Charming old-school trail. Nicely groomed but starting to fill up with debris. Grooming crew deserves much credit as you could see evidence of the significant brush removal effort recently. Conditions were very fast/glazed. Someone had hiked up to the first trail junction and the track had taken a beating. The open brook at the bottom of the hill near the end (all loops) is still open and it’s not a good scene. I avoided taking a bad (wet) fall but not by much, and I have intermediate skills (would have eaten my kids for lunch). Attention signs (at a minimum) are warranted. All that said, fun skiing in a beautiful setting.

(Eric Sherman)

Groomed in the 3-4 inches of snow on all loops, and set nice looking tracks. The wet heavy snow bent a lot of brush into the trail, but we were able to remove most of it the last couple of days. The high winds have brought down a lot of sticks, and there is some debris on the trail. Penokee is now open to skijoring, classic skiing, and snowshoeing.

Photos:

(Katie LeMoine)

The trail was very fast but but wearing thin in spots with a few rocks. On the return trail there is a open creek cutting across the trail. The exact location is posted on a map by the first intersection. It's at the bottom of a hill with no warning.

Photos:

(Tom Stieber)

I did the 5k loop as the sun was setting. Some of the parts in the second half had a lot of baby trees coming up and could use some mowing (or at this point more snow). The creek crossing was unexpected, and a sign at the top or trailhead would have been nice. Since I wasn't exactly where I needed to be and didn't ski jump, I ended up rear in the creek and hurting days later. I would wait until there is more snow to ski this one, and/or make sure that you know how to navigate the creek. It is towards the end of the trail, on all loops.

(Anna DeMers)

Groomed in about 10 inches of snow at Penokee today. The tracks look excellent, and the woods are beautiful. Penokee is open to skijoring, snowshoeing, and classic cross country skiing. There is a 3-sided shelter on the trail that can be used for camping, or just taking a break. Get out there and check out this gem of a trail!

Photos:

(Katie LeMoine)