Skated Eagle Point Trail on the west side. Firm deck. Good snow coverage with only a few thin spots. However, lots of oak leaves in multiple areas. No classic track. Due to the detour onto the Blue Stem multi-use trail at the start, be prepared for two way traffic on the shared section. At the split, connecting to the old Eagle Point route, there is no sign limiting use to skiers only. Fat tire bike tracks and some foot tracks were present. The firm deck did not suffer from that use but some clarity on use of that new link to the old section and beyond is needed! Good to be out.

(Caroline Kostroski)

Both east and west sides were groomed today. Trails are in very good condition. There are some leaves in the classic tracks.

(Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)

Trails have good snow coverage but no recent grooming. Hard packed and slick, and watch for oak leaves in wooded areas!

(Charlie Corcoran)

Regular dirty patches were encountered skiing outer loops on the east side of the complex. Fairly easy to avoid. Deck was generally hard with minor rutting, but I did ski some the edges for a bit softer ride. Expected harvest of leaves to keep your attention as well.

(Walter Ebertz)

I entered B skis because of the occassional dirt that I found as I crested the second of a Brown trail double downhill. The bottom hill dirt cannot be seen from the top of the double drops. I was on a best set of classic skins. I skied only the Brown trail. It was largely a drill on out of track skills due to oak leaves and dirt/snow mix. The prairie areas had clean track mostly. The solid, but not polished deck was variable in the woods (leaves, dirt) and mostly clean on the prairie. Most of the single downhills were also run out on the deck. That's the way it can go on the early season snow. Its tough out there on the Brown today, not for beginners.

(Jeff Bolte)

Trails at Lake Elmo have been groomed. The skate deck on the east side has been redone but tracks have not been reset. East trails are in good condition but may have some bare spots. Trails on the west side have been rolled and trails are thin.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)

Eagle Point was in good to very good condition. It was 10 degrees and partly sunny. Trail had been groomed since the last snowfall. There was minimal leaf litter. Occasional snert easily avoidable. No classic track. I used FastWax Blue LF. My first time with x-country ski mittens, which worked except for my numbed thumb tips (even with wool liners). Thumb tips finally unnumbed by the trail's end. The multiuse portion of trail at its start has seen heavy foot traffic with resulting uneven surface. Still skated OK and my new Fischers with blue FastWax finally performed okay. (They had been really slow during a previous outing in the low 20's.) Except for having to walk the final portion of the climb to the junction with original trail at the north ridge was able to skate the entire length non-stop. Didn't feel real fast but still averaged a 10k/hr pace.

(Keith Carlson)

Trails on the east side of the park have been groomed and tracks have been set. Trails are in good condition overall but there are a few thin patches that are easy to maneuver around. The Eagle Point trail on the west side is currently being rolled and has been reported to be in fair condition as snow is thin and uneven.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)

Lake Elmo trails were groomed this morning. On the east side the skate deck is excellent and tracks have been set. The west side has a thinner base. It is in fair to good condition but no tracks have been set.

(Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)

I skied classic on the Yellow, Orange, and Green trails early Wednesdy afternoon. The deck looked okay but well used to the point of flat. Good skis would be in order there. The classic track condition varied considerably from solid, deep track to just a hint of track. I saw bare ground more than a few times. Its close to ready for good skis in and out of track as needed. To make a full depth track from a hardened trail, which we have now, the till has to be three inches deep. That's not good at any time. With a towed grooming tool, the result is loose kibble, not packed powder, and huge set up time. Damage to equipment is also a risk this early in the season. So accept the variable track as is and enjoy it! The somewhat stiff tipped rock/B skis jumped the less than full depth track on a downhill turn on the Orange. I was the second skier off trail in the unbroken snow. Downhills on the flattened deck were a little slippery. Any other turning downhills were skied on the deck. Uphill climbs on the deck were without slide outs. The Green trail had the best track. It's a simple fix for classic: more snow and less direct sun is needed. As I was leaving, a bus load of young skiers had arrived around 3:15 pm.

(Jeff Bolte)