Snomobile trail conditions

The following snowmobile trail conditions report is from members of the Maine Snowmobile Association. The complete report is posted on the MSA Web site: www.mesnow.com

Aroostook County

Benedicta, Jan. 14: Snowgang trails at this time are “ride at your own risk” and if you get to the areas that have graveled road it is really decent riding. All Snowgang trails are open at this time with conditions as follows:

ITS 83 Sherman-Whetstone Falls: no grooming at this time but you can pick your way through it and get from point A to B.

ITS 81 Sherman-Mattawamkeag Cutoff: partially groomed, be really careful in fields and plowed ground. A logging operation is in place approximately 2 miles south of Sherman Mobil. Please follow signs closely and slow down.

Municipal Trail 70 Benedicta-Whetstone Falls: no grooming at this time. Have logging operation starting at Casey Road Bridge off I95 West, and continuing, off and on, for 5-6 miles. Sleds will be using this plowed road as the trail and will be running with 18 wheelers. Approximately 15 trucks are hauling in this area and can be encountered at any time – day or night. Please follow all signs closely and use extreme caution. Slow down!

All Snowgang club trails are open with minimal grooming

Caribou Parks and Recreation Report, Jan. 14: Mother Nature pulled a fast one on all of us with more rain than originally predicted which basically sealed the fate of any project from Caribou south. When you get a flood warning in January it can’t be good.

The snow is holding from Woodland, New Sweden, Portage and Van Buren north and with temperatures already starting to drop the worse should be over for those areas. Sledders should realize that any significant drop in temperatures, which are expected to drop below zero evenings, will harden up the existing surface. Hopefully there may be an inch or so of snow that might soften the blow.

Water is significantly pooled up in low lying areas. It will take a few days for this to freeze so use caution and space out sleds when riding in groups.

The other areas adversely impacted by this rain are lakes, rivers and streams. They will pool up with a significant amount of surface water and any area there is an inlet, the water will be running high, the temperature will be up so the ice won’t be good. Regularly traveled areas will have pooling but the underlying ice should remain solid but do not proceed across any water body without checking locally.

ITS 92 is open to Dickey. We are not sure if the St. Pamphile end has been done but check with some locals to confirm.

Remember there will be a dog-sled race using ITS 85 from Eagle Lake south between Saturday at 1p.m. and Sunday 1p.m. They will also be traveling on 85D, the new Debouille reroute so use extreme caution and watch for spotters.

Moose are loose between Mud Lake and Lakeview.

Active logging areas on Rte. 75 near the northeast wing of Squa Pan, on ITS 85 near Winterville and ITS 90 in the Perham area, so sledders please stay on the marked trail and proceed with caution.

Greater Moosehead Region

Greenville Junction-Squaw Mountain Area, Jan. 14: With the rain, fog, and temperatures in the mid to high 40s Thursday night, it felt more like April than January. The temperatures are dropping and it is now changing to snow, however with the forecast of less than an inch of accumulation, this will not be enough to reverse the damages of warm weather.

We have not lost our base, but need snow to improve the conditions. It is early season, so be on the lookout for washouts, rocks, and stumps coming through. We will continue to be out on the trails signing, brushing and grooming when possible. Be prepared to stop if you come upon the groomer.

Reports that the trail has been signed across the lake to Kineo – stay on marked trail. Stay off unfamiliar bodies of water. They may not be safe!

Route 201 Corridor

Jackman, Jan. 14: The Bishop’s Motel Web site is reporting, “The bad news is that we did receive a little rain overnight and more this morning. The good news is that it is cooling off sooner than expected and changing to snow. Really not sure what this weather has done to the trails at this time. As soon as we know more, we will update it.”

The Forks-West Forks-Parlin Pond, Jan. 14: We currently have anywhere from 10 to 28 inches of snow on the ground, depending on the exact location. With the 8 inches of snow we have received in the past week, all of our 130-mile trail system is now being groomed on a regular basis. The entire system was groomed on Wednesday night and we hope to hit all trail sections again on Friday, as well as throughout the long weekend. The intown trails are rough in spots and can use more snow, but are easily passable in all directions.