Wild River didn't get nearly as much snow as the Twin Cities area, but a fresh few inches and freshly groomed trails made for a nice ski outing. The base of the tracks was definitely firm, and a bit icy in places with more sun exposure due to last week's warm weather. I skied the Mitigwaki Loop, boat landing hill, and River Trail south of the boat landing, encountering mostly good conditions, with a few thin or icy spots.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

With temperatures around 40 Thursday and Friday, I wasn't sure how trails would be, but a warm, late afternoon ski Friday was beautiful, and trails were still in decent condition. I skied the River and Old Logging trails. Conditions were better up top along the Old Logging Trail, and wooded areas were better than trail sections somewhat in the open. I found about 15-20 trumpeter swans across from the Nevers Overlook on the Wisconsin side of the river where there was open water. Unfortunately, there were at least a couple hikers who used the River Trail going north for walking, with footprints between the two sets of ski tracks.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

Today I skied the Dry Creek Trail. Tracks seemed to have formed well despite the dry snow and cold conditions. Widely scattered areas where the base of the track is a bit icy, or leaves, pine needles etc. have worked their way to the surface. Pleasant skiing in the warmer weather. Fair to good overall.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

I skied the Mitigwaki Loop, boat landing road, and River Trail south of the boat landing. Mostly nice conditions throughout, but a few thin areas, and limited spots where the base of the track was slightly icy. Overall I would say fair to good skiing, with the best conditions of the season so far.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

I skied the portions of the Mitigwaki Loop with the paved base, and down the boat landing hill to the St. Croix River. The short section I skied south of the boat landing was not tracked. Even with new snow, that area was icy in places due to wind and sun exposure. The upper sections had a nicely set single track, but the base of the track was somewhat icy. I was using my waxless skis, so skiers able to wax for the conditions will have a better experience. Conditions ranged from fair to poor, but it's always nice to be out, and nice to have some new snow after the thawing that occurred earlier in the week.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

Wonderful day out in the woods! The trails that were groomed had great coverage, I think I would have been comfortable on good skis as long as I kept an eye out for issues, I saw one or two patches of pavement, but otherwise any thin spots were easily avoidable. Easily good enough for good B skis. A few of the trails were ungroomed, but had been packed down plenty by snowshoes so they were passable. The groomed trails almost always had a surprisingly deep track, and a firm deck off to the side.

Photos:

(Tyler Gilbert)

I observed a fresh, single track on the Dry Creek and Deer Creek trails Friday, and skied the Dry Creek Trail Thursday. It will be interesting to ski that stretch again with the new track sometime this weekend.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

I skied the Mitigwaki Loop, River Trail north and south of the boat landing, and the Old Logging Trail. I found mainly a single track, that disappeared in some sections, I assume due to difficulty setting track without getting into leaves or dirt. Going south of the boat landing was better than going north on the River Trail. In the places where dirt or grass were peeking through, I stepped out of the track. Saw a total 11 swans flying up and down the river corridor. The most consistent conditions were on the Old Logging Trail and other portions of the bike trail, but there were a few spots there with a little black showing through from the paved trail underneath. Nice to be skiing, even with variable tracking and conditions.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

Tried Amador Prairie, Trillium, Old Logging Trail, and Mitigwaki. There looks to be plenty of snow to work, but very inconsistent grooming and rough results. Seemingly random mix of single track, double track, no track, and the skate deck where present is surprisingly soft in many places. Hopefully re-packing will firm things up. Best stretch is Old Logging Trail south of the picnic area.

(Bryan Lueth)

Classic tracks are great, considering the paucity of snow. The Mitigwaki, Old Logging Road, down the hill to the boat landing and along the river are all tracked for both classic and skate. Western portion of Mitigwaki not as great-- but be happy. it's real snow and real winter.

(Sue Leaf)