Thanks to a true team effort between the DNR and snowmobile grant sponsors, more than 120 miles of state-designated trails in Chippewa and eastern Mackinac counties have been cleared and are ready to welcome back snowmobilers. A storm that began in late December dumped ice and snow across the eastern Upper Peninsula, snapping power poles, breaking branches and leaving many miles of trail impassable because of the debris.
“I’ve never seen a storm like that,” said Rob Shields, a DNR forest fire supervisor based in Sault Ste. Marie. “On top of ice, we were hit with 6 inches of wet, sloppy snow and ice on top of that. It just started snapping trees.”
Many DNR employees joined the area’s snowmobile grant sponsors to get the job done. Those pitching in included the Chippewa Snowchasers, the Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association, the Drummond Island Tourist Association, the Les Cheneaux Grooming Club, the Straits Grooming Association, the Curtis Chamber of Commerce, the Tahquamenon Area Snowmobile Association and the Paradise Area Night Riders. Revenue from the purchase of snowmobile trail permits provides important grant funding to sponsors and clubs for trail grooming.
“Without collaboration and total team effort on a cleanup like this, the trails likely would have been closed for the majority of the season,” Shields said.
Snowmobile grant sponsors play an important role in keeping snowmobile trails safe and ready to ride. Michigan’s snowmobile program is 100% funded by trail permit and registration dollars. That money is directly reinvested into the program for things like the funding allotted to snowmobile grant sponsors – the nonprofit organizations that groom and brush trails. Watch this brief video to learn more about using, funding and caring for these trails.
The DNR regularly updates trail closures and provides links to trail reports that provide helpful information on conditions. Before returning to the trails in the eastern U.P. or anywhere in Michigan, people are encouraged to visit Michigan.gov/Snowmobiling for information on purchasing a permit, getting trail maps and reviewing important safety tips as part of the DNR’s Ride Right program.
