Skied Mitigwaki, Old Logging, River, Pioneer and Dry Creek. Pioneer and Dry Creek had fresh grooming. In fact, I was the first person on the trail. The tracks were very soft and seemed like they could use a bit more packing before setting the tracks. All of the other trails had older grooming, but were significantly more firm. Kick waxing was quite the riddle, but it was a great day in the woods.

(Michael Hall)

Howling south winds led to skiing on one of my favorite, more sheltered trails--Dry Creek. This trail is also less leafy. There were a few more leaves in the tracks compared to yesterday, but still very nice conditions. Hills were a little soft, but nothing that warmer temps, a little drizzle, more skiers and additional grooming won't firm up.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

Absolutely the best skiing of the season. Classic tracks were in very nice condition. I skied part of the Mitigwaki Loop, the River and Old Logging trails. The leaves are finally covered. No swans today, and only a handful of skiers that I saw.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

Classic skied Deer Creek loop, pretty good all things considered, leaves and twigs will get covered with this week’s snow. Hard crust but not really icy. Saw deer and lots of swans in the open water inside the loop.

(Bryan Lueth)

Despite no recent new snow, I was pleasantly surprised at the change in conditions from Tuesday to today. The track wasn't perfect, but it wasn't nearly as icy as it was Tuesday. Breaking up the icy tracks and laying new track really made a difference. I would say fair conditions, and close to good in some sections. I skied the Mitigwaki Loop. The best part about Tuesday's ski was the moon, not the trails.

Photos:

(Kris Backlund)

The amount of snow on the ground at Wild River is adequate, what was there before the New Year has frozen solid, there are few worries about hitting rocks or other bare ground objects. There are lots of leaves on the track. We skied some of the northern trails. All of which had been carefully groomed a day or two before we arrived. The tacks were nicely set and the skate deck looked firm and smooth. Conditions? The best description seems to be that because of the freeze/thaw cycle its like skiing on corrugated iron plate. Thanks to the staff for maintaining the clean and warm trail center and for grooming so carefully.

(David King)

I found a variety of conditions. I skied part of the Mitigwaki Loop (bike trail), the boat landing road, and the River Trail south from the landing. The machine set track was fast and a bit icy, making me wish I had used waxable skis. I think the combination of drizzle in the morning and temps slightly above freezing which had dropped slightly below freezing before I skied contributed to the solid tracks. Going down the boat landing road was a bit like a luge run. I stayed out of the single track from the start and was in a deep snow plow, barely able to maintain control. Somehow I managed to stay on my feet. The only place I found a lot of foot traffic, including right in the track, was on the River Trail. This section was a skied in track, not machine set. There was a small section of single track back up on top that seemed to be freshly set. That was quite nice. Hopefully some additional grooming or snow will take the bite off the fast tracks. All in all, at least fair conditions.

(Kris Backlund)

Maybe it's just me, but I found conditions to be fairly difficult and challenging for classical skiing. Today's warmer temps made the snow packable and icy, and no amount of red klister wax helped. Park staff told me they have loaned out their groomer, so while there are tracks from previous skiers on most trails, they have not been machine-set and so aren't consistent or in good shape. Additionally, many of the tracks on the northern trails (Logging, Trillium and Amador Prairie) have been walked over by hikers and snowshoers, which I've never seen at the park before. The weather and the company I had were great, but the skiing itself left much to be desired. I'll head for William O. next time.

(Rita Minnichsoffer)

We had a beautiful morning skiing the trails. A large loop was groomed with classic tracks and there were only very minor icy spots. Many trails were not groomed but the DNR site says that they should all be done by the weekend. Much more snow than the Twin Cities. A great way to start the new year!

(Regina Sullivan)

It was a magical ski in diminishing light. With snow still falling and shining in my head lamp, I skied the Dry Creek Trail. Only a skied-in track at that point. There were some branches and limbs down to navigate around, and snow laden trees arching over the trail in places. Dry Creek was running high, which is very unusual in winter. A few places were either slightly slushy at the base, or icy in spots that are typically thin (under pines and/or on slopes). I would rate trails close to good for ski conditions, and excellent for winter beauty. I will like them better once track is set.

(Kris Backlund)