Trail Detail

Minneapolis, MN
10K
Skating/Classic
No
No
[ NWS ]
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Notes

South Wirth Park includes 10 kilometers of groomed trail, with a mix of beginner, intermediate and advanced trails. Trails include JD Rivers Loop, Wirth Lake Loop, Eloise Butler Trail, Quaking Bog/Norm Oakvik Trail and Bridge Trail.
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Trail Reports

2020-2021 season
Reports 53 to 62 of 67    Month: Mar | Feb | Jan | Dec
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
Spectacular conditions on all of the South Wirth natural snow trails this morning! Fresh grooming for both classic and skate throughout, and super clean snow means you can use your best skis! There are 4 or 5 small areas of debris to avoid, but they are easy to spot and easy to avoid. I skied everything from Tornado Alley down to Bownie Lake, and it is simply outstanding thanks to the great work of the grooming team. The only loop I suggest avoiding if you have your nicest skis would be the Jar Hill/Wirth Lake loop, as there are quite a few things to jump around. If you are looking for some great skiing in the woods and want to avoid the crowds, this is a gem of a trail system. Park at Wirth Beach lot on Glenwood and parking is a breeze.
Photos:
(Bill Oyler)
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Morning
Grooming 
[ Trails Open: All, B skis ]
Fresh snow, fresh grooming on all South Wirth trails. Tracks have also been set and are in good shape. Generally good ski conditions, but a few small spots and occasional brush stubble exist, but are easily avoided. Trails are groomed across Wirth Lake and Brownie Lake. Cedar Lake is scheduled to be groomed Thursday.
(John Daniels)
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, B skis ]
I skied all the trails between 55 and 94. Snow coverage was across the board very good, albeit soft. There were just a small handful of sections where non-snow was poking through - thus the recommendation for B skis. Of these, only the first rise of Wedding Hill (going south) has the potential for hitting a rock, but this is avoidable if you're careful. All trails between 55 and 94 were open and previously groomed, including across the lake. Have fun out there!
(Mike Schowalter)
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: Partial, Good skis ]
I was super happy and surprised to see that the natural trails were already groomed overnight. Everything north of Glenwood has classic tracks set. I was skating, but the tracks looked solid almost everywhere. The snow is soft, but felt fast. Overall, it's awesome. I'm happy to use my good skis now with a few caveats - my good skis are not that good (not racing skis); there are several places (especially around Wirth lake, which is groomed!) where tall grasses/reeds are coming through. I don't think more snow will solve this - they need to be trimmed. But, I don't think those present much risk of damage; steep inclines (such as entrance/exists to bridges) are thin and need some caution. Under 55 was fine (but of course be cautious). I am very grateful to the grooming crew, who are working literally all hours. Great to see the lake groomed!
(Sam Knuth)
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, B skis ]
Fun to ski in the woods for first time this year! Trails hard packed for skating - skiers had made some classic tracks. Few bare spots at Eloise Butler. Look out for oak leaves.
(Betsy Hoium)
Monday, December 28, 2020
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: Most, B skis ]
Continued great skate ski conditions on all South Wirth trails! I appreciate that no additional grooming is taking place as there is just enough clean compressed snow for a great ski on B skis. Eloise Butler and Bog loops are so fun - and the natural snow is way faster than the man-made snow today! Use caution in the usual areas - frozen pond on Anwatin loop and southwest uphill by 394.
Photos:
(Bill Oyler)
Monday, December 28, 2020
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: Most, Rock skis ]
The whole bog is in good. I would be most comfortable on B skis but you could use good skis. Snow on the 394 bridge is pretty dirty but the trail ends at Brownie Lake, so no real need to go down that way. Most of Butler and JD Rivers are in pretty good shape but there are a number of sketchy spots (hidden curbs, thin snow over pavement, debris frozen into pond) that I stuck to rock skis.
(Spencer Davis)
Monday, December 28, 2020
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ B skis ]
Skied all Theo Wirth south trails this afternoon. Solid trail deck throughout with a couple spots where the trail or sidewalk pokes through that is avoidable. The connector trail between Wirth Beach parking lot and the JD River trail back towards the trailhead is a little low on snow. Big downhill on the Anwatin loop at the south part of Theo Wirth was snowplowed when you turned left and would advise you not to shoot down the hills in that area leading to that sharp left. Some parts of the trails had classic tracks, but many parts did not. Great day for a ski.
(Joe Kane)
Sunday, December 27, 2020
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, B skis ]
I skate skied all trails from the Trailhead down to Brownie Lake and back, and I found the South Wirth natural snow trails to be unbelievably good for skate skiing, considering the small amount of snow we've had. (No official classic tracks due to low snow depth.) In particular, the Quaking Bog loops are in pristine shape - Good skis would be just fine. The connector trail along I-394 is also very good, and you can even ski across 394 with relatively good snow near the railing. Skiing down to Brownie Lake is good (you might need to dodge the sledders), and the grooming stops at the lake. The Wedding Hill (connector between Eloise Butler and Quaking Bog) is in poor shape on the uphill (lots of forest debris) but good shape on the descent back to Eloise Butler. The Eloise Butler Anwatin School Trail is also in good shape - B skis recommended, and you must be very careful on the uphill at the extreme southwest corner by 394, as it contains loose asphalt chunks under the thin layer of snow. Wirth Lake was not groomed but it's easy to skate along the edge if you want to bypass the parking lot/sidewalk trail, although the sidewalk is fairly well snow covered. The JD Rivers loop is a bit windblown but still fun. Thanks to the Loppet crew for the extremely gentle and sparing grooming, as there is currently just enough snow to get great skate skiing and practically zero debris on the trail without the need for much grooming. Enjoy the super fresh snow!
Photos:
(Bill Oyler)
Saturday, December 26, 2020
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, Rock skis ]
Great B-skiing in Bog! No classic track but the skate deck is firming up nicely. Some damage from walkers but not terrible. The direction of the trail in Bog has flipped back to its original North to South direction and it flows very well. Butler has more walking damage and a really rough patch near the swamp on the return trail to Wirth Beach, Recommend rock skis.
(Andy Brown)

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