Ski Trails:
There are many ski trails in the Brainerd Lakes Area; many of which are groomed Grant-In-Aid funded trails. To “legally” ski any GIA funded trail, cross country/Nordic skiers aged 16 years and older must purchase a MN Ski Pass. A non-pass holder can be sited by any Conservation Officer if caught on these trails without a pass. The Annual and 3-Year passes can be purchased at any ELS (Electronic Licensing Station) station (if they sell fishing licenses, etc., they will sell ski passes) and the Daily can be purchased from a variety of non-ELS providers. The Northland Arboretum is one provider in our area that sells the daily pass.
The Northland Arboretum contains trails for all experience levels. These trails are groomed for classic and skate.
12/29/21: Conditions are great at the Arb. Great track. Very nice skating. It was colder (4°F) than the day before and my skis were waxed for warmer weather, so my glide wasn’t great. But the trail grooming and the Arb are the best. Almost all the trails were groomed and tracked. Deepest classic tracks I have skied in a long time. A winter wonderland ski. Thank you, groomers, for all your time and work. Most trails had been groomed and tracked Wednesday morning. Cold temps made the new snow firm up well for a solid skate deck and tracks, but also made for fairly slow snow with plenty of kick. Northstar loop last groomed Tuesday afternoon so some fresh powder over the grooming.
The Pine Beach Ski Trails are both classic and skate and include trails for all abilities.
12/30/21: We received 17″ of new snow on 12-27 followed by another 5″ on 12-28 bringing our season total to about 30″. We are out on the trails but it’s difficult dealing with this much snow with very little base under it. We have all of Pine Beach West, Pine Beach East, and the Airport trails double tracked and ready to go. We will work on getting the “Classic Golf Course” open by Friday, but the frigid temperatures will cause us problems. Thanks in advance for your patience.
The French Rapids trails are groomed classic and skate, include steep hills and are for intermediate and advanced skiers.
12/30/21: Updated report not found.
The Larson Lake Trail system is a good mix of classic and skate trails. Please note that the interior loops are classic only.
12/28/21: 21 inches of new snow in two days. Packed with snowmobile and rolled trails except shelter trail. Very deep snow so did not pull the ginzu groomer due to its weight (firmer snow needed). No classic tracks.
The Wolf Lake Ski Trail is a classic only trail system.
12/29/21: Headed out after the snow and was the second one through the trails. A few inches of powder on most of the trails.
Thank you to the Brainerd Nordic Ski Club, Skinnyski.com and Mark Kavanaugh for their reports.
Snowmobile Trails:
Crow Wing County Snowmobile Trails Association Clubs 12/30/21: We received 17″ of new snow on 12-27 followed by another 5″ on 12-28 bringing our season total to about 30″. The clubs have been continually out on the trails but it’s difficult dealing with this much snow with very little base under it. Some clubs have had to stop temporarily for maintenance and repair issues but are going as quickly as possible. Also, the road approaches on ditch trails are causing a lot of problems. The lakes had been freezing nicely but you can now expect a lot of slush and the swamps still aren’t completely froze so ride with extreme caution. Lots of snow does not give you permission to go onto private property – NO TRESPASSING!
The Brainerd Snodeos maintain and groom 107 miles of trail from Brainerd to Riverton, to Crow Wing State Park, to Harding and towards Garrison.
12/28/21: Pine center north of 2, North trail, Brainerd City trail and Crow Wing State Park have been groomed. We’ll be hitting State Park and City trails again tomorrow and hope to get down to Harding Wednesday. We had a minor mechanical issue but recently been fixed. Hope to have all retouched again before the weekend.
12/27/21: Our crew will be out all day today and tonight in full force. If you’re out, please careful as our equipment is harder to see during the day versus night times. All groomers will be out, and I will be packing and rolling trails from Brainerd to Harding in a Polaris Ranger and roller. If you see me stop and say hi. Also, please help by packing all swamps you cross to allow our groomers to cross them in the future. Be safe and stay on trails.
12/29/21: We are working hard on the trails this week! It’s a lot of snow to push around and the swamps aren’t frozen yet. Hey, Ladies! Our new shelter has a nice clean biffy and wood for the fire pit. Please enjoy the trails and respect private property.
Baxter Snowmobile Club groom weekly on Monday Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
12/30/21: Main groomer is down for maybe a week, will be doing as much as we can with our small groomer.
Mount Ski Gull:
We offer skiing, snowboarding and tubing in one convenient location. Helping our community to become a better place to live has been our guiding principle for 50 years. Mount Ski Gull’s mission is to provide challenging activities in a fun and healthy environment which empowers youth to develop confidence, competency, and compassion.
Open Ski & Snowboarding 12/30/21 10 am-8 pm
12/31/21 9 am-6 pm
1/1/22 10 am-7 pm
1/2/22 10 am-8 pm
1/3/22 12 pm-8 pm
All tubing tickets must be purchased ONLINE PRIOR TO ARRIVAL!
12/30/21 10 am-7 pm
12/31/21 10 am-6 pm
1/1/22 10 am-7 pm
1/2/22 10 am-6 pm
