Colorado Snowmobile Trails

Thanks to everyone who helped make this grooming season a success! Especially like to thank TJ Miller for grooming weekends, most of them down to Grand Lake, allowing the other cat to get out to wind drifts and keep more miles groomed for the weekends. TJ also does our oil changes, services and welding, very responsively, to keep cats and me grooming; it’s greatly appreciated! Thank you to all the board members who volunteer their time in so many ways: meetings, administration/ paperwork, signage, building and cat maintenance, public relations, events, trail hosts and a myriad of other areas. While all board members are valuable, I distinctly want to thank Craig Wilkerson, a board member so consistently and actively involved in many areas of our success. As treasurer he keeps up on paying our bills, as well as volunteering or donating tools, time, knowledge, his own money, snowmobiles, trailers, assistance with trail maintenance, and so much more that nearly any list would be

Snowed all day up high, can be tough to accumulate down low during the warmth of the day. New snow of 0-10”, very wet and heavy, it is settling right now under it’s own weight. Downright balmy with 27° and full cloud cover by the lake at 3:45am. Squalls of varying intensity rolled in and out through the night. Middle and high elevation trails are nice for the date and temperatures. Cleaned up drifting on Gold Run for a good ride tomorrow. Lower Stillwater remains thinly snow covered for the first 3 miles, able to cover up some thiner areas as well as the “creek” at the bottom of the 5mph corners. Some lower areas got doubled, once to remove the warm air from the snow, and second pass to lay out the wet snow as flat as possible. Time lapse going through Gravel. Signs and poles have been picked up, the groomed path should help show the way in fresh snow, but knowledge of the trails is helpful. Trail accessing the town of Grand Lake is closed for the season due to melting.

Spring conditions in effect! Long sunny days in the mid 40’s followed by moderate nights in the high teens to low twenties. Moon and stars showing through a clear sky by the lake at 2:45am. Bladed the dirt and dust layer on top of the snow down into the base, brought whiter snow to the top to assist in reflecting the sun/ warmth instead of absorbing it, and reinforced thin spots. Aiming to maintain full snow coverage from Idleglen so snow can fall on a snowpacked trail if forecast verifies for Sunday night. Town trail below hwy 34 has melted to 50%+ dirt spots. Lake Idleglen has developed in the staging area, most are unloading at the berms and then parking on the shores. Around Kauffman Creek loop tonight. Little Gravel Mtn trail is great up high. Down low the 1-3 foot trail base is the only snow left in some areas, with exposed hillsides to either side. Some were getting narrow, we bladed them to the width of the cat. All filled washouts are solid and show no degradation.

Final report for the year. Still rideable from Idleglen on Kawuneeche, some spots only a sled width wide.