Heath Department Approves Use of Ripley Snowmobile Trail

Snowmobilers will be able to use the trail that crosses the Julio scrapyard in Ripley this winter.

The Julio property was recently closed off because of environmental contamination.

The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department says that snow covering the trail will substantially reduce exposure to the asbestos and other contaminants that have been located there.

The suspension of the Health Department’s advisory will last until the end of March. It affects only the trail. The advisory remains in effect for the non-trail areas of the Julio property.

The Health Department says it’s working with local, state and federal partners to develop a clean-up plan.

And, while the trail will be open through Ripley, it remains closed from Dollar Bay to Lake Linden because of damage from the Father’s Day Flood in 2018.