First time visit here under sunny skies and temps in single digits. Joanie and I strided the north side trails from Golden Eagle Lodge, including Old Logging Camp, Cross Fox, Moose Ridge, Deer Mouse, Red Pine, and Wolf Point. We also skied Ox Cart from Bearskin Lodge. All trails we skied had been groomed on Sunday and were in excellent condition-solid tracks, pole plants, and skate lanes. Thank you to the groomer(s) for their outstanding efforts following last week's storm!

Photos:

(Darren Blankenship)

We groomed everything again this morning after a light accumulation of fluffy snow yesterday afternoon. Trails groomed up fantastic! We have done several groomings now since the big storm so the trails have set up really nice - firm skate deck and solid classic track. Lake crossings are in great shape as well. The Skijoring Loop is temporarily closed as we wait for slush to freeze up along the trail in one section.

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

It's hard to determine an accurate snow total with all the drifting taking place, but based on all of our snow measurements, we are going to say the snowstorm total came to around 13 inches. We groomed for most of the day yesterday, taking several passes on our grooming route during the storm to ensure we kept as much snow on the trail as we could. We wanted to make sure we were able to add as much snow to our trail base as possible while also ensuring the trails won't be soft for several days after. We were out grooming again this morning! Everything is grooming up great for skate and classic! Grooming plans: It looks like we will likely be out grooming again Friday morning and Saturday morning as well.

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Last day of the freeze/thaw for a good while! We groomed the south side trails this morning: West End Logging Camp, North-South Link, Ridge Run, Upper Beaver Dam, and Moose Pasture. We also did Logging Camp and Deer Mouse on the north side. Trails groomed up really well; the track tillers on the Pisten Bully allowed for a really nice classic track set. The skate deck also set up fantastic - no ice should be present on anything groomed today.

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Superb skiing out of the Bearskin on the best trail system in Minnesota: the Central Gunflint. The lack of recent snow causes the hills to be a bit hard for herringbone ascents and somewhat fast for descents, but the frequent PistenBully grooming kept the classic track in perfect condition. They know how to groom on the Central Gunflint. From the Bearskin, the Poplar Trail or a loop around Flour Lake are two of the best skis in the Upper Midwest. The Summer Home, Moose Pasture, Campground, and Ox Cart trails are ideal for additional skiing when you start getting too tired for the more challenging hills! [ Bearskin and Golden Eagle Lodge share the grooming duties on the Central Gunflint -- Ed. ]

(Iza Carter)

We groomed everything again last night and early this morning. Trails are holding in well with the warmer temps and conditions are still really good. Some debris is present on upper Beaver Dam and Ridge Run, otherwise trails are still pretty close to perfect. Despite the warmer temps, the trail base is still very firm. Grooming plans: Through the weekend we will be evaluating surface conditions daily and will freshen up trails as needed and as conditions allow.

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Light dusting of dry snow and fresh groomed tracks made skiing OxCart and Bear Cub perfect. Poplar Creek trail was different with windswept areas, areas with the light fresh snow, and areas with snow drifted into tracks. All areas have a base of more than a foot of packed dry snow and deep well set tracks. Temperatures were at about 20 degrees for the afternoon.

Photos:

(Bobbie Gostout)

Tracks are deep and well set. Most parts of the trails are wind protected. I skied OxCart and Bear Cub. Both were perfect and had seen only light use before I got out there. Note: In these evergreens, birch, and aspen woods there is no issue with late-dropping oak leaves littering the trails - a real bonus!

Photos:

(Bobbie Gostout)

Deep tracks on a deep base with 2 1/2 inches of fresh dry snow on top. The skate trails look perfect too. I skied OxCart, beaver dam, logging road, cross fox, ridge run, and moose pasture. It's hard to imagine a more beautiful ski. Thanks to the Bearskin and Golden Eagle staff groomers for expert grooming!

Photos:

(Bobbie Gostout)

Pristine conditions at Golden Eagle Lodge and the Central Gunflint trails this morning. There were about two inches or so of new snow, but the trails had already been groomed for both skate and classic. The classic tracks were well formed and perfect, and so was the skate deck. It's so beautiful up here with fresh snow hanging on all the pine boughs, and the lake vistas and deep woods views are always amazing. Many thanks to Ruth, Zach, and the Baumann family for another great day on the trails.

Photos:

(Bill Lundberg)