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Over the weekend the Copper Country finally saw enough snowfall, that snowmobile clubs and the city of Houghton have set up the snowmobile trail under the bridge. After the region saw around 29 inches of snowfall between Friday and Sunday, the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club and the city were able to source nearly 1,000 cubic yards of snow. Around 9 am this morning the club received its first truckload of snow from Houghton. And began setting out the trail groomers to get the season underway despite the late start.
“A little over three weeks once we got the okay from the Coast Guard to put the bridge into place. We looked in a 50-mile radius to find enough snow, the airport, businesses, and stuff, in an effort to get it down before the snowstorm came in. And really couldn’t even find the volume of snow that was needed to do all of that hauling. So a big shout out to those guys for thinking outside the box. And working with us to see what we could do to make sure there was no delay in getting our riders out on the trail. And accessible on both sides of the bridge.” Ryan LaPorte, President, Keweenaw Snowmobile Club
There are hundreds of miles to explore, including Trail 3 which was recently opened back up after five years of intense remediation work. Keweenaw Snowmobile Club says that the communities are excited to see familiar faces return and meet new friends as riders rediscover the Lake Linden area. Adding when you stop in, tell them the Keweenaw snowmobile club sent you. The bridge down also opens access to plenty of incredible backcountry sites to check out. However, in the interest of safety on the trails Snowmobile clubs encourage riders to continue to ride right.
“So really ride safe, stay on the trails where the groomers have been until we get everything cleared and start to build that base up. But make sure you are riding for the unexpected right now. We, again, are doing everything we can to cover all trails. And our snow base is thin. It’s had on our equipment. So we are trying to make sure we take care of the equipment, keeping everyone safe, and getting the trails open as quickly as we can. So keep the snow dances going, we’ll take all of the lake effect we can get.” Ryan LaPorte, President, Keweenaw Snowmobile Club
Despite the late start to winter. This past weekend’s snowfall brought with it the start of to snowmobile season. Learn more about the Michigan DNR’s ride-right snowmobile and orv campaign, snowmobiling in the Keweenaw peninsula below. Stay safe and have fun this season. Stay up to date on future events and volunteer opportunities with the snowmobile club by checking out their facebook page for trail updates and more.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Ride Right Campaign
