Michigan's Upper Peninsula Travel Blog

There wasn’t a whole lot happening with the weather UP here this past weekend but I woke up this morning to a pleasant suprise. We received 3 to 5 inches of fresh snow overnight! The temps are suppose to get up into the 30′s today but drop back down into the 20′s for the remainder of the week. More snow is in the forcast, so for all of you diehards out there who are still interested in getting in those last rides of the season, we still have snow here in Grand Marais. The season is not “officially” over until April 1st and as you know, a lot can happen with the weather UP here between now and then. We had several groups up this past weekend. They drove out to the staging areas & said that once you got out into the woods, the trails were still in decent shape for mid-March with plenty of snow to ride. They just confirmed what I’ve been saying all along. The colder temps & a little more snow this week will make them even better. Who knows, maybe the groomers will be able to get back out there & smooth them out a night or two this week. I haven’t heard the fat lady sing yet and we still have a week & a half left before the trails close for the season. Don’t forget to ask about out spring riding specials when you call. (906) 494-2331 at Hilltop Cabins and (906) 494-2681 downtown at the Beach Park Motel. Hope to see you again 1 more time before the first. Thanks again for all of your support!

- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

The first half of March had us spoiled UP here in Grand Marais and we were hoping for the St. Patty’s Day storm to continue the trend right on through until the end of the month. Unfortunately, we got a little thunderstorm with spring time temps in the 40′s instead. Not all is lost though. There’s still quite a bit of snow out in the woods for those of you diehards itching to get in those last rides of the season. Off trail riding is still an option & a lot of fun out in the plains & 2 tracks. Getting in & out of towns on sleds is not an option at this point so you’ll have to trailer out to the staging areas and ride from there. Be prepared for spring riding conditions this weekend even though the temps are suppose to drop back down into the low 30′s. I spoke with Norm, (the trail boss) yesterday and unless we get one last blast of snow before April 1st, grooming is pretty much done for the season. Wish I had better news, but it is what it is….and it’s time to start thinking about getting the ATVs & golf clubs out. For me, I may have to head south for a few days in April to break in my new driver that I got for my birthday. Unfortunately, I can’t play golf UP here until all of this snow melts and even with the warmer temps & a thunderstorm here & there, that may take awhile. Thanks again for all of your support this season and special thanks to all of you who dropped some cash into the groomer boxes. Without your support, none of this would be possible. Take care & we hope to see you again soon.

- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

(Monday, 3/14/11) According to all of the reports that I received yesterday, the weekend traffic did a number on the trails, especially for those of you coming into Grand Marais from the east. Wow, did I hear about it…and it wasn’t because of the lack of snow, with the exception of around the Rainbow Lodge area. All I can say is that when you have that many sleds on the trails, they’re going to get beat up, especially on your way in during the late afternoon hours on the weekend. The groomers do their best to keep up but the Grand Marais crew can only do so much since they groom primarily at night. The best time to be out there on freshly groomed trails is early in the morning. Then hit the off-trail stuff out in the plains in the afternoon. That’s what we do (when we can get away) & have a blast doing it! There’s still plenty of snow UP here even though it’s mid-March already. The weather forecast is calling for temps to start climbing into the upper 30′s during the daylight hours this week but drop back down below freezing at night. Spring riding conditions will be here soon, so be prepared for snirty spots here & there, especially in the open areas, in & out of town and some bare pavement if you’re riding the lakeshore trail 89. Don’t forget to ask about our spring riding specials! Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink & ride. Thanks again for all of your support!

- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

It just keeps coming! We received the snow that they were predicting pretty much all day yesterday with more in the forecast for today. Hard to believe it’s March 10; seems like mid-February without the bitter cold temps. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings a bit if this trend continued all the way through until April 10th. I think by then I’d be ready to play some golf, but for now, I intend to continue enjoying the ride. We’ve got plenty of snow UP here to do just that so why not take advantage of it while we can. It’s going to be another great weekend of snowmobiling in da U.P., that’s for sure. We still have a few openings and a couple of rental sleds available here at the Beach Park Motel if you’re thinking about heading this way. Just give us a call. (906) 250-7985. Hope to see you again soon. Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink or be under the influence when you ride.

- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

(From Monday, 3/7/11) Another weekend come & gone with some great riding conditions UP here all the way across the lakeshore from Marquette to the Soo. I love it when the snow falls like that & there’s fresh snow just about everywhere you would want to go UP here. I’ve always said that this time of year is the best time to ride. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen trail conditions this good both east and west! I’m really happy that Newberry and Paradise finally got as much snow as we’ve been getting…and so are all of our guests who headed east this past weekend. I didn’t hear one bad report even with all of the traffic we had UP here during the past couple of days. Got to love it, don’t put the sleds away just yet! There’s still plenty of good riding left UP here this season, especially for those of you who are fortunate enough to make it UP during the week. We still have openings here in Grand Marais but don’t wait til the last minute like some did last weekend. I couldn’t believe how many people we had to turn away. Give us a call to guarantee your spot for another great weekend of riding. Enjoy it while you can because unfortunately, it won’t last much longer. April will be here before you know it. Who knows, maybe the temps will stay below freezing all month & it will last…I’ve riden the first part of April before when they extended the season & it was still pretty good out there. Be safe & please, don’t drink or be under the influence when you ride. Thanks again for all of your support & we hope to see you again soon!

- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

WOW!!! Mother Nature smiles on us once again as we head into another fantastic weekend of riding UP here in the Grand Marais area. It snowed most of the day yesterday well into the evening and as long as the temps continue to stay below freezing as they have been, March looks to be a great month for riding in the U.P. Dave said it best…we are looking good for snow UP here along the lakeshore. We received close to 6 inches here in town yesterday with a little more out in the snowbelts. The Grand Marais trails are in great shape for all of you itching to get UP here this weekend. Shouldn’t even be rough getting in & out of town with all of this fresh snow. I was in Seney, Curtis and Munising yesterday & they were getting quite a bit of it as well. Hopefully east toward Newberry & Paradise got some too. The only unfortunate part for me is now I’ve got to get out & plow again. I wish there were some way it could all just blow onto the trails & stay off of the main roads. Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink & ride. The life you save may be mine or one of my kids. Don’t forget to stop at Renze Power Sports in Wetmore for all of your snowmobile supplies. Tell them John from Hilltop sent ya. Thanks again for all your support.

- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

It’s March 1st, not April 1st, just thought I’d start today’s report with that fact, just in case some of you got a little confused. It’s been a weird winter no doubt about that, but we’ve still got plenty of good snow UP here along the lakeshore. We have a few groups staying with us at Hilltop and downtown at the Beach Park Motel that are reporting very good conditions from Grand Marais to Munising to Seney. The 6 + inches of fresh snow that we received here in Grand Marais last Saturday really helped, not to mention the fact that the temps stayed well below freezing all weekend. Today looks to be the warmest day in the low 30′s for the high & then it’s going to drop back down into the low to mid 20′s with more snow in the forecast as we get closer to the weekend. The weather guru’s aren’t saying how much in the way of accummulation, but when they’re calling for a 100% chance of snow, you can bet we’re going to get some more! There’s still over 2+ feet out in the woods & as long as the temps stay below freezing, the groomers will be out there keeping ‘em smooth for you. I’ve always said that March is a great time to be UP here riding, (with the exception of last year). Traffic is usually light, trails are in good shape, especially off trail and for those days when the sun is out it’s a great time to just enjoy the scenery, especially along the lakeshore when the ice is breaking up. That’s something you just don’t see everyday. Hopefully, this trend will continue through the remainder of the month. The long range forecast looks pretty good. Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink or be under the influence when you ride. We are headed into the last month of the season & it’s already spring riding conditions east of here.

- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

The dogs woke me up yesterday morning for their early morning walk and when I opened the door to take them out, I saw something that I hadn’t seen in awhile. Fresh snow! Not much here in town, but the ground is covered once again just in time for the weekend. We still have some of our guests out there riding and from their perspective, the trails are in good shape once you get of town. The Sziedel’s told me that they couldn’t believe the difference; it was like night & day. Fair in & out of town & freshly groomed & very good once you got out in the woods. They even extended their stay. Thanks guys! So, for those of you who decided to cancel at the last minute this week, I really don’t know what to say other than you are missing out on some pretty good riding UP here this weekend. It may start looking like spring down below, but it’s still snowmobile season UP here above M-28 so don’t get the ATV’s out just yet. There’s still a lot of good snow and great riding left this season. With the exception of last year, March has always been my favorite time to ride. All I can say is keep your eye on the forecast, especially John Dee and weather underground for the latest & keep dancin’! That’s what I do. Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink or be under the influence when you ride. Thanks again for all of your support.
- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

The Daytona 500 was pretty exciting yesterday. Another “young gun” taking the checker flag & a cool million for his birthday was fun to watch. Hal & I found ourselves totally focused on the race one minute and then BOOM, another caution flag; there we were staring out the window watching the light snow fall the next. Enough of the white stuff fell yesterday to cover the ground UP here in Grand Marais but not much in the way of accummulation. Getting in & out of town is still pretty rough & there were quite a few people trailering out to the staging areas over the weekend. The temps have dropped back down into the 20′s for the high once again so hopefully the LES machine will kick back into gear this week and drop 6 to 8 more inches on us. The main trails held up pretty well once you get out of town and are still in pretty good shape to the south and west of Grand Marais. The corners and parts of trail 89 along the lakeshore are slick & Kay was right on the money to put the caution flags up for that reason, especially out around Sable Lake. It was nice to see so many families up here enjoying the holiday weekend and the U.P. 200 sled dog race. Mother Nature turned everything cold again and threw a little snow on top just in time. Special thanks goes out to all of you who came up & made the best of it, in spite of the crazy weather. Thanks again for supporting our little town & those of us who choose to live and work in such a beautiful place. There’s still plenty of good ridable snow out there with lots more to come. Enjoy, be safe and please, don’t drink or be under the influence when you ride.

- John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.

Wednesday was absolutely beautiful UP here along the lakeshore. The sun was shining and once you got out of town, the guys said it was a great day to be out riding. I wish I could have been out there with them. Special thanks to Larry & the gang from Ohio for hanging out with us this week in spite of the warmer temps. I still say that you brought them up with you via your “winter home” in Florida. Anyway, according to the forecast, yesterday should be the last of it for awhile. When the guys came back in from their ride Wednesday, they reported very good trail conditions once they got a few miles out of town around Sable Lake. So… with that said, the trails are holding up very well in spite of the warmer temps that we’ve had this week. That’s great news & what makes it even better is the fact that the winds have shifted out of the north, bringing colder temps and changing over to snow for all of you headed up this way for the weekend. Just click on the weather icon in the upper right hand corner of this report for the details. Afterall, it’s still February, even though Mother Nature is trying to fool us into thinking spring already. There’s lots of snowmobiling left in da U.P. this season so don’t even think of putting them away just yet! It’s going to be a another great weekend with a lot of activity UP here. The U.P. 200 sled dog race will be starting tonight night out of Marquette and they’ll be making their way through Munising to Grand Marais & then back to Marquette for the finish on Sunday. President’s Day weekend is always a good time UP here. I remember a couple of years ago, they had to end the race in Grand Marais because we had too much snow. Jeanette & I will be out manning one of the checkpoints for a few hours on Saturday which is always fun to watch them coming into town. Hope to see you out there. Enjoy, be safe and please, be aware of dogs crossing the trail at various checkpoints. Have a great weekend and thanks again for all of your support. Need a sled for the weekend, just give us a call. We still have rentals available here at the Beach Park Motel (906) 494-2681. For those of you that may be looking for a new sled, don’t forget to check out Renze’s Power Sports in Munising for some great deals.

-John at Hilltop Cabins (906) 494-2331 and the Beach Park Motel downtown at (906) 494-2681.