Dune Climb ready for sledding; more snow needed for skiing

Photo courtesy of Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes

From staff reports

Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, which helps maintain trails within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore reports: “We’ve got SNOW! Over the past couple of days, we got about 5″ of fresh powder over the whole region. The ground was still warm, so some of it melted — especially on the paved portion of the Heritage Trail. We do not plan to groom the trail this time. The Gator is in the shop getting the tracks put on today, so we’ll be ready when we get the next fresh snow.”

The Dune Climb did look pretty good for sledding though!

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail:

Snow amounts on the trail vary due to wind and how warm the ground is. Conditions for skiing are not good. Poles will hit asphalt. Even if we had the tracks on the Gator, we probably wouldn’t have enough snow to groom.

Dune Climb Sledding:

The Dune Climb looks AWESOME for sledding today.

Backcountry ski and hiking trails (Shauger Hill, Pierce Stocking Drive Ski Trail, Windy Moraine, Alligator Hill)

Fresh powder everywhere, but not really enough for great skiing. The trees are covered with snow, so a winter hike might be in order. As temperatures rise, the snow will get slippery, so have your Yak Tracks or MicroSpikes ready.

Popular Hiking Trails (Empire Bluffs, Pyramid Point):

These trails should be good for hiking. As the temperatures rise above freezing later this week, the snow will pack and get icy. I’d recommend bringing some Yak Tracks or MicroSpikes and hiking poles just in case you find the trails icy.