The trail conditions report is gathered from the Maine Snowmobile Association’s Web site. The report does not include the impact of Thursday’s storm. The complete report is available at mesnow.com

Overview

Warm temperatures have eaten away at some snow pack – although there was more snow coming on Thursday. Clubs continue to groom in most areas. Riding conditions mixed from fair to some excellent conditions. Riding this weekend: be aware of hazards which may have been uncovered by traffic/melt.

Please be aware that ice remains unsafe in many areas. Check locally and check it yourself, or just stay off it.

Aroostook County

Benedicta: ITS 83 – Sherman and Whetstone Falls: groomed, good conditions.

Municipal Trail 70: Benedicta and Whetstone Falls: groomed, excellent conditions.

ITS 81 Sherman and Mattawamkeag Cutoff: groomed, good to excellent conditions.

All club trails are groomed with good to excellent conditions. Note: All trails still need snow in wooded areas – watch for objects in the trail (rocks, roots, ).

Special note: To those of you still sledding on “Bucks Road” on ITS 81: stop! This trail is in jeopardy on being shut off for illegal use, due to a logging operation. Please observe all no snowmobiling signs.

Caribou report

Trails fair to good with railbeds from Houlton to Van Buren and Fort Kent to St. Francis holding relatively good conditions. Wooded areas still need snow before regular grooming, but groomers have been out and report trails open. Sledders advised to watch for stumps, rocks and other hazards. Fields are marked and groomed, but there are wind-worn spots, use caution. Pressure ridge still present on most lakes – check locally before venturing out.

ITS 83 open from Madawaska/Frenchville to all points south.

ITS 85 open from Fort Kent to points south.

ITS 81 open from Mars Hill north – some sections low on snow.

ITS 92 groomed Fort Kent to just east of St Francis, remainder rideable but not groomed.

Lincoln Trail off ITS 92 closed due to logging – sledders please stay out of this area.

ITS 88 groomed from 83 intersection to ITS 85 – sledders use caution..

ITS 86 groomed to St Croix siding east of Rte. 11. Oxbow hopes to connect by the weekend.

Rte. 94, 94A, Rte. 89 from Van Buren now open and groomed connecting ITS 81 and 83. Rte. 100 west from Rte. 89 intersection in Connor is closed for the season.

Limestone Snowhawks have opened Rte. 89 from Limestone to Caribou via new bridge across Madawaska River.

Greater Katahdin region

Millinocket, Medway, East Millinocket: There are some good riding conditions in the area – described as generally early season riding. Local intown and pole line to Millinocket Lake fair at best. They need some more snow. Grooming most area trails.

Note: The Stacyville Road portion of ITS 86E is now open for snowmobile traffic. The road is plowed, so riders use caution and proceed slowly. As in most of the state, ice is not good, note that water in area lakes/ponds low due to drought, leaving shoreline rocks, etc. exposed.

Millinocket: Groomers are going to mix the Thursday’s new snow in with damp snow from the warmer air and showers.

Shin Pond: 85A Shin Pond to Bowlin: groomed in good condition. ITS 85 Shin Pond to Matagamon groomed and in good condition. Good Bowlin Matagamon Club is now grooming to the top of Lookout trail.

Ragged Lake Trails: T2 R13: Excellent snow conditions with more than two feet. Grooming in full swing which includes Spencer Mountain trail, Farrah Mountain trail and ITS 86 from Three Corners to Kokadjo. The Club’s “Hole in the Woods” trail is now closed due to the logging operation. The section of ITS 86 from Penobscot Pond to Four Corners is now open and no longer being plowed. Use caution from Four Corners to Kokadjo, as the trail has been rerouted and in some sections snowmobiles will be sharing a plowed road with a logging operation. Watch for rerouting signs between Four Corners and Kokadjo.

Piscataquis, Penobscot, Somerset

Charleston: Charleston Trail System has more than two feet of snow since Jan 13. Conditions have improved dramatically, and the system is fully open. ITS 83 was dragged and the Dover trail has been done. The Powerline/83 bypass was also done.

Trails are smooth for the most part, although some bumps are still evident here and there. ITS 83 is seeing heavy use, expect less than ideal trail surfaces by afternoon. Grooming will continue.

Be advised of a woodcutting operation on ITS 83 south of the village just before the Center Road. Heavy truck traffic and machinery could be encountered on the trail at any time. Also, some vehicle traffic may be encountered on ITS 83 north of town on the Shute Road/Davis Hill Road section for a couple miles. Use caution when traveling though these sections.

Sebec: Wet heavy snow has played havoc with trees throughout the trail system. Crews have done cleanup work. All trails are open again as of last Sunday. ITS 82 from Greenacres (Rte. 16) to Sebec Village stretch still needs more snow to cover stumps & rock. The rest of the ITS and all other trails are in outstanding condition.

Atkinson: The Cold Smoke Riders SC is having a problem with some sledders who are not staying on the marked trail while riding ITS83 . They have sent this message for the riders who are creating landowner problems: “We have one trail in a field south of Atkinson corner, our only trail through to Dover, Sebec or Milo, that is marked “please stay on the marked trail” and has extra corridor markers. The landowner has given permission for the trail, not his entire newly seeded field).

Bangor, Midcoast, Downeast

Bangor: Trails were groomed and in good condition prior to Thursday’s storm. Watch for low branches and down trees. Ice is not safe. Crossing on the “bog” along “railbed” is not good.

Hampden: Trails are snow covered and riding was good this past weekend for the Poker Run. Be careful of low lying trees and branches that are hanging down everywhere covered with heavy snow. Please be very careful of small ponds and streams, the ice still is not safe and is covered by snow.

Orrington: Trails are mostly open with still a few to clear of debris. 51 is all clear and groomed and will be groomed for the weekend as well as 75 percent of the rest. Still a lot of brushing to be done on some shorter trials but most are excellent.

Bucksport, Orland: Most trails are open and groomed. Most places have 10- to 12-inch hard-packed base, with good lubrication on top. Please be advised of lake conditions.

Rockland, Thomaston, Warren: All trails are open on the coast except the Bog Trail from Rockland to West Rockport and they are all groomed. Trail conditions very soft, mushy riding conditions. Hopefully Mother Nature will freeze things up for a hard-packed trail.- Terry Benner, Bog Brigade SC

Route 201 Corridor

The Forks: Great riding going on. Currently have anywhere from 18 to 36 inches on the ground.. All 110 miles of The Forks Area Trail System are being groomed on a regular basis. Grooming is ongoing 7 nights a week.

All sections of the trail system are in very good to excellent condition, with the exception of the in-town trails. Because of heavy traffic, the in-town trails get pounded hard and are considered in fair shape. Once away from town a mile or so, things improve dramatically.

ITS 87 heading northeast toward Greenville/Moosehead Lake, and south to Bingham is in excellent shape. Straight and flat. The ride along Moxie Pond is one of the most beautiful in the state.

ITS 89 heading southeast toward Grand Falls/Eustis is in excellent shape. The waterfall is a great spot to stop for a rest, or picnic.

ITS 89 heading north toward Jackman is in very good condition. There are just a couple of very short sections that have thin cover, due to blowing wind. The spur trail to the top of Coburn Mountain (3,300 feet) is groomed.

The Connector Trail heading north from Berry’s Store to Parlin Pond has excellent riding.

All ITS Connector Trails leading from Berry’s Store in West Forks to ITS 87 and 89, are generally rough for the first mile due to heavy traffic. Once away from town, things improve greatly.

Parlin: Ongoing grooming. Rte. 66 has great riding. ITS 89, good to excellent riding.

Jackman: Warm weather and some fog have taken its toll on the trails today. The light snow expected should be enough to repair the ITS trails but the in-town trails have quite a bit of brown showing.

ITS89 north: good; ITS89 south: good; ITS86: good to fair; In-town Trails: fair to poor

Central Maine

Area Ride: Trails in Benton, Albion, Winslow, Windsor, South China and Palermo are in excellent condition.

Benton Station: With the snow this week and last night it has made for some really excellent riding on the 20-plus miles of trails.

Wayne: All 23 miles of Wayne trails have been groomed, riding good. Section of ITS 87 passing through Wayne now Trail 55, some new signs in place, more needed. Lake riding taking place, however, not recommended to anyone not familiar with the territory. Upper Androscoggin, Pocasset and Pickerel Ponds have some slush especially on Pocasset lake. Snow cover good but can use more, especially woods.

Litchfield: The trails are in great shape, they saw heavy traffic in spots but held up well over the weekend. Everything will be groomed again for the weekend with most of the trails getting hit twice. They should be fine even with the warm weather that is predicted.