Trails opening at Voyageurs National Park

From the Voyageurs National Park
Press release

There have been positive improvements to the Park’s winter trails this week.  The green trail is now entirely open from Franks Bay to Crane Lake.  The gold portage is still rough, and stakes have been placed to mark trail edges and drops.  Stay between the stakes to avoid those hazards. The purple trail on Rainy Lake is open to Kettle Falls, but there are two marked sections of slush that riders should approach with caution.  The yellow trail is open with a new temporary bridge spanning a small creek near Mica Bay that is slow to freeze over.  Use caution while crossing the bridge.  Travel on the snowmobile trails is rough, as there are only a few inches of snow on the ice in many places.  The trails have been staked, but not groomed.  Land portages have been packed but are rough due to the limited amount of snow.   

In the coming days, the trail crew will be checking ice to establish what we can of ice roads. Later next week, depending on snow conditions on the lakes, they will focus on grooming what they can. We are not able to run larger grooming equipment until we have 10 inches of ice and adequate snow consistently along the trail route. We encourage everyone to remember that ice is never 100% safe. Be aware of conditions and ride in response to them. 

As always, you can find the latest winter trails conditions at Alerts & Conditions – Voyageurs National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Snowmobile Trails:

  • International Falls to Kettle Falls (Purple Trail) -Open Staked Not Groomed
  • Rainy Lake/Black Bay to Kabetogama Lake to Ash River (Green Trail) -Open Staked Not Groomed
  • Ash River to Crane Lake (Green Trail) – Open Staked Not Groomed
  • Chain of Lakes (Dashed Black Trail) – Closed
  • Ash River to Kettle Falls (Yellow Trail) – Open Staked Not Groomed
  • East Namakan Lake to Sand Point Lake (Blue Trail) – Open Staked Not Groomed

Ice Roads:

  • Rainy Lake Ice Road – Closed
  • Rainy Lake Dryweed Loop – Closed
  • Kabetogama Lake Ice Road – Closed
  • Kabetogama Lake Ice Road West and East Spur Roads – Closed

Ski Trails:

Kabetogama Area:

  • Echo Bay Ski Trail – Packed not tracked

Rainy Lake Area:

  • Rainy Lake Rec Trail – Packed not tracked
  • Black Bay Ski Trail – Closed
  • Tilson Connector Trail – Closed

Snowshoe Trails:
Hiking allowed on trails

Rainy Lake Area:

  • Rainy Lake Recreation Trail – Open
  • Oberholtzer Trail – Open
  • Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail – Closed

Ash River Area:

  • KabAsh Trail – Open
  • Blind Ash Bay Trail – Open
  • Sullivan Bay Trail – Open

Kabetogama Lake Recreation Area:

  • Sledding Hill – Closed
  • Ice Rink – Closed

For further information on land trails in communities surrounding the park check out these links:

Despite trails opening, with staking and grooming taking place, there are still several areas of open water to be wary of, including this open water near Mica Bay on the Yellow Trail. – NPS Photo/Nevalainen