Trail Detail

Maple Grove, MN
15.8k
Skating/Classic
Yes
Yes
763-694-7894
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Some of the best ski trails in the metro area. Fantastic night skiing on their lighted trails! New in 2003, a 2.5K man-made snow loop.
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Trail Reports

2021-2022 season
Reports 31 to 40 of 134    Month: Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan | Dec | Nov
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Afternoon
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Good skis ]
Wife and I skied Eastman trails and a bit of Creek north. Tracks were adequate with some wash outs on corners. Areas in the open were turning to soft, but not icy. My skin techs worked great in the soft, sometimes slushy tracks. Many boot prints from walkers who don't know any better.
Photos:
(Earl Stabenow)
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
Skied Multiuse, Creek , Northern Lights, Valley, all in good conditions. Multiuse has a lot of footmark but does not slow you down too much. Fastest snow of the season, no debris, great weather and temperature make a very enjoyable morning. Hope it last for another few days!
Photos:
(Bernard Cerles)
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Good skis ]
Gorgeous day at Elm Creek! I stuck mainly to the natural snow trails: Lake, Eagle, and Northern Lights. This was my first time skiing at Elm Creek and was impressed by the beauty and variety of scenery on the trails (woods and prairie). Classic tracks were in great shape and consistent on most trails (only a few spots where they'd been washed out around turns or in high traffic intersections). Saw four downy woodpeckers up close, which was a special treat. My boyfriend saw some white-tailed deer, too. Park was crowded, but natural snow trails were not. Was on the trail for about three hours and saw a dozen or so other skiers. Highly recommend!
(Emily Hietpas)
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
Trails were in great shape. Not a lot of people out when we were there. Much thanks to the groomers.
(Dave Dyrh)
Friday, February 25, 2022
Afternoon
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Good skis ]
Beautiful day on great snow. I could hear the chatter of my skis hush to a mild schuss as I got onto the natural snow trails. Good tracks, no debris. Be careful on the boardwalk bridge at the start - the snow is thin and my pole got stuck between boards. Beyond that, the Lake trail was great. Northern Lights was also clean and good - a huge change from the ice before the recent snow.
Photos:
(Laurie Ford)
Friday, February 25, 2022
Afternoon
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Good skis ]
Skied lake, eagle, northern lights and finished up on valley. Natural snow trails finally have enough snow to be adequately tracked. The fresh snow last night slowed my glide, but had great kick. Blue sky, no wind and 15 degrees made for an excellent skiing experience.
(Earl Stabenow)
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Afternoon
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
I went and did the lake loop after school and it was beautiful. The new snow did wonders to this trail. There were no leaves or sticks to be seen and the tracks looked super nice. The skate deck was super fresh and needed some time to set up so it was a little slow, but I didn't mind as it was so great to be out in the woods again. There was some drifting on the left side of the trail so I stayed on the right side to avoid deeper snow. The trail has seen some traffic but it was truly minimal. Northern lights was more beat up as normal but still easily skiable. The man made loop was a little icy and I personally preferred skiing the lake loop. I saw a total of 3 skiers out at 3:30pm.
Photos:
(Elizabeth Loper)
Monday, February 21, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Freestyle 
[ Trails Open: All, B skis ]
My dad and I went out for a presidents day ski. We stuck to the man made loop as NL and the outer loop were very icy after yesterday's warm weather. Today's snow was interesting. They had groomed it and pulled up snow so that it wasn't hard and icy. Most spots had a good layer of snow on top. This was more than enough to get an edge on flats and uphills. There were spots (bunny hill) where the snow was deeper than what I am used to at Elm. The downhill into the valley, outer doughnut, and the doughnut were slick and icy. On these downhills there were some groves that skis could get stuck in. Also beware that there were ice chunks in the snow. All that being said it was fast snow and I really enjoyed not being on ice or having to avoid bare ground.
(Elizabeth Loper)
Friday, February 18, 2022
Afternoon
Firsthand: Classic 
[ Trails Open: All, Good skis ]
Started at the playground and skied into Valley starting at 12. Skied outer loop on classic and did two extra Northern Lights while debris gathered on trails. Conditions were very good for classic on Nature and Monarch before 1 pm but deteriorating with debris on Lake and Northern Lights between 1 and 1:45 pm. Thanks to the groomers for their work. The classic track was great on the naturals and the corduroy is still working due to the grooming.
(Emil Pedersen)
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Morning
Firsthand: Classic 
[ B skis ]
Elm Creek revisited with classic skis. I skied Creek, Eagle, Monarch, all of Northern Lights, Lake, and parts of Valley. The snow gods have been kind to Elm Creek. There has been just enough snow for quality skiing. I also must compliment the groomers for keeping the natural snow trails in good condition. I used a blue Start kick wax with moderate success. I found in the hills I got better kick in the skating lane. It seems there is a glaze in the track, so I should have gone to a bit more aggressive kick wax. It would be interesting to know if waxless would grip the icy sections any better? The track has a few spots where soil is poking thru. Those were only on the combined trails. On Eagle and Monarch trails a person could use their best skis without regret. The one dicey area is the long bridge. Since it gets melting from top and bottom it is icy. There are oak leaves in the track so be prepared to have them stick to your kick wax. Also with so many parking options with good access to the trails without having to deal with the congestion around Chalet.
Photos:
(Craig Schulz)

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