Trail Detail

Minneapolis, MN
13K
Skating/Classic
Yes
Yes
[ NWS ]
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Notes

North Wirth Park includes 13 kilometers of groomed trail. The North Wirth trails include a mix of beginner, intermediate and advanced trails. Trails include Hap Lutter Loop (lighted, 3.3K snowmaking), Skyline Trail, Back-40/Twin Lake Trail, Judy Lutter Trail, and Tornado Alley Trail.
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Trail Reports

2015-2016 season
Reports 71 to 80 of 87    Month: Mar | Feb | Jan | Dec | Nov
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Bare ground ]
Conditions: Come to Wirth with a sense of adventure, and you will be rewarded! Today I skied from the main chalet to the Front 9 (Skyline Trail), Tornado Alley, JD Rivers, Eloise Butler, the Bog, and back to the Par 3 (Twin Lakes) section, plus the short section of the snow-making loop that is open... basically everything north of I-394 except the Judy and Hap loops. I don't remember being able to do that last year! I used "B" skis and only got a small scratch. As others have reported, the snow cover is very thin and grass is showing through much of the trails, but skate skiing is still very enjoyable and you can easily avoid ski damage. ( No official classic tracks, but plenty of man-made classic tracks.) The Bog section was my favorite - it had the best coverage in my opinion. There are a few curbs to jump, and some bumpy spots, but that adds to the fun. The Twin Lakes/Par 3 section was probably second best in coverage, followed by the Front 9 and JD Rivers and Tornado Alley being the lowest coverage.
Like I said, arrive at Wirth looking for a mix of an urban/forest skiing adventure, and you will have so much fun. Wirth is such a special place to ski - thanks to the groomers for doing the best they can with such little snow!
(Bill Oyler)
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ B skis ]
Conditions: Skated 11-1:00 today. Trails getting thinner. Skied Skyline, Tornado Alley, JD Garden, and the Back 40. Groomers have done a good job this year with the thin snow, not grooming too deep, but with usage and time there are quite a few spots you want to keep an eye out for and recommend B skis definitely. Still just a very small 0.5 km of man made open (stadium and first little climb). They had the snow guns blowing so hopefully more will open in a few days.
Lots of walkers on the trails again which is unfortunate. Would be nice if some cheap signs could be put out by the park mentioning the trail rules which could save grooming time.
Photos:
(Clayton Keim)
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ B skis ]
Conditions: packed, no classical tracks.
Early morning ski today around Wirth lake, then up to the golf course (sky line and bridge trails) via the connector. This was my fourth ski at Wirth since the snow last week, and it definitely feels like we're on the last legs. They were re-packing the golf course around 8:00 this morning. Heavy use the past few days has made a lot of slick spots, and there are many patches of grass/plants poking through.
But, if you like hills, South Wirth (Eloise Butler and the Quaking Bog areas), are still pretty decent.
(Sam Knuth)
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ B skis ]
Conditions: Groomed with fair conditions.
Went skiing around 4 this afternoon until dark. Went on the Back 40 and the Front 9 with a couple loops on each. Trail conditions on the Back 40 were fair to good, make sure to watch out for the fat bike crossing on the large hill in the back because the trail crossing almost creates a type of jump on the downhill. The Front 9 has some thin spots but they are easy to avoid. Great to see people skiing, snowshoeing, walking and generally enjoy the beautiful day.
(Joe Kane)
Friday, January 1, 2016
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ B skis ]
Conditions: Fair- pack with no classic tracks.
Skied the back 40, hap and Judy loop. Pretty good but thin coverage throughout - recommend b skis. Snow guns going on man made made loop!
Photos:
(Chris Torvi)
Friday, January 1, 2016
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ B skis ]
Conditions: Good! The bare minimum amount of snow, but it is enough!
Skied all the open Wirth trails from the Back 40 to Brownie Lake this morning. The snow coverage was surprisingly good. There were a few dirt clumps and curbs sticking through in Eloise Butler and near Wirth Beach, but otherwise the trail was nearly fully covered and nicely groomed for skate (no classic tracks anywhere). However, I wouldn't recommend "a" skis unless you're really careful. They do have a tiny snow making loop open (maybe 0.3K), but it's really nice not having to ski in tiny little circles!
(Mike Keyes)
Friday, January 1, 2016
Morning
Grooming 
[ B skis ]
Conditions: Trails are still in good condition and a small portion of the snowmaking loop is now open.
This morning we were able to open a very small portion of the man made snow loop, maybe .3K or so without classic tracks. We are very close to getting a larger portion open and should have it open the beginning of next week some time. We will begin setting tracks at that time. Please pay attention to signs marking snow making areas! The Back 40, Sky Line trail, Eloise Butler, and Bog trails are being packed again this morning. After that we are going to have to start limiting our maintenance due to low snow conditions. Thanks!
(Troy Tschida Winter Recreation Foreman, Minneapolis Parks and Recreation)
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ B skis ]
Conditions: Good considering the snow accumulation but lots of footprints.
Skied south Wirth today. Eloise was great with the exception of a few spots with grass poking through on the uphills. I was disappointed by the amount of footprints in the Quaking Bog. The trails were in fantastic shape otherwise and the trees looked so beautiful with the fresh snow. I wish Theodore Wirth would invest in some "No Walking on Ski Trail" signs because it's a shame to have such a great system, only for the trails to be damaged with footprints.
(Alli Beatty)
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle Secondhand 
[ B skis ]
Pretty good for the amount of snow we have and felt the groomers have done a good job not digging deep. More firm than yesterday. Skied from 1:30-3:00 and lots of skiers had already been out. Stayed on Skyline, tornado alley, and JD gardens. You'll want to keep an eye out for thin spots but avoidable. Didn't go south of Wirth lake but heard the climbs were soft. Saw snow guns blowing on the man made loop. Probably 6-7" of snow off the trail.
Photos:
(Clayton Keim)
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Grooming 
[ B skis ]
Conditions: Trails fair, and freshly packed.
All trails were packed this morning. There are some thins areas in the woods and the uphill sections. Unfortunately there has been a lot of foot traffic on the trails, fat tire bikes, and a car that drove through the trails on the Sky Line trail. Conditions are still very skiable and we will continue to manage them as long as they dont begin to get to thin. Just a reminder to please stay off of the snow making loop.
(Troy Tschida, Minneapolis Parks and Recreation)

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