Area Snowfall
Current snow conditions for Houghton (measured in Painesdale) and Keweenaw (measured in Delaware) Counties.
Area Snowfall
Houghton County has 18 inches of snow on the ground and has received 207 inches to date.
Keweenaw County has 10 inches of snow on the ground and has received 169.3 inches to date.
(3/12/10)
Snowfall history:
During the winter of 2008-2009, Houghton County received 260 inches of snow and had as much as 30" on the ground. Keweenaw County received 282.5 inches of snow and had as much as 37" on the ground.
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Cross-Country Skiing
The Keweenaw Peninsula offers several well-maintained cross-country ski trails for your winter enjoyment.
Chassell
On trails groomed for the traditional skier, the whole family can enjoy the pleasures of skiing the Chassell Classic. Trails are groomed Wednesday, Friday and the weekend as necessary and daily when it is snowing heavily.
Current conditions:
Trail report courtesy of Keweenawtrails.com: With the continued warm temperatures, the trail is closed. We will try to preserve our base and reopen if possible if the temperatures would drop and it snows. Thanks for your patience. Jim
Submission time: 3/8/09 13:11
Submitted by: Jim Tervo
Copper Harbor
Enjoy the romance and wilderness experience of the Northwoods when skiing Copper Harbor's Pathway. The 8km of classic ski trails are groomed as necessary. Trailhead/parking/restrooms available at the Copper Harbor Welcome Center.
Current conditions:
Trail report courtesy of Keweenawtrails.com: Tues.3/9. Trails getting thin with bare spots in places...Grooming operations have been suspended at least temporaily.
Submission time: 3/9/09 09:23
Submitted by: Groomer
Eagle Harbor
The Eagle Harbor Ski Trail begins at the intersection of 7th & Pine Streets in Eagle Harbor. A donation box is located at the trailhead. The main loop runs around Long Lake with many shortcuts and additional loops that can take you as far as Great Sand Bay. The classic wilderness single track trails are groomed by volunteers as needed, usually on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Current conditions:
Trail report courtesy of Keweenawtrails.com: Not groomed in a week for lack of snow. Good only in the morning.
Submission time: 3/8/09 21:25
Submitted by: Mary
Keweenaw Mountain Lodge
There are 13k of world class classic ski trail to be enjoyed both in the woods and around the golf course. The ski trails are open and groomed daily. The Lodge will be open weekends Sat and Sunday from 11:30am till 6:30pm with food served from noon till 5pm featuring a limited chalk board menu changing weekly.
Current conditions:
Trail report courtesy of Keweenawtrails.com: Grooming has been suspended for the season--see you next year!
Submission time: 3/10/09 10:29
Submitted by: Groomer
Maasto Hiihto
The Maasto Hiihto Trail is a striding-only trail system that offers unsurpassed skiing on varied and scenic trails. The trail system connects with the Churning Rapids trails that provide a true backcountry experience. The two systems contain about 25k of groomed trails.
Two trailheads provide access to Maasto Hiihto: one at the Hancock Driving Park, behind the Houghton County Arena, (the chalet is located here and is open during the day and includes bathrooms) and the other at Tomasi Road near the Hancock city garage, north of the Portage Health System. Churning Rapids can be accessed from Maasto Hiihto or from a trailhead at Christianson Road at M-203. (Red donation pipes are located at both trail heads) Maasto Hiihto and Churning Rapids are groomed three times a week or more as needed. Grooming comments or questions can be directed to Arlyn Aronson at arlyn@superiortandems.com or weekdays at 906-370-2911.
Current conditions:
Trail report courtesy of Keweenawtrails.com: Dragged and set fresh tracks on Austraila, some of the River Trail, and through Churning Rapids out to M203 (via the Spring Creek and Thoroughfare trails). All of the Maasto/Churning trail system has been dragged and re-tracked in the last few days, but the weather has been melting the tracks faster than we can re-track. Spring skiing conditions are still good, but be careful of ice if you're a night/early morning skiier.
Submission time: 3/9/09 12:35
Submitted by: Groomer
McLain State Park
Beautiful ice formations along the shores of Lake Superior attract skiers to the McLain State Park trails. Spectacular lakeview scenery is the specialy of this trail. No true track is set, but the trail is smoothed as needed. A state park sticker is needed to enter the park.
Current conditions:
No longer grooming.
(3/9/10)
Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center
The 34km of the expanded Michigan Tech University trail system is groomed daily, weather permitting, and offers 7.5 miles of lighted night skiing. Warming and waxing facilities.
("You've got a World Cup class trail here."-- Sten Fjeldheim, Nordic Coach, Northern Michigan University)
Current conditions:
Trail report courtesy of Keweenawtrails.com: Skied Tech Weds morning early. Good conditions for skating - tracks for striding are looking weary. No bare spots yet.
Submission time: 3/11/09 08:49
Submitted by: Dean
Swedetown
The Swedetown Trail System offers something for everyone on its 30km of trails, from the family-oriented Green trail to white knuckle descents to a nature-viewing backcountry. Trails are groomed daily for both skating and classic skiing and offer 5k of lighted trails.
9.4k of snowshoe trails are also available.
The Swedetown Chalet is open Monday & Tuesday from noon to 5pm; Wednesday through Friday from noon to 8 pm; Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm; Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Current conditions:
Trail report courtesy of Keweenawtrails.com: We are now grooming for the Gr Bear Chase race so the track sets and normal trails will be different. Depending on temperatures, early morning conditions could be icy. For the race, the trail base is 15" to 18" as of last night. The dog trails are closed to foot and dog traffic until 3-14-10.
Submission time: 3/10/09 08:14
Submitted by: groomer
Twin Lakes State Park
The wooded trails of Twin Lakes State Park provide a view of Lake Superior at the scenic overlook and are groomed as needed for traditional skiing.
Current conditions:
Ungroomed, but good spring condition.
(3/10/10)
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Downhill Skiing
From beginners to experts seeking extreme challenges, downhill skiers can find just the right slopes in the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Mont Ripley
Operated by Michigan Technological University, Mont Ripley offer 19 runs and two lifts with a 423 foot vertical drop. A new state-of-the-art snowmaking system and an annual snowfall of 250 inches make the season long and conditions excellent.
Current conditions:
Mont Ripley has up to a 48" base and is 100% open. Great Spring conditions! Even with the sunny days & warm temps our snow is holding out. Thanks to snowmaking the hill still has 99% coverage.
(3/10/10)
Mount Bohemia
Ready for The Midwest's highest vertical? Some of the deepest powder found anywhere in North America? The most backcountry adventure? Then its time for a trip to the Keweenaw's Mt.Bohemia Ski Hill.
Current conditions:
Snow Report-March 11
We will be closed until
we get snow again. Extremely warm weather is predicted for the next four days. The low tonight will only be 40 degrees so the melting is really intensifying!
Please watch this websites for weather updates as we will re-open if we get a winter storm later this month
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Snowmobile Trails
You will find over 200 miles of well-developed snowmobile trails in the Keweenaw Peninsula, connected with 2,500 miles of snowmobile trails traversing Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Keweenaw Trails
233 miles of trails in the Keweenaw connect to the 2,500 miles of trails covering Michigan's Upper Peninsula. All trails are 10 to 12 feet wide, groomed with state-of-the-art equipment and clearly identified. Trails take riders through powdery forests, over rolling hills and along frozen lake shores. And the rider's comfort is not overlooked, with lodging, restaurants, service stations and refreshment spots located on, or just a short drive from, the trails.
Our groomers are out on a daily basis so all trails on the peninsula are groomed almost daily.
Trails are officially open from December 1 through March 31 and are groomed during that period as weather permits.
WARNING: 90% of our trail system is located on private property and land use permits are in effect only from December 1 through March 31. After that time, some trails are gated by the land owners and trespassing becomes an issue.
Current conditions:
The snowmobile trails from Twin Lakes to Copper Harbor are open but most trails will not be groomed again until we get some new snow. Trails are reported to be in poor to fair condition. Intown areas, road crossings and many trails sections are bare. Trail 133 from Gay to Lac La Belle is closed due to logging.
NOTICE: If you do use the trails north of Calumet this weekend, please use caution as you will be sharing them with the mushers and dog sleds of the CopperDog 150.
Remember to watch out for the groomers when you're out on the trails....they have the right of way!
The Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Burueau asks that you stay on the trails, STAY OFF THE ICE, respect private property, do not drink and drive, and above all else, plese, drive safely.
The signs on the snowmobile trails are there for the rider's safety. Please, DO NOT remove or destroy these signs.
(3/12/10)
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Keweenaw Web Cams
Check out these Web Cams to see how Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula looks today!
AmericInn of Calumet
WebCam courtesy of AmericInn of Calumet, located at 56925 S. Sixth Street in Calumet.
Bridge Cam
View a current picture of the Portage Canal Lift Bridge, which connects Houghton and Hancock, Michigan. This bridge provides the only road to the portion of the Keweenaw Peninsula that lies north of Portage Lake. The Bridge Cam points southeast from Hancock and also shows a portion of the Houghton waterfront across the canal.
Copper Harbor Cam
A view from the field almost live from Copper Harbor. The camera points almost due west from Copper Harbor and refreshes every 15 minutes.
Eagle Harbor cam
This webcam of the beautiful Lake Superior shoreline is located along M-26 west of Eagle Harbor and brought to you courtesy of Cable America. The camera updates approximately every 10 minutes from sunrise to sunset.
Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center
These motion or still image cams of the trails in the recreational forest next to the Michigan Tech University campus in Houghton are courtesy of the university.
Ripley Cam
This still image of Mont Ripley, up close, is courtesy of Michigan Tech University.
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