Trail Detail
Notes
The Balsam Branch trails are open to the public for no charge. When there is snow, tracks are set by Polk County Park and volunteers. The trailhead parking area is always well plowed. Toilet facilities are available at the nearby Kennedy Environmental center but no coffee shop or warming facility. Roughly 4K of lighted trails added in 2010.Trail Reports
|
Saturday, January 31, 2026
Afternoon
posted: 2026-01-31 19:55:47
Grooming [ Trails Open: All, ]
|
|
Scratched all trails today. Skate lane should be good. Haven't been able to set new classic track because of hardness. However, they are fairly good shape except for leaf debris. All is very firm but very skiable. Looking forward to a little snow.
(Greg Hoelscher)
|
|
Friday, January 30, 2026
Evening
posted: 2026-01-30 19:29:53
Firsthand: Freestyle [ ]
|
|
Skate skied at sundown on the lit loops. It looked like all trails were open. Overall, a very good base. Some areas had a few leaves to avoid, and a few patches were a bit icy with minimal corduroy, but it was a fast and beautiful ski. Classic tracks looked good too.
(Tom Stormont)
|
|
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Evening
posted: 2026-01-28 10:05:37
Firsthand: Freestyle [ Trails Open: All, ]
|
|
Skied all trails at 4:00 pm. Trails are in great condition. Fresh corduroy. Good skis. Thank you, groomers!
(Ron Roeser)
|
|
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Afternoon
posted: 2026-01-27 13:37:54
Grooming [ Trails Open: All, ]
|
|
Groomed all the skate lanes today. Still not enough new snow to reset classic track, but the old track is fairly consistent and skiing well. Some oak leaves in tracks.
(Adam Greeson)
|
|
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Morning
posted: 2026-01-21 15:06:22
Firsthand: Classic [ Trails Open: All, ]
|
|
The trails had fresh snow on them and were recently groomed. They are in nice shape for skating as well as classic skiing. I used the classic grooves and they were in good shape. Enjoy the trails.
(Thomas Sirek)
|
|
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Afternoon
posted: 2026-01-20 14:58:36
Grooming [ Trails Open: All, ]
|
|
Freshly groomed today. Groomed skate lane only. Looks quite good. May be some ice bits in with snow. Way too hard to set a new classic track. Existing track is very skiable.
(Greg Hoelscher)
|
|
Monday, January 12, 2026
Afternoon
posted: 2026-01-12 17:28:59
Firsthand: Classic [ Trails Open: All, ]
|
|
Trails are covered by a huge amount of tree debris, including large limbs and even an entire tree laying perpendicular to the trail. I abandoned my classic ski due to all of the debris in the tracks. Hopefully the the next clipper will re-set conditions.
(Jim Kelley)
|
|
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Morning
posted: 2026-01-11 12:32:05
Firsthand: Classic [ ]
|
|
About 1/2" of powder on top of pure ice. Made it about half a mile before I called it quits. Hoping new snow will soon help revive the trails.
(Isaac Milkey)
|
|
Monday, January 5, 2026
Afternoon
posted: 2026-01-05 18:21:44
Firsthand: Classic [ Trails Open: All, ]
|
|
I skied Balsam Sunday late morning and between Sunday and this afternoon trails were regroomed. No ice, fast. The snow is still sticking to the trees. Beautiful in the woods.
(Michelle Stone)
|
|
Friday, January 2, 2026
Afternoon
posted: 2026-01-03 07:37:26
Firsthand: Freestyle [ Trails Open: All, ]
|
|
Amazing conditions at Balsam Branch to begin the new year! All trails were groomed on Tuesday, and the roughly 2" of light snow on top has been skied in since then. Solid, relatively even skate deck with a soft surface. Classic tracks set throughout. Best conditions I've seen in several years (which would make this a great season to bring back the annual race). Many thanks to the grooming team for taking care of this great little trail system.
(Alec Steward)
|
| First | Previous | Next | Last |