Did not ski all trails but looked like all trails are open. Track in excellent condition, huge thank you to the groomers.
Snow is perfect now - get out there and enjoy.

(Jo Hecke)

Groomed and tracked red, brown, silver, yellow and orange trails tonight. Blue and green trails were groomed and tracked yesterday and will be redone tomorrow morning. The trails are in great shape and the tracks and skate lanes are firming up nicely after having been groomed several times in the last week and a half. Get out and enjoy the awesome snow!

(Jerry Nelson)

A perfect day at Willow River! I skated at first and though somewhat soft, it was still quite good and didn't have any trouble keeping a nice rhythm. The hills on the silver trail were getting a little chopped up due to the soft snow. Classic was absolutely perfect and I got to use my wooden skis, which I only break out for conditions like today. Some walking traffic, mostly along the route from the main parking lot down to the river. The rest of the trails were spared - for now at least. Thanks groomers for the hard work and a great day of skiing.

(Peter Aggen)

All of the trails have been groomed and tracked. The snow is still pretty soft but should set up a bit overnight. However, you should still expect soft conditions with a the track going through some drifted areas. There are also a few scattered berms left by the groomer in skate deck due to the heavy, dense snow. We'll try to get those leveled out soon.

(David Thofern)

The park received around 6 inches of dense snow. All of the trails have been rolled and/or packed with the Ginzu. It will be pretty soft until we can get back out and groom and track.

(David Thofern)

I chose an easy classic touring option since the dry snow had groomed up soft, including the classic track. It was Purple, Green, Blue, and a look at the Silver. There is a long flat stretch of the Silver below the Falls. The Silver had no track so that ended quickly. I was back out to the car in just over 90 minutes for the whole tour. Outbound from the campground, speed down the Blue hill was as expected. The skin skis bit in well for the return climb out on the Blue. With the soft sidewalls in the track, I did not feel like messing around on the more technical downhills and turns on the other trails. Still, Willow is in one of the better conditions now than we have seen in three seasons.

(Jeff Bolte)

With the exception of the Silver (Nelson Farm) Trail, all trails were groomed and tracked this morning. You should expect soft conditions but there is a good base so the chances of encountering ice underneath the snow have greatly diminished. The Pink, multi-use trail, is rolled or packed for hikers but many skiers find it a fun skate-ski; especially if you're looking for big hills.

(David Thofern)

Tons of snow. Blazing through the fresh powder. As the groomers communicated, waiting for the next snowfall before another round of grooming. All this snow should set up for excellent classic tracks and skate deck in the next few days. Thanks groomers for all your work!

Photos:

(Ginny Ballantine)

Trails have been rolled, no track is set. I went out for a peek at road crossings late tonight since I had other obligations. Chatter among the groomers shows uncertainty of the next step since inches more snow is expected within 24 hours. Best guess is it depends on weather forecasts. Plan your trip this way: the skate deck should be good with overnight to set up for Monday morning skiing. Classic skiers, do not expect machine cut track on Monday unless the weather forecast suddenly calls off all the snow. Even then, I would wait to see if no snow before taking out a track setter. Ski classic without track on Monday. I might be on the wood skis. Update: Classic track was set early Monday morning on at least part of the system.

(Jeff Bolte)

Skied the outer loop. Skate deck rolled and groomed. Tracks still soft. Things were a bit soft and slow but very skiable. So nice to be in the woods with the deer and wildlife.

Photos:

(Tom Weber)