More snow, more tracked trails! The tracks looked great, but didn't ski quite as well which isn't surprising in the spring with full sun. The tracks I skied in were a bit soft, but will probably firm up overnight. I skied the Mitigwaki Loop. The portion with the paved base was generally speaking better, and the south facing section of the Mitigwaki Loop was already getting thin. A beautiful day on the trails!

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

Pleasantly surprised to find newly set track on the Old Logging Trail, and paved portions of the Mitigwaki Loop. Unpleasantly disappointed to find hiker tracks in one set of tracks leading from the Visitor Center. The tracks looked really nice. I was surprised to find the tracks softer than I expected, I suspect because of the sun strength and angle. Nonetheless, a beautiful day to be out, and how often can you ski on Easter? Using the right wax vs. waxless skis like I did may enable a better glide. I would say fair to good conditions for now. I also saw some skied in tracks. I could see several swans in the Spring Creek backwaters from the boat landing road.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

I skied the Mitigwaki trail on a sunny, warm afternoon. Classic tracks were well formed, however, conditions were variable depending on the amount of sun exposure and previous base. Many sections were good, but there were icy places, spots were the base of the track seemed to collapse underneath my skis, and scattered debris. Nice to be skiing this far into March, but necessary to realize that "spring" ski conditions are variable.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

Soft afternoon conditions on recently groomed trails. The trail surface disturbed from smooth by wheel marks from grooming machine that the drag did not cover, but still the surface is very skiable. Nice trail layout for expert skate trail. The groomed diagonal tracks looked well laid also from regions viewed on combination trail. The typical spring skiing adventure when cruising from shaded tracks to sun lit trails as snow changes dramatically from icy fast to soft and slow.

Photos:

(Dean Kleinhans)

I skied north from the trail center towards Nevers dam and was at first disappointed to find that part of that trail had only been rolled with no tracks set, but then soon found that the trails beyond had not been groomed at all. After making the effort to drive this far, I decided to continue and bushwhack through the ungroomed section even though I was using a pair of racing skis with low cut boots. My patience was rewarded as I finally came to the groomed trails after breaking my own for several Ks. The trail along the river was a lot slicker and faster than the trail up in the forest. The barking dogs I kept thinking I was hearing turned out to be swans honking. Some kind of canine's (wild) paws did a number on part of the track. A half a dozen deer ran out in front of me near a bridge at a creek crossing. You get the idea - Wild River is pretty wild. It takes a while for the groomers to set tracks on every trail - they have a lot of Ks to cover. If you are ever looking for a place to ski within a hour or so of the Twin Cities where you can literally get lost in the woods, this is the place to go!

(Michael Jorgensen)

I stayed almost exclusively on the re-groomed trail sections, including the Mitigwaki Loop and Old Logging Trail. The paved base portion of the Mitigwaki was the best of the two trails. Old Logging was mostly good, but there are a few places along the way that get more sun exposure, and those spots were just slightly icy. In some locations on these trails, there was a third, old track. I stepped into that to avoid oncoming skiers, and that was definitely more icy. The track running down the boat landing hill was still pretty good, but fresh grooming there would be nice. Fair to good overall in the locations I skied. Happy Trails!

(Kris Backlund)

Trails were more icy today, especially on the southern side of the Mitigwaki Loop. Skiing is still better on the sections along the paved base. Tracks are getting more washed out in places, and still no evidence of new grooming this week. There is more leaf and bark litter as well. I would rate the paved base portions fair or a little better, and the other areas fair to poor, with increasing ice and base thinning.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

I was concerned how low 40s would impact conditions, but found the trails to be in decent shape, despite heavy use last weekend with the candlelight event. Without any new grooming yet, the paved base portions were definitely the best. A nice run down the boat landing road, but icy in the flat section at the bottom with the marsh on either side. Trails north along the river were also more thin and not as good, skiable but fair in that section. Scared up a beaver and got a tail slap near the outlet of Spring Creek.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

The Deer Creek Loop was in very good condition on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Tracks were in great shape. Even the stretches under the pines had very little ice. Good coverage throughout. I actually saw a deer on the Deer Creek trail! I only saw a couple other skiers. Trails are holding up nicely with the cool temperatures.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

Trails that were groomed were near perfect for classic. Overnight, the crunchy snow set up well. No glazing. They did have a candlelight event Saturday night so the tracks involved may be worn down a bit. Go down to the trails near St. Croix River Trails and watch for eagles. Also watch for Kingfishers in the beaver pond. Amazing. Minimal bark and leaves in trail, easy to avoid.

Photos:

(Beth Robelia)