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Following the blizzard earlier this weekend, the Friends of Sleeping Bear, who manage the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, report fresh snow last night and today. Nice, cool temperatures make for fluffy snow and the groomer is leaving a perfect corduroy and classic tracks. Read more for details.

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 Dune Climb did look pretty good for sledding though!”

This weekend, the Friends of Sleeping Bear reported on ski and sledding conditions throughout the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The groomers have been out on both trails. Unfortunately, the lack of snow on the Heritage Trail meant that the south trail does not have classic tracks, but it has been rolled to form a really nice flat corduroy. Skate skiers will love this! Heritage trail north of Glen Arbor had a little more snow, and we did get a set of classic tracks down. Palmer Woods has the best snow conditions in the area. 6-8″ of fresh powder. Nice groom and classic tracks in most places.

Snow conditions are very good in most places along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, report Friends of Sleeping Bear, which grooms and maintains the popular multi-use trail in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Get out there before the weather warms up the middle of this week.

The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes report that we received a good snowfall yesterday providing about 6-8 inches of fresh powder over warm ground. The Friends report that they don’t yet have the tracks on the groomer, so the trails won’t be groomed until the end of this week if conditions allow. Those seeking to ski on the asphalt parts of the Heritage Trail should know that their ski poles will probably hit the asphalt and might skid.

Fans of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are invited to attend a fun and informal snowshoe hike and chili dinner on Sunday, Jan. 20, to help support Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes—the nonprofit group whose volunteers maintain the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail and help in other ways during the federal government shutdown.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore announced on Saturday, Jan. 12, that areas of the park will once again be accessible to visitors in the coming days, despite the continued federal government shutdown. The Park will use revenues generated by recreation fees. However, the Empire visitor center, ranger talks and programs will remain unavailable until the government re-opens.

The government shutdown, about to enter its third week, has closed all National Parks, including the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. That is hurting several Empire businesses near the National Lakeshore’s visitor center, and it’s doing so at the slow time of year when they need business the most.

Friends of Sleeping Bear, the nonprofit citizens’ group that maintains the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, will host a public open house on Wednesday, Aug. 8, from 1-4 p.m at Glen Haven to showcase new accessibility features available in the National Lakeshore—including a beach wheelchair, an all-terrain wheelchair, and a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk on the Glen Haven beach.

A training session for new Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Ambassadors will be held Saturday, May 12 at 1 p.m. at the DH Day Log Cabin in DH Day Campground — right along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.