank you for the wonderful job your doing in keeping people in formed of the VERY dangerous ice conditions that exist on Houghton Lake. I am concerned of another impending tragedy this year. The lake was wide open last night in front of our house and one of my sons friends came to visit on a snowmobile. He stopped about 75 feet from the open water thinking he was safe. Normally this would have probably been a safe assumption but not anymore on Houghton Lake. Fortunately, being a local, he knew enough to stay close to shore. The water was only about 2 feet deep and he was able to walk out. With the help of a couple of strong young boys he was able to get the machine out and all is well. I don't know what is causing this problem with open water on Houghton lake during winter. I've heard it's the weed treatments or the decaying weeds from the treatment. If it's the weeds then we have at least two more years of this problem to deal with. You know, being on the lake you get the tax assessments too.
    What scares me is that last night the large open area of the lake crusted over with a very thin layer of ice. It probably goes further out to the west of us and will be even more dangerous. It would have been better if it had stayed open because now this may give someone a false sense of security. They pulled the two bodies out just few houses down from us last winter and with Christmas just a few days away it could be a tragedy waiting to happen all over again. The snowmobile traffic in front of our house during the Christmas to New Year time frame is normally like north bound I-75 on Friday night. I've seen no sign postings like we had last year. You appear to be one of the businesses with the contacts that could either get the posting back up or get the north west part of the lake closed to snowmobiles until we have safe ice conditions. Hopefully that will be soon but it won't be next week. At least you have a very good web site that can help keep people informed. Maybe the local snowmobile club can help too.
    Please keep up the good work on your web site and maybe we can keep next week from being a very bad week for all of us.
 
Thank You,

Robert Betrus

Update 12/21/03 10:00 am. 

 Still no new snow overnight, and the forecast is calling for temps near 40 today. We are going to take a look at the trails in the Kalkaska area later today. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/20/03 10:00 am. 

 So much for the big winter storm advisory, no new snow overnight and a low of about 16. Everyone is saying Kalkaska is getting hammered so that's probably the best riding in lower MI. Snow predicted every day through next Friday. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/19/03 10:00 am. 

 Just light flurries overnight, and the temps still well below freezing. Snow predicted every day through next Friday. There are still large areas of open water on the lake so BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/18/03 10:00 am.

 We got 3-4 inches of snow yesterday and last night. Doesn't look like the snow band went much further to the north as Grayling and Frederick reported no new snow overnight. Trails do not have enough snow on them yet but they are getting closer. We rode the shoreline of the Lake last night for a few miles and there are several slushy spots. More snow in the forecast over the next several days. A signing we will go......BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/17/03 5:30 pm. 

 A signing we will go......But the good news is that it is snowing and has been all day. So far a couple of inches is all we got but that is better than nothing. It is starting to look like winter. We have a snow advisory for today and tonight with lake effect snow from Higgins Lake south to West Branch and Standish. BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/17/03 10:00 am. 

 We got about a 1/4 inch of snow overnight, and the temps stayed well below freezing. Cooler temps are predicted all week and flurries for every day. Someone posted on the trail report page that they rode 10 miles on the lake yesterday, close to the shoreline. BE Careful and check ice conditions carefully before venturing out on the ice!!! We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/16/03 6:00 pm. 

 So we went out marking the snowmobile trails with new signs and new rules since last year. Seems that everyone is afraid of getting sued when there is an accident on the trail system. When will we all get smart and make the snowmobile trails a "Ride at your own risk" trail system. If you crash...it's your own fault....TOO BAD...slow down. We are killing ourselves every year with trying to change rules and marking methods to prevent lawsuits. Interesting to see other peoples opinions on this subject. Rumor has it that NY state has closed their complete trail system...due to lack of insurance. Post some opinions on the trail report board. At any rate we had good snow coming down for a couple hours this morning, then it warmed and it turned to light drizzle then stopped. Everything was melting throughout the day, and now it is cooling again. Snow showers are predicted for tonight and tomorrow, but nothing significant in the forecast. People were ice fishing all day. An ice thickness will be posted tomorrow. We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/14/03 10:00 am. 

 Nothing much new to report, no new snow overnight and a low of about 19. There is about 4-5 inches of ice on the lake in front of the Resort and many were out ice fishing over the weekend. Bad news in the forecast today with temps in the high 30's and a chance of rain overnight and tomorrow. Guess we will have to wait and see what happens. We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

 Update 12/12/03 4:00 pm. 

 A few pictures from a trip to Higgins Lake this afternoon. About 3-4 inches of snow on the North side of Higgins Lake. We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

 

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Update 12/12/03 10:00 am. 

 The low last night was about 14 and we got about 1-1/2 inches of snow. Just north of us near Higgins Lake they got about 4-5 inches and near Starvation Lake 6-7. Gaylord has a Advisory today and they are expecting more snow today. Finally something decent to write about. I will put a couple holes in the ice today and post what I find. Problems with the satellite dish are preventing the webcam from working. We had to use dial-up to update the page today. We have one chalet available for the second week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

 Update 12/10/03 9:30 am. 

 The temp was about 32 with rain on and off. A light mist is still falling. What little bit of snow we had is gone. The lake is probably thawing a bit, we will take a look after the rain stops. Wish we had something good to write about. The rain is supposed to turn to snow tonight with 1-2 inches predicted by morning. We have one chalet available for each week of tip-up-town, We are one block from the festival site. Call if you are interested. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/09/03 9:30 am. 

 The temp was about 30 overnight and the ice did not thaw any. Rain is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Too bad it's not cold...that would be snow. We have two chalets available for the second week of tip-up-town, call if you are interested. We are one block from the festival site. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/08/03 9:30 am. 

 The temp was about 20 overnight and that is more good news for the ice. Flurries in the forecast for this week and possibly rain. A few pictures from yesterday are posted below. Some warmer temps are in the forecast, we will have to wait and see what happens over the next couple days. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

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Update 12/07/03 9:00 am. 

 The cooler temps have thickened up the ice a bit more and now there is about 3 inches of ice in front of the resort, about 100 yards out. A few brave souls are already out ice fishing. ALWAYS CHECK ICE CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE VENTURING OUT ON THE ICE. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SAFE ICE!!! We will be taking donations for the site as we did last year. Some warmer temps are in the forecast, we will have to wait and see what happens over the next couple days. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/05/03 9:00 am. 

 More cold temps over the last couple nights have thickened up the ice a bit. It is about 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick in front of the resort. Hopefully it will stay cold enough to keep the ice we have and make it thicker over the next few days. ALWAYS CHECK ICE CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE VENTURING OUT ON THE ICE. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SAFE ICE!!! We will be taking donations for the site as we did last year. We were sad to see that Jeff from the Michigansnowmobiling.com is no longer able to maintain that site. Thanks Jeff for making a page that all of us could use to find the snow during Michigan's winter season. Your site we surely be missed by many. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/03/03 9:00 am. 

 The lake iced over last night with a thin sheet. Much sooner than that ocurred last year. Low of about 10 last night. We have about 1" on the ground with flurries expected over the next few days. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 12/01/03 9:00 am. 

 Not much to report here, but it is VERY windy and cold. Temp went from 44 yesterday to 20 overnight. The lake has not started to freeze yet, and the ground has just started to freeze. Will report again as conditions change. Think Snow!!! 

Update 11/13/03 9:00 am. 

 Looks like winter may be here. Last night about 11:30pm the rain turned to snow. Today we woke up to about 3-5 inches of the fresh white stuff. It is supposed to warm Friday and Saturday to the mid forties, but this is a much better start than last year. Think Snow!!! 

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Update 10/02/03 10:00 am. 

 Here's a pic from first thing this morning. A welcome view for all of us hopeful  snowmobilers. Still only 31 degrees now, with a low of about 21 last night. Our new parts and accessories page should be up next week, for all your snowmobiling gear. We also do repairs on most late model sleds, studding etc. Think Snow!!! 

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Update 10/01/03 11:00 pm. 

 We have been getting heavier snow for the past three hours. The ground is covered with at least an inch. Low tonight of 25. Will probably post some pictures tomorrow if it's still here in the morning. We have a couple of openings for T.U.T. 2004, call for more info. Think Snow!!! 

Update 10/01/03 8:00 pm. 

 We have been getting light snow on and off all day. If these cold temps this early are any indication of what our winter will be like, (thinking positive), we will be in for a good winter. The last three years trail reports are archived along with the pictures, so we can compare as the winter progresses. We will again be taking donations to keep this site up and running. Think Snow!!! 

 

Call American Oak Resort for more weather information 1-989-366-6464

or toll free 1-866-366-6464