Enjoy The Great Minnesota Trails

Through efforts of snowmobile club volunteers across the state, Minnesotans and visitors alike enjoy over 23,000 miles of groomed snowmobile trails. The maintenance of approximately 90% of these trails is the responsibility of snowmobile clubs and Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association (MnUSA) volunteers. MnUSA is the statewide organization that supports the clubs and volunteers as the voice at the legislature, promoting positive legislation to protect, enhance and fund our trail system. Join with a MnUSA member as he reminisces on our great sport and snowmobiling along the North Shore!

Musings of a Snowmobile Enthusiast—

submitted by Dick Turnbull

The season starts way before the snow files. Even before the Princeton and Haydays swap meets, I’ve been online chasing parts and updating equipment for most of the summer. The tantalizing coolness near the middle of October gets the hearts full of anticipation. My friends and I have been talking for weeks about all the good deals we’ve found, the sleds are getting their final touches, we’re ready to go. Our club meetings have started. Work crews have been dispatched and the trails are finally clear. The groomer is waiting. Anticipation grows.

I put up some pictures on the websites to tease those who drool about sledding. They come from all over the state to ride and many from out of state too. December weekends the trails are OPEN, and the first powder is upon us. We hit the local trails if they’re covered, or we’ll run up north, perhaps by Silver Bay, to put in. An hour drive just gets the adrenaline time to work into our system. Many spend three to seven hours to come to the trails that lie just outside our doorsteps. Leaving before daybreak, we’re on the trails early, but not always the first. Soon, each new turn brings a breathtaking explosion of wonder, expanse, and delight.

Pictures can only show some of the brief moments I spend on these superb, beautiful trails in Minnesota. If I am out on my own, I’ll take lots of them, often stopping every hundred feet or so until I say to myself, “I MUST do some more riding!”, but it is often hard to force myself to get back on as I visit the inner worlds of the forests. I think, “I must leave some of this out here for someone else to discover!” Soon, I’m underway. When I am with friends, they hopefully don’t get tired of me always stopping to “capture” some serenely panoramic view. Sometimes, I am so astounded by all the majestic wonder I am blessed to be a part of – part of our immense heritage, our freedom, and our country. We stop, and again, “Did you see that…??”

From the first untamed powder, and onto the well maintained trails, hitting obscure forest roads and finding new maps and directions around, the season lasts until there is too much snirt to keep the sleds cool. Racing events, riding new (to us) unexplored territory, finding great food stops along the trails, seeing parades of vintage sleds, invitations to club rides and picnics, checking out water skipping venues, making adjustments and repairs – all fill our riding season. We meet new folks every time we venture out. We love to see how others are enjoying the sport and hear what the locals have to say. The familiarity of some of the trails builds confidence as we bring along others and share our knowledge and enthusiasm. YEEHAW!!