Trail was in great spring skiing condition. There was complete coverage except for a brief break where the trail first cleared the bluffs and abutted Sunset Trail where we had to move over and ski the snow plow wake between the trail and road. Snow was mostly corn with the drier, fluffier remnants of the last snowfall in the more deeply shaded sections, glazed in some other sections and very wet in a few, very limited sections. It was 38 to 39 degrees according to the Weather Channel; great sunshine. I used Swix Red Klister partially overlaid with Swix Grey Klister. This was my best ski outing of the season. Great snow, a great companion and, as frequently occurs, some neat wildlife viewing - this time several bald eagles "kettling" or soaring above the bluffs, over the river. As I anticipated, the bluffs, trees and old railroad grading had succeeded in preserving a more than adequate base. It had not been skied since the last snowfall. There was a pretty consistent single classic track. I or my companion had no problem setting a parallel track and keeping pace with each other. Starting at the Cannon Falls ballfield access we made it as far as the River Terrace Prairie Scientific and Natural Area before turning back. We covered 10 easy miles in about 2 3/4 hours.

Photos:

(Keith Carlson)

We have reset the classic track and dressed the skate lane this morning. The classic track is a bit shallow as there is not much snow left to work with. The skate lane is good and should hold up for awhile. Trumpeter Swan viewing is excellent between Welch and mile 4.

(Dan Forsythe)

The trail east from the Cannon Falls ballpark was in good condition. It had not been groomed since Thursday night's snow and was soft in spots. A very good classic track had been set. Per my car thermometer, it was 1 degree at the start and -2 when I left. It was sunny with a mild west wind. I used Swix Extreme Polar over Swix CH powder in what would be the kick area on classic skis. Maybe it would have worked better if I had stripped the LF first or I had extended the powder wax zone not as far or the ungroomed surface without any corduroy was factor but I still crawled - 5 miles in 1 1/2 hours. Best that can be said is I did keep warm until my toes started going at the very end - with wool liners over my light liners under my Toko mitts, a wind breaker over a down vest and my fleece and neck gaiter under my thickest wool hat. Still a pretty trail with some nice wildlife - mergansers on the river and an overflight of 6 Trumpeter Swans followed by a large flock of Canada Geese..

Photos:

(Keith Carlson)

The classic track is good shape. Skate is very skiable although needs additional grooming passes to flatten out. We will not be out grooming again until after the weekend.

(Dan Forsythe)

This was my first time skiing the Cannon River Valley trail. I started at the softball field in Cannon Falls. The trail was in pristine condition with excellent classic tracks and skating trail was freshly groomed. I only saw 2 other skiers in 2 1/2 hours. I saw 4 bald eagles, 2 dozen trumpeter swans, ducks, geese, and deer. It was a perfect winter afternoon.

Photos:

(Sam Hunt)

My wife and I skied 12.4 kilometers starting at the softball park in Cannon Falls-6.2 kilometers each way. The classic tracks are in excellent condition--firm and fast, but still with enough texture for excellent kick. The skate deck also appeared to be in excellent condition. We both used our good skis with no damage.

Photos:

(James Martenson)

We received 3 to 5 inches of fluffy snow on Saturday night. Groomed out from mile one to seventeen. Classic track is good. Skate deck is very soft but skiable.

(Dan Forsythe)

The trail was in poor condition. It was ungroomed; covered with 2 to 3 inches of wet snow. In the more open sections, the snow compacted down to nearly the pavement under my strides. It was high 30's with occasional light drizzle. I used FastWax Yellow LF. Conditions were what one could have reasonably expected - really bad. I generally could skate about 75 yards and then stopped and walked/strided 50 yards and repeated. Got better on the return when I was going downhill on the grade from the driveway to the trailhead. Skated 3.3 mph overall, less than half my normal speed. From the ballpark parking lot, I made it as far as the first overlook where the one redeeming thing of the outing was 3 or 4 over flights of a flock of trumpeter swans and 4 or 5 over flights of Canadian geese so near you could hear the air swooshing as they flapped their wings flying by 20 feet overhead.

Photos:

(Keith Carlson)

We groomed from Welch to Cannon Falls today with mixed results. The walkers and bikes have really hurt the minimum snow we have out there. Please take the time to inform walkers that the trail is for skiing only, we do not have the staff to chase them all off. We will not be grooming again until we get more snow.

(Dan Forsythe)

The Cannon Valley trail is groomed and open for skiing only from mile 1 to 15. There is very thin coverage, but skiable. There is not enough snow to set a classic track. The skate lane has firmed up nicely as of today. We did experience a bit of New Year’s Eve snowmobile damage from mile 6 to 7 that I plan to clean up on Saturday morning.

(Dan Forsythe)