DECEMBER 2012 SEASON SPECIAL 

 2 SNOWMOBILES FOR (1) 8 HOUR DAY AND TWO NIGHTS IN A CABIN 495.00

 (WEEKDAYS MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)

4 SNOWMOBILES (2) 8 HR DAYS AND A CABIN FOR TWO NIGHTS 1200.00

CALL FOR OTHER SPECIALS OR A CUSTOM PACKAGE PRICE

WE WILL BEAT ANYONE IN TOWNS ADVERTISED PRICE ON CABIN/SNOWMOBILE PACKAGES

Update 3/08/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

12:00 pm   We got about 1" of snow Thurs. night, and yesterdays high was only 31. The sun is doing some damage today, and tomorrow and Sunday dot look so great either. Its early March so who knows what mother nature has in store for us. Som pictures of the trails are posted below, these were taken this morning. Getting to the trails from the lake would be almost impossible after today. There will still be some good riding in the woods and off trail as well as the lake. Anybodys guess if they will hold snow all weekend. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 3/05/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   No new snow last night, a low of about 15. The trails were excellent last weekend, Hal Larry Big Jope and Mikey all got the job done. A full groom Saturday night as well. All of the trails were groomed again last night trying to tighten them up for the warmer weather that is coming the next few days. We rode to Leota, Meredith and part of St Helen. on Monday. The groom on Saturday held up and the trails were like highways. We did not take pictures to post because of the rapidly changing conditions. It doesn't look good for next weekend, but we will post the conditions late Thursday and or Friday morning. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 3/01/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   No new snow last night, but some bitter cold temperatures. Terry Ron and Foots are on their way to Mackinaw Bridge. Yesterday they rode to Leota St Helen, Roscommon and the west trail. They said all the trails were smooth, St Helen seemed to have a bit more snow from the last storm. Heres's some pictures from their ride out of town this morning. They left on the Prudenville loops, Trail 6. Temps for the weekend still looking good. A great weekend to ride anyplace in Northern Michigan you may want to go.  THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/28/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   We got a couple inches of snow from the storm, and about 1" last night. The trails are in decent shape considering the season we are having. They were groomed this week, and some new snow has fallen since the grooms. You can ride anywhere on our system with decent snow coverage on the trails. there are some thin spots, but not many. This weekend looks to stay cold so it should be a great weekend to ride. Some pictures of the grooming efforts are posted below. These are from Captain Fraser behind the wheel. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/22/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   We got a couple dustings of snow over the last week, but not more than a couple inches. The couple warm days put the hurt to the trails, they softened up then re-froze. There is some powder on top of a very crunchy base. We are getting snow right now, about 1" per hour, but its a fast moving system so it isnt expected to dump a lot. We have about 2" of new snow this morning. There is more in the forecast. You can ride, but the trails are just not the best south of town. north of the lake is much better. The new snow will make riding to Meredith, Elbow Lake and Leota much better, but depending on the amount of traffic expect it to get icy, especially in the corners. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/13/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:00 am   We got a cople inches of snow over the last 24 hours. Captain Fraser went and took some pictures of the trails, and we are uploading them now. Mike J did trail 654 last night, so everything got a fresh groom going into the weekend. The trails are in decent shape, some of the hills showiung a bit of dirt/ice and some of the corners are icy.Overall it should be a good weekend of riding. Lake affect snows are coming now, and with the cold temps this weekend, what we have isnt going anyplace. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 2/13/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:00 am   We got a dusting of snow in the last 24 hours. The trails were beaten up by the rain, but they held up. Very few bare spots exist. The corners are icy. If you rode here last weekend all I can say is I'm sorry we didnt get the job done. Biggest snowfall of the year and nobody groomed Saturday Night. The most important groom of the weekend. Captain Fraser was out last night, as Well as Mike J. I don't know if anybody else when out after 2 am when Terry got back, but they should have. He did 655 to Meredith, taking 8 hours on the way down and 3.5 on the way back. He stopped and put the snow back in the corners, something everyone else that went down there failed to do. Mike J returned at 4AM. A couple guests were on 655 Friday evening and the groomer passed by them going North. They said he was going so fast if it would have been a boat there would be a very large wake. Then the log book showed just over 5 hours. Unbelievable you can get to Meredith and back in 5 hours. Its close to 50 miles from the parking lot. Pretty good speed for a casual drive, but no good for grooming. The idea is to let the weight of the groomer PACK the snow. Not just dig it up and sprinkle it on the trail. The next couple days show temps hitting 30+, but the weekend and early next week looks good. You can ride the lake, and go just about any direction from Houghton Lake. Anyone that rides please post your comment or thanks for the groomer drivers. Especially the ones that actually groom and pack the trail. Its a lot of work, and time consuming (when done right). After the warm temps we will take pictures. They will be posted by Friday morning. THINK SNOW!!!!

Update 2/8/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:00 am   We received 8-10" of snow depending where you are on our trail system. We will update the pictures later this afternoon. You can see the totals looking at the webcam. 

Update 2/7/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

2:30 pm   More pictures from area south of M-55 today. The storm is tracking further north so maybe we will get more by tomorrow. There is still a lot of the storm headed our way.

Update 2/7/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:30 am   We got 4"of wet snow, good for packing. There is 5-10 in the forecast, but we will have to wait and see. The trails from the lake north have been good all week, with this new snow you should be able to ride south towards Meredith and Elbow lake on the Prudenville loops. There wasn't much base south of town before today. Some guests are riding St Helen and Roscommon today, their pictures will be posted tonight. If you have been waiting to ride this area, now is the time. This is only the second time all winter we have been able to say that. Heres some pictures from around town this morning from Captain Fraser. Im not sure what the last one has to do with the snow conditions, but thats what I get for asking a retired Pilot for pictures.. .. THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 2/2/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:30 am   Mother nature jist keeps throwing us curves. The rain and warm temps wiped out most of the snow. It has gotten very cold once again (8 degrees as I write this), but minimal snow. We probably received 1.5" since the big meltdown. With this new powder you can ride on the lake again, or use a sled for ice fishing, but thats about it. I am going to take a ride north and see if you can get off the lake and find enough snow to ride North. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/27/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:30 pm   We got 2-3 inches just before TUT, but there still wasn't enough snow to ride the trails south of town. It is possible to get off the lake at CO RD 300 and go North. We just got about 4-6 inches of snow. What you see on the railing is since Friday morning. It started snowing around 6 pm and it's slowing now at 11PM. We were on a ride towards Grayling from the resort, and turned back 35 miles into the trip because it was just too hard to see. When we came back across the lake it was a white out. Once again we get a bit of snow, the lake now has a good 6-8" on it and plenty of ice. Mother nature is throwing another curve this week with warm temps Monday and Tuesday. We will update again after the temps go back down. Hasn't been much of a winter, so not a lot of updates. We haven't groomed in a while.... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/20/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   The storm didn produce much snow for us, maybe an inch. The slushy snow is gone, replaced with patchy snow on top. Lots of ice for fishing and snowmobiling, but be careful where you go. Not much new for the trails, we need more snow. The forecast this week looks to stay VERY cold, with snow in the forecast for every day. Remember if you are coming for TUT, you must have a trail sticker on your sled or ATV. Do not ride ATV's along M-55. Be careful on the lake, we measured 9-11 inches every place we went. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Update 1/19/13 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

HAPPT tut 2013!!!!

10:00 am   Not much good to say about this winter. The only saving was the light snow that came the last couple nights. The lake is good for riding. but the warm temps are melting the snow on top. By tonight this will all re-freeze and we will need more snow on top for riding. Be careful on the lake, there is not enough ice to take vehicles out there.  

Update 12/31/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   Trail 655 to county line Rd. is decent, getting snirty in some corners. South of county line it is un-ridable. Trail 654 is about the same. We rode trail 6 and it is in excellent shape to Reserve Rd. It gets a little choppy after that. We took the 6/7 split and rode up the West trail. It's in good shape until Jeffs Rd, then snirty and a bit choppy after that. We took it all the way to Mead Rd. The swamp is frozen but very rough. There is a reroute around the swamp along county road 300. We Took 300 back to the lake, not a lot of snow on the bridge. We rode the shoreline back, the ice is very flat along West Shore, and decent enough snow cover. As you pass the resort about 400 yards east, the lake is VERY rough along shore. We could not navigate thru it on Saturday. We need more snow but all in all the trails are ridable except 655 to Meredith. Be careful on the lake, we measured 5-6 inches every place we went. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Update 12/23/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   We finally got out to clear and groom yesterday. There were numerous trees down and some soft spots. Overall most of the system is ridable. There are some water spots on the trails, but the next few nights should freeze them up. Some pictures of the trails and the work in progress are below. Meredith (655) and 654 are clear. Trail 6 is clear from Duck Lake Rd to 654. Trail 6 west of the split at 654 was not cleared yet. We should have the remainder cleared by Christmas Day. The west trail has not been cleared yet. The Leota group has been out as well working towards us, but I don't have any info on how far they have made it. If you know of a hazzard on the trail, please calll and report it. You can call the Chamber of Commerce or the toll free number for the resort. Use the option for snowmobile rental. You can also email us from our website.  The lake is NOT SAFE for riding. Please stay away from it. I have not seen anyone ice fishing either. There are still large areas of open water. We will take pictures and post ice thickness when its safe to do so. The live webcam is running, you can click on the small picture above to see the snow. Merry Christmas!!!

Update 12/21/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   We have about 6" of snow since yesterday. It is EXTREMELY windy and as a result there are lots of downed trees and some power lines. If you are out on a trail and come to a tree or branch, please stop and move it if you can. Remember the groomers are volunteers and they have to stop at every limb and move it. Makes for a long day, and even longer time to clear them for everyone. If everyone helps we can get the trails cleaned up faster and start packing for a base. Some places have as much as 14" so it varies greatly. The lake is NOT SAFE for riding. Please stay away from it. The live webcam is running, you can click on the small picture above to see the snow (and the wind blowing the trees). It looks to stay cold thru New Years so maybe we can keep whatever we get and start grooming. We will update again as the storm tracks thru with storm totals and some pictures. Merry Christmas!!!

Update 12/20/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   A major storm system is on us. We have about 4" of snow since early morning. Predictions ranged from 4"-12". It is EXTREMELY windy. The lake is NOT SAFE for riding. Please stay away from it. The live webcam is running, you can click on the small picture above to see the snow (and the wind blowing the trees). It looks to stay cold thru New Years so maybe we can keep whatever we get and start grooming. We will update again as the storm tracks thru with storm totals and some pictures. Merry Christmas!!!

Update 11/24/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00 am   We got about 2" of snow last night and the current temperature is 27 degrees. The lake iced over about a week ago so it's ready whenever the temps stay cold and the wind dies down. There was 5-6 inches of snow North of Higghis Lake, 8" at Bear Lake just North of Dingmans on Bear Lake Road and the drive up I-75 last night was snow covered with 3+ from West Branch North. A thin line of lake affect was blowing right down I-75 with little to the east or west. 

Update 3/9/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00 am   We got 3-4" fresh snow last night, current temperature is 21 degrees. The trails arecovered with fresh snow, underneath it may be a bit shoppy. We have plenty of snow to get to and from the trailhead. Pictures below taken at 11:00 am today.

Update 3/5/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

1:25 pm   There was a lot of traffic over the weekend. Friday night it was too warm to groom, so we waited until Saturday to start. As soon as the temps dropped we went out. I did the West trail from the DNR ranch to the 6/7 split and back to the ranch. Captain Frazer did from the ranch to the bridge over the Muskegon River. I don't know who did the trail to Meredith (655) or trail 654. But by noon Sunday those trails were trashed. It appears they did not have the drag connected properly, and or the blades were so worn they didn't dig out the bumps at all. I left the resort at 3am and returned around 10am Sunday.There were a lot of downed trees, so I had to get in and out of the tractor 30-40 times in 7 hours. I wish people would remember volunteers maintain these trails. How hard is it to pull some small trees aside when you are riding? If everyone that rode moved one tree, the grooming would have been easy. Nobody called myself or Terry to groom Sunday, Don at Water and Woods decided to take over scheduling the groomers. As a result nobody groomed Sunday night. I had more calls and complaints than I have had in years over this total collapse of grooming. Leota's Tractor went down Saturday night, So they took our tractor from the west trail. So we had one tractor to do 6/7, 655 and 654. And nobody was in it Sunday night. They replaced the blades Sunday, then groomed Monday morning. On their way to Meredith, one of the blades fell off. A snowmobiler stopped the driver and told them he found it on the trail. As it turned out this was a front blade, and the other was about to fall off. I dont know how you can groom and not notice a front blade missing. When I groom I spend more time looking back than forward., always adjusting the front blade depth to remove the bumps. In ten years of being involved in this I have never been so embarrassed of an organization in my life. We completely failed during a weekend with the largest snowfall all winter. Scheduling drivers does not work. Guys need to be called and need to communicate directly with each other. Grooming to Meredith one way is 6 hours when done right. That means pulling in corners and digging out the bumps. Its a shitty job, and if people don't want to do it right, don't do it. Don't tie up a tractor for a joyride. I don't care who reads this, whatever drivers were involved this weekend on 654 and 655 did a poor job No tractor belongs on 655 during daylight hours, or trail 654 for that matter. There are too many blind hills that hide that tractor. I will say again, we did a test here. At 25mph a sledder will crash into a groomer coming up the hill heading south on 655. Most people that ride that trail easily exceed 25mph. There is no place to go to avoid an accident. If anyone ever is involved with a groomer on this trail I will side with any plaintiff that is injured. It is STUPID and DANGEROUS. If you can only groom during daylight hours, go volunteer someplace else before you kill someone. Don, you failed miserably scheduling drivers. There are probably 15 drivers on that list. One of the guys grooming Sunday was a guest of mine at the resort. He left you his number to call if you needed help. Volunteering to go out for 3 hours on Monday is a joke. Maybe you can tell your guests you are in charge of scheduling drivers, maybe you tell them you groom. But running this show means fixing stuff right away. People paid good money for permits. Driving a tractor back 25 miles to town from Meredith without front blades is a waste of money. Buy some bolts, get off your ass and put the blades back on. Not grooming sunday night was criminal, you should be ashamed. Looking at the weather forecast Wed. and thinking its over don't worry? People left town because of you. I have 10 years of pictures on this site. Showing broken groomers, wheels that fell off etc, etc, etc. You want to be involved, step up or get out of the way. Now that my rant is over, the trails will probably hold up through Wednesday, depends on the weather. Maybe through next weekend if Don can get his head out of his *** and get them flat. But whatever happens they won't last with sunshine and warm temps. For anyone that rode in HL this weekend, I will step up and say sorry, we can and will do better. We have done better. Maybe guys need more training in the tractor. One last note, Rosco Higgins didn't seem to be running and people spotted it along side the road. I don't know if they broke down, but they have been doing a great job of getting out there and getting it done. The last two sundays before this weekend they had 6/7 so flat it was like a highway. This past weekend it was terrible. Before you tear them up try and get the real story. Sadly our story is we didn't have out ***t together. I am not goping to post the pictures from the weekend grooming that we did, because it will change so fast its not worth the effort. 

Update 3/3/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

1:25 pm   We got over 8" of wet snow last night, there is now over 15" on our deck. This is the weekend to come up and ride, there is snow everywhere. Some pictures from Fridays ride before this new snow are below. Warm temps look to be coming next week so get out and enjoy this new snow before its too late.

Update 2/29/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

1:25 pm   We got 5" fresh snow last night, current temperature is 34 degrees. The trails are in good condition and we now have plenty of snow to get to and from the trailhead. We will post new pictures tonight or tomorrow morning.

Update 2/25/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

7:45 pm   Here are some pictures from Chris's ride today. There was anywhere from 4" of snow to 14" of snow on his way to Meredith with a group of renters. Plenty of snow on shoulders to get anywhere you want.  

Update 2/25/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

7:45 am   We got 3-5" on our trail system this morning and last night from a system that nobody forecasted. Chris is in Meredith said  at 7am he had 5" in his driveway of new snow. He cleaned it up and has another inch since then. If you have been itching to ride, this is the weekend to come and try it. This new snow with what we already had will make the conditions the best they have been in weeks. The lake is good, and going north Rosco Higgins groomed last Sunday so it should be really nice this weekend. The snow went further north, so areas like grayling and Starvation Lake also got some snow. Chris is going to take some renters to the trail this morning, and will take pictures to post along the way. Our fight against the logging company will continue. I can only hope that they do not again plow this key section of the trail. We have pictures and video showing the damage these guys caused. Call Dave Stephenson at ADJ Forrestry products in Grayling and please light up their phones. They just dont care. Their number is 989-348-5412. Anyone that rides please call so they dont do this again today. The below pictures are from BEFORE todays blast. I posted them here so there is a permanent record. The first two show trail conditions north and south of the logging damage. The rest are plowing of the trail before they sanded. The sanded pictures were posted 2/16/2012. Think Snow!!!

Update 2/22/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

12:45 pm   Not much new to report, only a dusting of snow. Still too soon to see what the weekend will be like, the next few days can make it better or worse. People don't seem to understand the impact that the dumping of sand on that trail has had and will continue to have. The trail up to that point was and still is ridable. After that point it is down to dirt and mud, and is completely impassable. It caused enough heat to melt the ice base that all of our trail system still has with the exception of a few areas. Our most common route for first time riders was that 25 mile section of trail. Now it is done. Other people will say winter is over, forget it, move on. One good weekend can mean thousands of dollars for our business as well as many others. We rode 150 miles last weekend and didnt tear up anything or melt any hyfax. But you have to know where you are going. We often lead our renters on these rides, and therefore can salvage some reservations.  We have been groomer drivers for almost 10 years, and don't do it for any reason than to try and make it better for everyone. Anyone can bitch and complain, but few do something. For that reason we will pursue to the extent of the law those involved in the dumping of sand on that section of trail. We don't care if we get any money, but we do hope that they are at a minimum punsihed by a hefty fine from the DNR. If the DNR doe's not do anything, we will pursue the company, its insurance company, and the persons that operated the equipment personally in civil court. I broke my foot several years ago, because a skidder ran over a small piece of wood they cut and forced into the ground at a sharp angle. This was in the center of the trail. I did not do anything but this was the last time I will tolerate lawlessness by these loggers. I agree everyone can use the woods. But when the damage by one affects many others its time to stand up. They had other ways to this logging arera. They chose this route. We have lots of videos from the day it happened until today. We will post them here. We will also post other access roads to the trail by Friday, as it can change rapidly.  

Update 2/16/12

8:45 pm   We got about 3" of wet heavy snow last night, however the temps today are not helping any. As you can see from the webcam pictures the snow that was on the railing this morning, has already melted. The road is melting fast as well. tomorrows high is supposed to hit 37, and today its almost there. The trails will not hold up in these conditons, especially if people are riding them in 37 degree temps. Some people will say the trails are ok, but we are calling all our customers and telling them this isn't the weekend to ride either. You will be able to ride, however conditions will be poor. We can't groom in 30 plus temps, and it doesnt look to cool until Friday night. Anyone who bought a trail permit needs to call the DNR. I encourage people to call today and light up their phones. We pay $45.00 for a trail permit, and today some loggers dumped sand on our only trail leading to Meredith. Yes that right, they dumped sand on the 4" of fresh snow on trail #655 just north of Meredith. Chris is going to take more pictures. This sectiojn is in Gladwin county. That trail was ridable, but not now. Below are a couple pictures of the mess these loggeres created. This is absolutely criminal. We are going to find out who did this and we may take legal action. Its time for people to start speaking out about his crap. I dont pay for a groomed trail, so loggers can dump sand on it, and you sledders shouldnt either. Think Snow!!!!

Update 2/13/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:45 pm   No new snow, just bright sunshine. Pictures from today are posted below. Think Snow!!!!

Update 2/11/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:45 pm   We got 2-3" of snow Friday night into Saturday morning. You can ride the lake again with the snow on top. The trails had an ice base, but this little snow wont last for long. Pictures from Saturday are posted below. Think Snow!!!!

Update 2/1/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:45 pm   The trails are not rideable and the lake has turned to slush on top of the ice. The pictures below were taken today. There is still 10+ inches of ice, and when it gets cold again this slush will turn to ice. We still have a couple more days of warm weather coming, but its expected to get very cold early next week. Think Snow!!!!

Update 1/30/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

3:45 pm   We got a couple more inches of wet snow.  People riding today will help loosen up the icy base a bit. I took a few pictures, but until a few sleds run around they are a bit deceiving. People are riding along M-55 to get to the trails, and getting around town is possible again. The lake out front had 12+  inches on it at the end of Jefferson Street. Be careful on the lake, stick to the shoreline and check conditions before you ride.

Update 1/27/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:45 am   Nothing new to report, no snow last night, and temps inhovering around 32 druring the day. Som more trail pictures on the north side are posted below. They are calling for 2-4" tonight, what that would do for the trails remains to be seen. The lake would probably be ridable by tomorrow morning if that happens. There are still some thin spots and open areas. Stay close to shore and know conditions and thickness before you ride it. The lake out front had 10-12 inches on it at the end of Jefferson Street on Tuesday.

Update 1/25/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

12:05 pm   It hurts to post these, but this is reality. First snow and no ice, now ice and no snow. Some pictures of the lake taken today are posted below. Steve is on his way to the west shore to take a look over there and see if any of the lake effect snow made it that far. Trails are all ice under this dusting of snow. Frozen water in corners, and once again some idiots decide the best place to drive a vehicle is on a snowmobile trail after a meltdown leaving rutts. The lake out fron had 10-12 inches on it at the end of Jefferson Street.

7:55 am  Not much good to report, no new snow last night, and only a dusting of about 1" in the last 24 hours. The low last night was 17. We will take some pictures today and tomorrow and poke a few holes in the ice. The trails are mostly ice, as they are in all of Northern lower. Anyone that says different is lying. A bit more snow fell yesterday in the lake effect areas, but its doubtful it will be enought to ride. It's only Wednesday so there is still time for improvement before the weekend. It may be possible to ride in some areas, but it will not be the best. TUT 2012 is still on schedule THIS WEEKEND so make your plans if you havent yet. Be sure to spend your money at places that support TUT. The list is small. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/23/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

6:55 am  The warm temps and rain are doing some damage to the trails. Today the trails are unridable. We will have to see how they look when all this is over. We will update again when the warm spell is over. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 1/22/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

7:55 pm  No new snow last night anfd the low was 15. The weather is turning ugly for the next few days. The impact this will have on the conditions will likely be dismal.The trails were groomed last night, hard to tell this morning with all the traffic. After tomorrow we will update again. People rode the shoreline, including so TUT Veterans. The went from the TUT site to CO RD 300 and went north. The said the trails were great. One couple went to Leota and another to Meredith. Everyone reported goor conditions. The large open area by the Heights Marina has closed up. We augered some holes in it, and in some areas there are only 2". (On 1/19/12). We will go put a few more holes over there and see what it looks like. TUT 2012 is still on schedule NEXT WEEKED so make your plans if you havent yet. Be sure to spend your money at places that support TUT. The list is small. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/20/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

7:55 pm  We got about another 1" of snow last night, and the low was -5. The trails are in great shape, we will be grooming mainly at night due to TUT traffic. The storm that is hitting southern MI is not supposed to hit us tonight. They are still calling for 1-2". The large open area by the Heights Marina has closed up. We augered some holes in it, and in some areas there are only 2". More snow in the forecast for tonight.  TUT 2012 is still on schedule so make your plans if you havent yet. Be sure to spend your money at places that support TUT. The list is small. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/19/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

2:55 pm  Lake affect snow is coming down. The large open area by the Heights Marina has closed up. We augered some holes in it, and in some areas there are only 2" of ice. When you walk on it you can hear it cracking. Please stay out of that area if you are on the lake. There are a couple small holes there, and still a large area off from Long Point, going towards West Shore Drive.

10:55 am  We got about another 1" of snow last night, and the low was 10. Meredith 654 and 6 all got groomed last night. We will take some pictures around the lake today. The newspaper has a picture of the lake showing the open water areas taken from an airplane on Jan 14th. The large open water area still exhisted adound the Houghton Lake Heights and the Area from Long Point to West shore drive. More snow in the forecast for tonight.  TUT 2012 is still on schedule so make your plans if you havent yet. Be sure to spend your money at places that support TUT. The list is small. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/18/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

7:25 am  Hard to tell exactly how much snow we got last night with all the blowing and drifting. At least a solid 7+ inches and at 11.30pm it was still a whiteout in some areas. The temp was about 14 last night, and it looks to stay very cold thru Saturday night. Sunday is calling for a bit of a warm up. We will take some pictures today and post them. Still some open water out there, so be very careful if yo go on the lake. Some holes start from shore and close up 100 yards out. TUT 2012 is still on schedule so make your plans if you havent yet. Be sure to spend your money at places that support TUT. The list is small. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/17/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:25 am  Yesterdays warmer temps didn't do much damage, today winter is back. Very heavy snowfall, John Dee is calling for 4"-8" for most of Northern Michigan. We will take pictures and update when the storm is over. The entire system was groomed before the warmup, and they will run again when the temps drop. Larry, Hal, Don, Mike J and Big Joe all groomed over the last couple days leading up to the warm temps. I did a bit of looking today, and this resort is the only resort that is listed as being a commercial member of the MSA in Houghton Lake. Spicers, Hackers, Trailblazers and the Snowmobile Grooming Association are about the only others. Still some open water out there, so be very careful if yo go on the lake. Some holes start from shore and close up 100 yards out. TUT 2012 is still on schedule so make your plans if you havent yet. Be sure to spend your money at places that support TUT. The list is small. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/15/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:25 am  No snow last night, the low was -2. The entire system was grommed last night. Mike J did the west trail, Larry did Meredith and Don did 654. Pictures will be posted below. We will take pictures along shore today again. You cannot ride the entire shoreline and be safe because of these open areas. Some holes start from shore and close up 100 yards out. TUT 2012 is still on schedule so make your plans if you havent yet. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/14/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:25 am  We got 8-10+ inches of snow from the storm on the trail system. Its spotty. The entire system was grommed yesterday and last night. Mike J did the west trail, Larry and Hal did 655 and 654 yesterday. I went out at midnight and did 655 again, 654 again and 6 from Waco to grass lake rd. All of the holes filled it, the trails are very flat. Some pictures will be posted below. You cannot ride the entire shoreline and be safe because of these open areas. Some holes start from shore and close up 100 yards out. TUT 2012 is still on schedule so make your plans if you havent yet. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/13/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:25 am  We got 6+ inches of snow last night and it is still snowing. All the schools are closed and it looks like winter once again. The forecast is still calling for more snow, and the lows last night were around 15. Steve is going to put some holes in the ice out front. Be extremely careful on the ice, as all this snow is going to act as an insulator. There are many open areas, some big, some small. Lots of peope ice fishing, with some more than 300 yards out. Just because they are there, doesnt mean it will hold a sled. You cannot ride the entire shoreline and be safe because of these open areas. Some holes start from shore and close up 100 yards out. TUT 2012 is still on schedule so make your plans if you havent yet. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. .... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/12/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:02 am  Nothing new in the way of snow, but there is some in the forecast starting today. John Dee says two systems are going to cross paths and leave us in the path of snow. We will update as the conditions change, but probably the best measure will be to watch on the webcam. The system from the south is already on us, but the temps are still to high for snow. The lake is still mostly frozen, but these high temps have done some damage. When the temps drop Steve will go and check some ice thicknesses, but beware of the areas of open water. You cannot ride the shoreline and be safe because of these open areas. TUT 2012 is still on schedule so make your plans if you havent yet. Click the link to be directed to the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce website. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. Steve is hungry with no snow, so if you need any sled work he may work for some spam. Call or email the resort if you need to reach him. He has spit an polished the rentals, rebuilt all the suspensions, powder painted them, every bearing replaced, all new grade 8 bolts and polished rails. Hes about out of things to do.... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/7/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

2:22 pm  We didnt get any snow, starting to sound like a broken recording. The warm weather is killing the snow, the lake slush froze back up but no snow out there for lube. Still lots of trouble areas on the lake so if you go out there be careful. Probably won't update again until there is good news, so in this case no news will be bad news. TUT 2012 is still on schedule so make your plans if you havent yet. We have a few places left, and its a very short walk to the site, less than 200 yards. Steve is hungry with no snow, so if you need any sled work he may work for some spam. Call or email the resort if you need to reach him. He has spit an polished the rentals, rebuilt all the suspensions, powder painted them, every bearing replaced, all new grade 8 bolts and polished rails. Hes about out of things to do.... THINK SNOW!!!!!

Update 1/6/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

12:22 pm  No new snow yet. Current temperature is 44 degrees. Trails no longer have enough snow for riding. The warm temperatures will deteriorate them quickly. 4" is down to about 2".

Update 1/4/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

2:05 pm  No snow last light, just temps in the low teens. People are riding with the little base that we have. Temps looking to hit 41 on Friday, so ride today and tomorrow because Friday looks grim. Rentals will go out for the first time this season. The lake has 5-6 some places, 0" in others with open water. Ride it with caution, same for you ice fisherman. A large area of open water exists on west shore drive just south of county Rd 300. It appears to stretch all the way to Long Point. Difficult to tell due to the heavy snow falling. Riding the shorline is not safe because of these areras. It may be fine in one bay, and open in the next. If anyone has any more reports of open water, call or email us so we can post it here. 

Update 1/3/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:05 am  Just a dusting last night with single digit temps. We got a total of 4-6" depending where you go. I drove up to Mead Rd. and there was about 6" where it crosses the trail. Phil in Bear Lake reported 8" at his house, just up the road from Dingmans. He rode from Bear Lake down the Cranberry to the CCC bridge and said it was groomed. He did not ride north. Lakes of the North says 8" and Pete at sledheads reported 3-5". Further East it really thins. St Helen snowpackers reports 4-6" on their answering machine but they say they are not grooming yet but people are riding. A large area of open water exists on west shore drive just south of county Rd 300. It appears to stretch all the way to Long Point. Difficult to tell due to the heavy snow falling. Riding the shorline is not safe because of these areras. It may be fine in one bay, and open in the next. If anyone has any more reports of open water, call or email us so we can post it here. 

Update 1/2/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

12:05 pm  Its near blizzard conditions right now, and we have a couple more inches since this morning. A large area of open water exists on west shore drive just south of county Rd 300. It appears to stretch all the way to Long Point. Difficult to tell due to the heavy snow falling. Riding the shorline is not safe because of these areras. It may be fine in one bay, and open in the next. Extremely heavy snowfall is coming down with 4-6 inches of depth between here and West Shore Drive. 

9:50am  Not much of a snowstorm for us last night, the snow is heavy in some places, light in others. Only 1-2 inches here last night, with 3-6 in the forecast for today. We will look around and see where the heave snow fell. Still snowing heavy now. The temps were in the teens last night, so the lake is firming up. Be aware that some areas had open water two days ago. The ice thickness is very inconsistent and it is not safe. Large areas of open water exist. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GO OUT THERE ON A SLED!!! The live webcam is on, the link is HERE. Will update again as conditions change. Think Snow!!!!

Update 1/1/12 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:50am  Just a dusting last night. Lake effect snow is coming down, local forecasts from 1-4 tonight, and 1-5 tomorrow. I don't think anyone can accurately predict lake effect, so its anybodys guess. With any luck by mid nex week people will be riding someplace in northern lower by next weekend. With the cold temps the lake should close up and be safer for ice activities. January and not a single groom on our system. The ice thickness is very inconsistent and it is not safe. Large areas of open water exist. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GO OUT THERE ON A SLED!!! The live webcam is on, the link is HERE. Will update again as conditions change. Think Snow!!!!

Update 12/31/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:50am  Got a couple inches of snow, but the temps today are softening it up. Looking to get cold tonight with a possible storm system coming thru tonight and snow the next couple days. Still not enough snow to ride, but its looking better. The ice thickness is very inconsistent and it is not safe. Large areas of open water exist. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GO OUT THERE ON A SLED!!! The live webcam is on, the link is HERE. Will update again as conditions change. The lake is not safe. Think Snow!!!!

Update 12/29/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:50am  Got a dusting of snow, temps in the teens las couple night, the lake iced over again, but it is not safe. Steve poked a hole in it witht the spud, and heard it cracking around him. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GO OUT THERE ON A SLED!!! The live webcam is on, and you can see it snowing right now. The link is HERE. Will update again as conditions change. The lake is not safe. Think Snow!!!!

Update 12/23/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:50am  Still no snow, pretty much the same story all over the state. A friend in Houghton-Hancock area says no snow there either. Will update again as conditions change. The lake is not safe. Think Snow!!!!

Update 12/11/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:50am  Nothing great to write so far this year. The lake has iced over but still no snow. We will be updating as conditions inpove as well as some reports on ice thickness. Think Snow!!!!

Update 03/23/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

3:50pm  We got 9" of wet snowfall. The lake is still frozen, trails have fresh snow. We expect to get 3 - 4"more snow by the end of today as well, so ... think snow!!!!

Update 03/09/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

3:50pm  We got 3" of wet heavy snow today. The lake is still frozen, trails are probably pretty icy. We hope to get more snow by the weekend, so ... think snow!!!!

Update 03/05/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

5:01pm  We got 5" of snow last night, the lake is good and trails are rough but rideable. Lot's of people on the lake some trails are still covered, some have bare spots. We never had much of a base but the snow we got is allowing rentals to go out. Think snow!!!!

Update 02/26/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

4:55pm We got 2" of snow today, enough to make things white. Lot's of people on the lake some trails are still covered, some have bare spots. We never had much of a base but the bit of snow we are getting are allowing rentals to go out. Early today we had to trailer to the trailhead. Forecast doesnt look good, so if you want to ride, this may be the last weekend, although its not the best. Ride safe and Think snow!!!!

Update 02/21/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

4:55pm We got 6-8" of snow depending where you are on our trail system. You can ride once again, although there is little base, with ice underneath. You can ride the lake again, it froze back up and the new snow keeps the sleds lubricated. The warm up was disasterous for Feb, usually our best month of riding. Still calling for more snow throughout the week. What we have looks like its staying, at least thru the end of the month at this point. Ride safe and Think snow!!!!

Update 02/13/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

4:55pm Weather is turning to crap, will not post again until conditions improve. This war spell means no riding after today until.......

Update 02/12/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

4:55pm We got about an inch of snow last night, and the temps today didn't doo much to harm the trails. We will post some pictures tomorrow after the weekend traffic. On a sad note, One of the brothers staying here was riding to Lake city on the trail today, was run off the trail, then the guy git him and drove over his chest with his left ski. The guy stopped, but then took off when they decided he needed an ambulance. He was riding alone, and was heading towards Moorestown. They took the injured driver to Cadillac, we will post more about this as we learn more. There are some real winners in this sport, that give the rest of us a bad name. Ride safe and Think snow!!!!

Update 02/11/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:55am Nothing in the way of new snow, but the trails are looking good. The pictures taken this morning are posted below. Steve took a quick ride and got these pictures. Think snow!!!!

Update 02/10/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:30pm Blistery cold and another 3" or so of snow this week, covered most of the roads again, and turned everything white. Terry is going to post some pictures of the trails today, so we can get a look going into the weekend. Temps are looking to rise on Sunday, out of the single digits. The pictures will be posted later today.

Update 02/06/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:30pm We got a dusting of snow, enough to cover all the roads again and make everything white. The entire trail system was groomed, and due to the lack of much of a base all season, some areas are still snirty. Some guests rode to Dingmans, Fife Lake and Lake city and reported good snow in all those areas. We went to Leota Saturday, and rode a mix of trails and seasonal roads. The trails were getting a bit rough by Sunday evening. Sunday afternoon we rode up towards Dingmans but turned around because we had to get back. Terry, Ron, Rodney and Richard all continued on to Dingmans. The lake has some pretty severe drifts on it, but a lot of fresh snow. I'm not sure why, but whomever grooms for Rosco-Higgins is awesome at pushing very large piles on snow off the corners and into the woods. Piles as high as 4-5 foot on a lot of 90 degree turns. Looks like someone was plowing a parking lot, not grooming a trail. And then the corners have lass than a 2-3" base.

Update 02/02/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

2:30pm The trails are badly drifted in some areas so be careful. We had some guests this morning that could not navigate with younger riders. When they came back we told them the DNR will not allow us to groom until 24 hours after a storm. They were not to happy about that after paying 175.00 in trail stickers, and did not like my explanation. They called the DNR themselves, and got a totally different explanation. They were told there is no time limit, only that we could not go during a storm. He added saying the storm was over so they should be out now clearing the drifts. They returned to our office and called us everything but a white boy. I refunded their stay, called our trail administrator, went to voivemail which was full so I went and got in the tractor. They were right, there were some very large drifts. I headed to Meredith and got a pin message saying we "didnt have the ok to go", "snowmobiler's were going to be pissed" and "we would not be reimbursed by the DNR, I needed to come back. Now already part of the way to Meredith (2.5 hours later) where phone service is crappy, and pin and text messages come thru when there is a glimpse of service, I wasnt a happy camper. I will have to say that that will be the last time anyone from this Resort, steps foot in a groomer until we have a new captain for this ship. This is so disorganized, its run like a childrens club. A perfect example is our same trail administrator called me late Sunday night, and had just remembered the Wertz Warriers were in town. He told me part of the route had not been groomed and needed somewone to go... 7PM Sunday night... Well I called a guest as I was on my way back down state to work, and begged him to go. Terry Frasier from Ohio got in the tractor, drove to the other end of town for fuel, and was out grooming trail 6 until 4.30 AM. This was the day he arrived from the Ohio/Penn border, what a trooper. At any rate there is lots of snow, some drifts, but as our trail administrator says, the riders will break them up. He however seems to forget that riders of all ages and experience levels use these trails, and they paid for a groomed trail. I am going to take this up with the board, it is hard for me to explain to guests why our trail administrator seems to have different rules than the DNR, or the fact the morning after a large storm, he has no idea what conditions are like. I think what should be done is the trails need to be looked at in first light, then decisions need to be made. If a double groom is required due to drifts, it needs to be done for the safety of the riders and longevity of the trails. I think its absurd that we pay $35.00 for a trail sticker and trails are not cleared for all riders after a storm. The road commission, contract snow removal ect all have to work a bit harder after s storm. So should trail groomers. We took the job, good and the bad. The big difference is that we do not get paid. Our trail administrator is the only person paid in our Houghton Lake grooming organization. I called the DNR, and one of our board members. We owe it to riders that paid for permits to groom when conditions are favorable, or as our DNR contact Amy says "When there is groomable snow". That might be a new word for the dictionary. Some pictures are below. Plan on some great riding this weekend in this area, we will have to get out S**T together. Im off to help a friend that missed a turn.... luckily the sled is the only casualty.

830am We got 7-8" of snow last night, difficult to judge so I went to the Chamber and fired up the groomer. The parking lot there is flat, and I measured where there the snow wasnt drifted. I am going to groom today, pull, in the sides, and hope they drift over again with all the blowing. hopefully this will be like two snowstorms. If I cut a sharp edge then the blowing will fill it back in, and we can add it to the base a second time. If we wait thill the wind stops, this opportunity is over. Will post pictures later today after grooming.

Update 01/31/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:30am Pictures from todays groom.

Update 01/29/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:30am We got 4-5" of snow last night, the trails were in decent shape, the tight ones were showing some signs of wear. Hard to take any pictures because of all the tracffic during TUT, and the trails change rapidly. We will try to post some after grooming tonight and see how they they look after todays traffic. We have had a couple of accidents in the past week, so be careful especially after the fireworks. There is a lot of traffic on the lake heading all different directions.

Update 01/18/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:30am We got 6" between yesterday and last night. Things are finally looking like winter again, just in time for Tip-Up-Town. We have a couple places left for the first weekend, 2 snowmobiles for two days and a cabin for $900.00 with arrival on Thursday and late checkout on Sunday. The cabin is $600.00 and will hold six people for up to 5 nights. We are 100 yards from Festival beverage tent, 300 yards from festival site. This is our 3rd year sponsoring the "Rooftop Reindeer" exhibition for the TUT festival. Dave brings some Reindeer for the kids and they can pet and feed them. Be sure to stop buy and tell him thank you, he gave us a decent discount for doing both weekends. This is the resorts donation for the festival, as well as adopting a booth and giving PBS a huge discount for the second weekend. They will be filming a show called "Under the Radar" that will air on PBS. They will be filming the festival the second weekend, and staying in one of our Chalets. wherever you stay, please make sure they are sponsors of the festival. The Chamber of Commerce is having a bit of a hard time getting people to sponsor events, or even help. Times are tough, but everyone up there gets a shot in the arm during the festival, so theres no reason for any bar, hotel, rest not to participate, other than GREED. This new snow makes maneuvering around town easy, the lake has a good flat freeze and plenty of snow cover. There were a fair number of sleds up last weekend, and things were getting a bit beat up. This snow went all over northern Mi, so that will help spread out the traffic. Grooming is finally beginning again, so maybe we can get out and get a base going. We will post pictures after his trail check ride, and possibly use the trail webcam. If he takes the camera he will post the time of his departure, so anyone that's interested can see the trail in real time on the video feed. This weekend is probably one of the best so far of the season, sad to say. Still no where near the base we should have in late January.  PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA

Update 01/15/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:00am We got 4-6" depending where you check on our trail system. This will help a lot, now we can try an get out an grrom and pack some of this. They are calling for more today, and another storm possibly on Tuesday. The pictures will be updated today after the rentals go out. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch.PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA

Update 01/14/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00pm The snow is coming, so tomorrow may be a better day for the Houghton Lake trails. I will take some pictures tomorrow morning and update snowfall totals. The railing in front of the webcam was cleared at 11pm. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch.PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA

Update 01/09/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00pm Not much good to write, same lake effect snow as every place else in lower MI. Chris took the trail check ride Friday, and called off any reservations he had for the rentals. He said it looked good from the pictures, but no base under the powder. He went from the lake to Duck Lake and Waco, and said the skis were cutting down to dirt, although you couldn't see it, you could feel it. The pictures are posted below. We will update again when conditions are better. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA

Update 01/07/11 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00pm We have snow now!!!! Have between 4" and 6" depending on the area you're in. I drove up from Meredith today, the trail crossings are good. I have some pics on here of that. I'm going out for a trail ride here in a few minutes and will try to post somemore current pics of the trails as of today. I'll try to be back here in a couple hours with another update  The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA

Update 12/31/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:00pm The temps climbed to 41 already today, and looks like possibly HEAVY rains are coming this afternoon. The trails are unridable, groomer Chris had to drive his truck to work today. We do rent ATV's so maybe its time to get out of snowmobiling and rent ATV's all year, or move and rent villas in the Pacific Islands. At any rate unless you are coming to ice fish, or party for New Years, H.L. is probably not the hottest destination place for the weekend. If you are off anyways, it still beats sitting around the metro areas watching the gray skies. The temps are supposed to SNAP and be single digits, just in time for everyone to go back to work. We will post more pictures when conditions improve. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA

Update 12/30/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

8:00pm The temps climbed to 36 today, and there was a light drizzle  late this afternoon. The trails are unridable, best thing we can do now is stay off and let them firm up when the temps drop Saturday or Sunday. Nothing worthy of pictures, and roads melted significantly today. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. 

Update 12/29/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00am The trails are getting thin but the lake still works for getting you around town a bit. Most side streets are still covered. I was going to try and gromm last night to flaten things up before this warm spell, but the temeprature climbed all night. This Christmas break has been kind of a bust, people are riding but conditions are not good. Same story pretty much everyplace in lower Michigan. We will take pictures and update the page as conditions change. We didn't get any freezing rain last night, but we woke up to some soft snow as compared to last few weeks. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. .  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/27/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00am The trails are still in decent shape, the lack of snow is turning the trails with a lot of turns snirty. Two tracks, wider trails still holding up relatively well. We are going on a ride Tuesday night and will take pictures and see what we can do with the groomer. Wed-Thurs still look ok, Thurs might be margional, depends what mother nature throws at us. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. .  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/25/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00am MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!  The trails are still in decent shape, we could use more snow. A few people riding the lakeshore today, enough snow to keep things lubed up. We will post new pictures to,orrow or later tonight after we go on our ride. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. .  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/23/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00am  Trails still in pretty good condition, need more snow. Calling for snow Sunday and Monday. A little thin in spots. Trails south to Meredith and west to Reserve Rd are all in good condition. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. .  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/22/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00am  Rode up from Meredith today, trails in good condition, got 1 1/2-2 inches fresh snow last nite The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. .  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/21/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

11:00am   Rode Sunday night and Monday, checked trails this morning. Beautiful sunny ride yesterday. South trails 654, 655, and 6 all good riding. Trail 6, the south loop from Grass Lake Rd. back to 654 a bit thin in spots.  Trail 655 from Grass Lake Rd. South to M-18 fair, thin in spots. All in all pretty good riding. It's 27 degrees in the area now. Trails were groomed Sunday and yesterday. Have had light snow (trace to 1 1/2") everyday since Friday. 70% chance of snow today, 50% tonite, and 50% tomarrow with about another inch tonite. Very lite snow now in the area. See ya all right here tomarrow, and remember...... THINK SNOW!!!!! The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. .  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/17/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

10:00am   Here's the pictures from Chris's ride from Meredith this morning. He says trails are pretty good, still some dirt it the tight corners. He passed a group of 12 on his way to the resort this morning, some pictures are posted below. Some good early season riding with light traffic on the trails. The webcam is now working without the active-x plugin, so it pauses to load java, and then you can see real time. The trail cam will probably be in use next week, he will post times for his trail checks hopefully a day before he goes out so we can watch. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. .  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/16/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

5:00pm   I checked the south crossings, trails looked ok at crossings to Meredith. Then went west and north, trails looked good there, people were riding. I only went to the river. The wet area signs are at the swamp, that's not frozen enough to cross, but you can get around on 300. I am going to ride the trail tomorrow from Meredith for better weekend update, Pictures from today are posted below..... Chris B..  PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. .  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/14/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:30am  Took a ride along the shoreline yesterday, 6+ of ice everyplace I went. I went from the Heights Marina to Devonshire on the south side. Took Devonshire to Owens then down to the trailhead. The cold temps are really keeping the shoulders covered with an ice base. The trails have a lot of trees down, Mike J was out clearing obstacles in his truck (he had a helper, i didnt get his name) and Steve V. was in the groomer. They said it would probably take a few days to clear everything up. They were flattening the trails, so they were tearing into then base pretty good. I would suggest riding North of Houghton Lake, not south as they have some work to do. That will probably change towards the end of the week. Lots of good two tracks, plenty of good riding to be had in the area. The lake lost a lot of snow cover from the winds, but enough to ride the shoreline to get where I wanted to go, and access to the trails. Pictures are posted below. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. WE WILL START POSTING THICKNESS WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO SAFELY WALK AROUND OUT FRONT.  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/12/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:30am  We got about 6" of snow last night, but it is very wet and heavy. It is settling a lot. It continues to snow, the storm is now swirling around Northern Michigan. This is the best thing right now its even picking up some lake affect snow on th east side of the state. Temps are 21 right now, and we can only hope as they drop the lake effect snows will kick in. We are putting holes in the ice, and planning a ride today. we will post pictures and updates as the snow continues to fall. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. WE WILL START POSTING THICKNESS WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO SAFELY WALK AROUND OUT FRONT.  THINK SNOW!!

Update 12/11/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:30am  No snow last night, but looks like some is on the way. We will take some machines out along the shoreline today, and poke some holes in the ice with the auger. Some pictures will be posted later today. We are also going to take a trip down the west side of the lake and see what it looks like. The ice report from yesterday was a bit off,  Steve rechecked it last night and there was 6-7 in most areas out front. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. WE WILL START POSTING THICKNESS WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO SAFELY WALK AROUND OUT FRONT.  THINK SNOW!!!

Update 12/10/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:30am  We got another couple inches, but the temps are up to 28 today so it is settling. We need a bit of moisture in this snow to be able to drive some frost into the ground. There was about 6-7" of ice in front of the resort, we will check it again later today and post tomorrow morning. Chris took some pictures all around town and there is considerably more snow to the West and North. Some pictures are posted below.  PLEASE STAYY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. WE WILL START POSTING THICKNESS WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO SAFELY WALK AROUND OUT FRONT.  THINK SNOW!!!

Update 12/09/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:30am  We got about 5" between Monday ans this morning. there is 5"-8" on the ground depending where you are. The snow thins as you head south, but gets deeper as you head west. Pressure cracks are already forming on the lake so be careful if you venture out there. We will poke some holes in it today to see how thick it is.  PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. WE WILL START POSTING THICKNESS WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO SAFELY WALK AROUND OUT FRONT.  THINK SNOW!!!

Update 12/06/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:30am  I walked out on the lake, there's a couple inches out front, so I only went out about 50 yards, less than 2 feet of water there. Our side froze extremely flat, so we are off to a good start. The temps last night were a low of about 16 degrees, but with the wind it was more like 0. At these temp's the lake will make an inch or so a night. Not much snow on it, so right now that's a good thing, The snow acts as an insulator and slows down the ice thickening. We didn't get much snow last night, a lot of drifting and blowing. Snow in the forecast every day this week, so we just have to wait and see. We will update again as conditions improve and on the ice thickness. PLEASE STAYY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. WE WILL START POSTING THICKNESSES WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO SAFELY WALK AROUND OUT FRONT.  THINK SNOW!!!

Update 12/04/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:30am  The lake has iced over, and the temps are staying below freezing. We have had a few snow showers but nothing worth writing about. Phil went for his first ride from Bear Lake to Lakes of the North this morning, he put on 60 miles. He went south of M-72 and the snow started to thin a bit so he headed back north. We will update again as conditions improve. the are calling for a storm early next week. The groomer cam hardware is greatly improved from last year, and its size has made it much more portable. This feeds live video back and the link will be on this page. As we improve this he will post his time of departure, so we can watch him as he rides along the trails. PLEASE STAY OFF THE ICE UNTIL YOU HAVE CHECKED CONDITIONS AND KNOW YOUR AREA. WE WILL START POSTING THICKNESS WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO SAFELY WALK AROUND OUT FRONT.  THINK SNOW!!!

Update 10/03/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:30am  We are preparing the trails and groomers for winter. We need volunteers for signing and brushing so please call us or Mike Jacobs and let us know when you can help. We can point you to and area that needs work. We are also trying to coordinate cleaning some illegal dump sites with Ada Tacas from Michigan Department of Natural Resources. If you can help with those too, we will get you in contact with her. Fall seems to be coming fast, leaves are turning and very large acorns have been filling since late August. THINK SNOW!!!

Update 3/22/10 :   Houghton Lake Michigan Snowmobiling Trail Report and Conditions

9:30am  The ice is almost gone, wont be long and people will be out fishing. ORV season is here now, and with the new laws in effect, you can ride shoulders of county roads, so you can get in and out of town. Be sure to stop at Elbow Lake and Meredith Inn if you are looking for a place to go out in the woods. We have some great packages on ORV vacations, a couple of ORV's and a cabin for the weekend for 600.00, 500.00 during the week. Be sure to check back for trail improvement updates.

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