Not Groomed, but skiable Trails in Webster City

Due to the holidays and inconsistent snow depths (from 1" to 8" due to wind) trails at Briggs Woods are not yet groomed. We plan to check again on Monday. However both the golf course marked 5k and the woodland loops appear to have enough snow for enjoyable skiing.

Wyth rolled for skating

Looks soft hope it'll set!

Cedar Falls-George Wyth decent for classic; no skating

Nothing in George Wyth State Park has been groomed, but a lot of people (and dogs, and snow-shoers) have been out! We got a lot of snow and some fresh powder this morning. The classic tracks are good, but there are places where one might have to a ford some water...

I haven't checked out Irv Warren in Waterloo yet.

Linn County Conservation Ski Trails Update:
Morgan Creek is rolling today. Depending on how that goes we will determine the other parks.
Snow is gritty and not forming well.

Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails Cresco

We received 7 inches of snow. Heavy wind has created some thin spots, but most trails are sheltered and conditions are good. Skating lanes are very good on most trails. Classical track has some thin spots in open areas. We also don't have any base so that is a problem for the classic track.

We rolled both snowshoe trails on the south side of the river. The first time we have ever rolled the Hill Loop. It's beautiful up there in the winter, check it out.

Most ski trails have been combed and tracked on the north side of the river. We didn't groom the Minear Field Loop and we didn't groom the River Trail (there's some water that hasn't totally frozen yet in one section). We will try to get these trails all open by the end of the week. Enjoy!

(We groomed the ski trails last night so the picture taking was limited. :-)

Forest City golf course & Pilot Knob State Park

The golf course in Forest City and the road through Pilot Knob State Park have been groomed after about 7" or more of snow fell.  It sure is nice to have some snow!!

Bear Creek golf course

Pilot Knob State Park

Another season shows it's self...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and then it finally snowed...

Break out the rock skis folks and enjoy.

Since the ground around Iowa is mostly not frozen it's very doubtful that any golf courses or turf sensitive areas will be groomed. Actually this snow fall may delay ground freeze as it insulates the turf from the cold but then again I doubt this snow fall will hang around that long.

In the meantime be patient as once the ground freeze happens your local area groomer is chomping at the bit to work the snow as I can guarantee they usually want to ski as much as you!

Have a great season everyone!  Brett

Ashton Field Groomed

The rain and freezing temps have made Ashton Field into an ice rink. I was able to break up the crust and get the surface skiable. There is a skate lane and one set of new classic tracks. The classic tracks are very shallow. Its not ideal by any stretch but may provide us a few more days to ski.

Irv Warren Golf Course - Waterloo

Irv Warren was re-groomed today for both skating and classical.  There are a few thin/bare spots that can easily be avoided.  The skiing was great today, hopefully the rain will bypass us so we have a few more good days of skiing.

Car Keys found at Ashton

A set of car keys were found at Ashton CC today 3-2-15. The keys in question have been dropped off at the Hawkeye Tennis & Rec building front desk.

Irv Warren Golf Course - Waterloo

Skied Irv Warren Golf Course today.  A 4k loop has been rolled but not groomed for classical.   The skating deck is a little soft but otherwise good skiing.

Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco

Groomed most of the ski trails this afternoon, and these are the best conditions of the season!  Should really set up well tonight with cold temps.  Supposed to be 17F tomorrow and nice and sunny!  Fresh snow, great tracks, go ski.  I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Morgan Creek Park and Wickiup Hill Learning Center

Both areas have been rolled and groomed! Enjoy! At Wickiup - gates close at 4:30 on weekdays and 4 on the weekends. If you want to use the trails after that time, please park across the road in the DNR lot and walk in. 

Thank you!

Ashton Field Groomed and Tracks Set

Ashton was rolled, multiple tracks set and skate lane groomed. I rolled the entire course in order to keep as much snow as possible from blowing and drifting. Some of the tracks are a bit thin in spots but there are rows of two, three and four so pick one that works. Also, utilized the snowmobile to make a trail around the entire area to accommodate walkers, runners and snowshoers. Please let those folks know that is their very own trail. Also, as a reminder, all dogs are to be on a leash no less than six feet long on University of Iowa property. Any issues with dogs causing a dangerous situation should be dealt with by notifying campus police.

Iowa City area grooming report

The gods of snow have given us just enough to play with!!! It's a little thin out there in places so be carful. Jason groomed Brown Deer Duthman did Ashton and I did mcbride!!! So get out there and enjoy!!! With more snow in the ten day things are looking good. Thank you again for all of the Nordic momentum and congrats to all the Birkie finishers last weekend!!!

Geoff Perrill

Irv Warren Golf Course - Waterloo

A new loop was groomed today at 3:30 PM avoiding the old icy trail in preparation for the CVC Bike Club X-Country outing planned for tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:30 AM.  The loop is 1 km but will be in excellent shape for both skating and classical.  The grooming broke up the crust and brought good snow to the surface.

Note:  The new loop does not come up to the parking lot.  It is west of the parking lot and south of the maintenance shed.

Iowa Games Preview

There's a good base of snow for Saturday's Iowa Games at Mines of Spain.  Parish is going out Friday morning to groom again.  It will be full coverage snow with a firm deck and fast conditions.  Classic race is in the morning and skate race in the afternoon.  More info at iowagames.org

Mines of Spain

Parrish is out grooming the snow and scarrifying the crust back to some decent, soft top layer.  I took him out some extra weights so that he can dig down a little deeper. It should be set up good for the Iowa Games this weekend, which are rescheduled from January 24th.

Brown Deer GC CLOSED till further notice

Brown Deer GC is CLOSED until further notice. Do NOT ski at Brown Deer GC until the groomers give the OK.

Decorah Parks Trail System

Skied Van Peenan Park Thursday evening and this morning (Saturday). Single and double classic tracks set and are in fair-good condition. Was re-groomed yesterday. Some wind blown areas are thin, so use "B" or rock skis, but track is solid and firm. I also skated on Trout Run Friday morning, which I would not recommend at this point, as it is groomed over pavement and although the snow is firm, it is not stable and you will push off onto the pavement easily. I also skied and then kicked off the Decorah Barnelopet this morning with 50 youngsters at the Decorah Prairie. Very good classic track set this morning and fun was had by all participants. Palisades Park is also groomed and tracked with skate lane, but I have not skied that one yet and have only done a drive by view.

Irv Warren Golf Course Waterloo

A 4 km loop has been groomed for both skating and classical.   The skating lane is in good shape with sufficient snow the entire course.   The classical tracks are also good other than a few spots where the groomer cut through to grass.   Those spots can easily be bypassed by hopping out of the tracks for a short distance.

MNRA (MacBride) North Liberty Groomed

MNRA - North Liberty has been groomed, still need help with snow laden trees so pick up a branch or shake some snow off a tree to lighten the load. Thanks Geoff for grooming and Jay Herman for tree therapy.

Ashton Field Groomed and Tracks Reset

Groomed Ashton Field this morning and reset the classic tracks. The bike path skate lane was groomed down to 28th Ave. Watch for sticks. Also, if you encounter the person who is snowshoeing down the middle of the skate lane, please ask them to go to the side. They have made some very deep ruts that will not do well with warmer temps coming on Saturday. Enjoy!

Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco

We had a couple of inches of new snow yesterday.  We groomed this afternoon and evening. Groomed a skating lane and set a classical track.  Got to use the new Ginzu and the trails look very good.  The conditions on all the wooded portions appear good.  The Minear Field loop and trail and entry area off the bike trail into the Minear Field area are marginal, I suggest using your B skis.  I am posting a picture of the new groomer and a shot from the river trail.  A special thanks to the Chamber, the Trails Committee and local contributors for making the new track setting equipment happen! Also, a special thanks to the HCCB crew for doing all the electrical work and groomer set up!

Linn County Update 2-4-15

Matsell Bridge has been rolled and groomed.
Pinicon will be done by the end of the day today.
Morgan Creek is rolled and groomed.
Wickiup Hill is rolled and groomed.
Squaw Creek should be done on Thursday.

Thanks!
Any questions call 319-892-6450
Mandy

Iowa City area grooming

Iowa City area grooming; Ashton groomed and classic track set, Brown Deer GC is groomed, and MNRA MacBride a mess with tree debris all over the place. If you're skiing MNRA please help out and pick up a limb or two.

Van Peenan Park Trails groomed and tracked

Per Decorah Parks and Recreation, Van Peenan Park Trails were groomed, along with portions of the Trout Run Tail from Dug Road to the Fish Hatchery. http://www.decorahia.org/pdf/Cross-Country%20Ski%20Trail%20Map%20-%20Decorah,%20IA.pdf

Big Creek

The disc golf loop is groomed and tracked. Other than some sagging branches conditions are pretty good. The lake loop is not as good but is skiable.

Pilot Knob road near Forest City is groomed

Pilot Knob road is leveled and groomed for both skating and classic skiing.  We received about 6" of snow Sunday.

Pilot Knob State Park road

Webster City Briggs Woods trail and 5k groomed and tracked Monday

With 8 to 10 inches of snow we were able to groom and track the Woodland loop (enter by shelter #2) and a single classic track on the 5k golf course. The wind caused drifts and shallows, but since the initial inch of snow formed a crust, the whole course is covered. In the woods, watch for buried branches. Come on out and finally enjoy our sport! Off the groomed area, the drifts make for interesting trail cutting and would be fun for snow shoes too.

Linn County Update

Squaw Creek - will probably not get done for a few days. The groomer is up at Matsell's and they will do Pinicon Ridge after that, also ITC is putting in poles this week so about 200-300 yards of trail is tore up.

Matsell's - They are rolling today and will groom tomorrow.

Pinicon Ridge - will be done after Matt's

Morgan Creek/Wickiup - Grooming is taking place at Morgan Creek should be done within the hour. They will then switch over to Wickiup. I have seen some people out here skiing today so there may be a trail busted.

Thank you!
Mandy
Clerical specialist
Linn County Conservation

Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco

The snow was good, but the strong winds did create some bare spots. Everything was rolled to try to hold what we received and to trap blowing snow. I have uploaded a map showing what was combed. These are the trails with the best conditions. The Bike Trail is good to the Meadow Cut Off Trail, then there are some bare spots. I would suggest taking the Cut Off and skiing the Meadow, Campground, Campground Road and Campground Trail, all good. Also, the Hill Trail is good, but you will probably want to do and out and back. The Dry Creek Trail is very good, and you can ski it to the Gully Cut Off that goes back up to the Meadow and Campground Trails. The Nature Center Trail and Loop are also combed. It's supposed to snow some more on Tuesday, so hopefully we can get the big equipment out then and set some track. Here's a map of the trails that are combed.  All trails have been rolled (not shown on this map) but there are marginal spots where the wind has blown them off.

Nordic ski, snowshoe, & fatbike race in Coralville Feb. 14th

Don't miss your chance to sign up for the Brown Deer Bone-Chiller,  a ski race happening at the Brown Deer Golf Club, in Coralville IA,  February 14th!

Events in Fat Bike, Classic Cross Country Skate Ski, and Snow Shoe! The Brown Deer Bone-Chiller will be another hilly, but scenic race venue. The race courses will lead you up, down and around the beautiful Brown Deer Golf Club.  In case of cancellation due to inclement weather, the reschedule date will be Feb 28th, 2015. 

Main website:  http://oneraceevents.com/snowdown-showdown-series/

Registration: https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=11964

Webster City Briggs Woods Woodland Loop Groomed and Tracked

Monday afternoon we groomed the Woodland Loop, and a practice 200 yard loop by the Red Barn. The snow is from 5 to 7" deep. You can park by the Lake, or drive around to  shelter #2 and enter the woods by the outhouses. Access the practice loop by driving to the Red Barn.

Irv Warren Golf Course - Waterloo

Skied Irv Warren Golf Course yesterday (Saturday).     The groomers packed a 4 km skating lane (but no classical tracks) doing a good job considering the minimal snow cover.   There are a few spot on the loop where the wind blew off all the loose snow.   In those spots there is just enough snow encrusted with the grass to be able to ski across.  The west half of the course is excellent skating.

The attached picture shows the groomed trail.

Linn County

Kudos to the Linn County groomers! Headed south to ski at Wickiup on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised at both the skate and classic conditions. There wasn't much to work with so you have to be grateful for the skill of the groomers. Let's hope for more snow soon.

Big creek

The disc golf loop was re groomed Friday night (thanks Scott) resulting in a firm base and a very good ski today. Will give it a touch up tomorrow AM and hope to have another. The depth is too inconsistent to set a continuous track, but might try some partial stretches.

Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco

We rolled trails today. I would say that there was a fairly consistent 4" of snow. All trails were rolled, but anything in the woods does not have enough depth to be skiable. We combed three that we felt were the best.

There are three trails that I think will be in pretty good shape if they set up solid tonight. The Bike Trail (1.65 miles out and back), the Campground Road and Campground Loop (.75 miles out and back). Here's a map showing those trails. The Campground trail is four lanes wide and a good climb so if you are training, it's a good workout.

Brown Deer, Coralville

We will not be grooming Brown Deer this weekend per the course being wind blown and lack of snow depth.

Pilot Knob Road Forest City

The road at Pilot Knob State Park has been groomed this morning for both skating and classic skiing.  The Lodge and Majopa have been groomed for skating.  The golf course has had too much snow blow away for decent grooming or skiing.

Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco

We will be packing trails late Saturday morning (January 10). We have four to six inches of snow, but have had major blowing this week. We believe that we will be able to open some trails for skiing, but we won't know for sure which ones and how many K until we are done. There is not enough depth to set tracks, only packed surfaces will be available. I will post conditions after we finish tomorrow.

Also, we just received a new Ginzugroomer and Tracksetter by YTS so we are looking forward to great trails once we get some decent snow depth.

Mines of Spain

Parrish got the trails rolled this afternoon.  He says there are a few spots with grass showing through, but its ready for skating.

Linn County Parks Update

Morgan Creek has been rolled and groomed.

Wickiup has been rolled, is being groomed currently.

Pinicon Ridge and Matsell were rolled, but will not be groomed due to poor snow conditions.

Big Creek

The disc golf loop has been groomed. The snow was surprisingly fluffy and packed considerably. There was not enough base to set a track at this point, but I will re assess after it sets. Will try to do more of the trail before the weekend.   -Kevin

Brown Deer in Coralville

ICNC (Iowa City Nordic Club), a newly formed club, with help of numerous contributors, has recently purchased a snowmobile and groomer.  We will be grooming Brown Deer Golf Course in Coralville.  The course was recently groomed for skate and a track for classic.  The recent snow was very fluffy, so the condition is a soft deck and thin classic tracks.  Hopefully with the cold weather the deck will firm up and make for some good skiing this weekend.  Please be patient with us, as not only are we working with new trails and equipment, but we also have lots of rookie groomers.  Learning curve is in effect.  Cheers and enjoy!

http://www.coralville.org/index.aspx?NID=510

 

Webster City received 6" will groom on Thursday

Not having a cab on our groomer means that we need a little less wind, and/or slightly warmer to groom, but the plan is to have the Briggs Woods Woodland Loop done by Thursday. Hopefully we can put in one classic track on the 5k course too. I will update as soon as we groom.

MacBride Nature Rec Area

MacBride Ski trails were groomed and tracked this morning.  The skate deck is quite soft due to the dry snow, hopefully cold temps tonight and tomorrow will help firm things up.  The classic track is set but lack of snow depth left a track that is thin in a number of places.

Extensive brush clearing was done at MacBride over the summer and despite the best efforts from the trail crew not all of the branches, sticks, and debris are 100% off the trail.  With another few inches of snow this will not matter at all but as of now be cautious of stray sticks, especially in the classic tracks.

Ashton Rolled

Ashton, Iowa City has been rolled in the AM
The snow deck has had some time to set up and is skate worthy.
Thanks for Greg Duethman for braving the cold this AM.

New Year's day ski. Forest City.

The lake at Pilot Knob State Park near Forest City has been rolled.  It is a very thin layer of snow but was surprisingly firm with good adhesion to the ice.  It made for some good skating conditions today.  We are looking forward to more snow anytime soon!