The Crow Wing County Snowmobile Trails Association (CWCSTA), which is made up of the 10 snowmobile clubs in Crow Wing County and two clubs in southern Cass County, is urging caution to snowmobilers with this first measurable snowfall of the season.
CWCSTA President Mark Kavanaugh said that while the snowmobile trails in Minnesota opened on Dec. 1 there are still a number of issues that the snowmobile clubs must address and this can’t be accomplished until they can get their equipment out on the trails.
“Remember, we really haven’t had much cold weather yet and we have softness in the swamps and there is very little ice on the lakes that has reached safe levels,” he said. “The clubs will move as fast as we can to get the trails open and usable for the season but please remember that we are all volunteers so our schedules vary.”
The new CWCSTA Map is out and available and snowmobilers may check for changes that may have occurred over the summer, most notably the loss of the Brainerd city trail. All snowmobilers are asked to respect private property and stay on designated trails because club members work very hard to obtain easements from private landowners and these trails exist because those landowners allow clubs to use their property.
Kavanaugh identified two things he would like to ask snowmobilers to do:
1. Make sure to register your snowmobile, without those trails funds nothing exists.
2. Consider joining the Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association and your local club. There are 22,000 miles of snowmobile trails in Minnesota of which 2,000 miles are maintained by the DNR and 20,000 miles are groomed and maintained by the more than 250 snowmobile clubs in Minnesota.
Comments (28)
Add commentThe loss of
The Brainerd city trail?? Where was that??
Ride with care
Go out have fun, and if you see a hazard on the trail stop and move it! P.S. slow down and enjoy the beautitful trails and nature that is out there to be seen, we all only have one life to live.
OldFarm Boy
City Trail came in from Baxter, behind CLC, across the College Drive bridge and south through Kiwanis park down to the snowmobile trail south of town. The City Council took away the trail because of the College Drive project. The only Mississippi river crossings now are the Hwy 371 bridge and Hwy 6 bridge, this really screwed up the trail system.
City admin
Well, this little mess is brought to us by the current city "planner" who's father worked for Arctic Cat but Mr. Ostgarden himself seems to hate motorized recreation. The Snowmobilers were in on the early planning stages and had been working on a pathway on the south side of the bridge similar to the trail deck on the bypass bridge. The city planner kept the snowmobile people at bay by stalling and not telling the city council of the concerns and wishes of the club and people that ride that trail. The city planner also has stated on the record that there is "no economic impact to Brainerd from snowmobiling". This clown gets paid over 80K a year to lie and deceive the people and the council. So I ask, in a city where the budget is funded 50% from outstate Minnesota, can we afford a "planner" who is only interested in his self promotion and not that of the people and business? If you didn't understand the budget statement, let me put it another way, The city of Brainerd is a welfare recipient, they only raise (through heavy taxation) 50% of what they spend, the rest comes from "Local Government Aid" we can call it small town heroin. I guess Mr Ostgarden is just another in the long line of "public servants" who only serve themselves. He needs to go!
Thanks LLR
What a bummer. I suppose they won't groom the old trail anymore. A guy could always skip across the river somewhere.
lost trail- the actions of a few effect the many
why is it that every so many years or so, someone that is smarter than the rest of us decides our fates?
I hate politics but I love snowmobiling and the loss of the main trail thru Brainerd (again) just plain upsets me.
The guy who made the statement that snowmobiling did not bring money into Brainerd either lives under a rock, has reasons to oppose snowmobiling or looked at last years cash influx to the Brainerd area (when there was about 2 total days of trail riding in the entire Brainerd Lakes area)
Politics- go away- let the rest of us enjoy winter.
Wow
Wow- this makes me sad. That trail through the city was very important to the trail system. With the number of tourists that come in to this town and given their impact on the local economy, you would think that the city would be motivated have that revenue coming in to Brainerd instead of going all to Baxter. NOW, the City of Brainerd is pretty much bypassed by the entire snowmobile trail system, except where it grazes the city on the south side of town and where the Paul Bunyan trail comes in (and there is no business access).
Now, I read online that the State snowmobile association is having their winter convention at Cragun's and they are not doing any events or trail rides in the City of Brainerd.
Lastly, that trail through the city provided access to the trail system for people like me. Now, people will have to ride how much city street to get to the trail system? There are so many people have snowmobiles in the city- and there's no access to the trail system in the city????
How could the city be so short sighted????
I wonder
How many white cars with flashing light's would be following me if I rode on that biking/hiking trail in front of school down oak & up 8th?? I do have a trail sticker.
"old trail"
The old trail will continue to see some upkeep if I have heard correctly. I believe that route is still the planned route for when the new bridge/trail extension occurs. I know the college added on to a fence over by the DNR driveway this summer and the snowmobile club did make the corrections and clear the trail for local use.
cars with flashing lights
And don't get me started on "cars with flashing lights", there is another budget line item that has grown exponentially without reason. That too is part of the budget woes Brainerd has. Throwing millions into round-a-bouts when they are beyond broke was absolutely silly, but that's government:(
I'm a snowmobiler and have been for years.
If snowmobilers are truly upset about losing this trail then call the city council people and complain about it. Don't just go quietly grumbling to yourself and a few friends.
Does the city care?
I am surprised that the Brainerd business community isn't more upset that the trail has been closed- you would think that as bad as the economy is, we would be fighting for every tourist dollar we can get!!!
Or is it that no one is aware that the city council/ staff has become anti-snowmobile?
Head Up North
You're all welcomed to come on up to Nisswa....we have lots of trails and businesses to support!!
LLR
What brand you run?? I don't live in the city limits so don't know if it would be right.
Well dhanson good idea but how many Mr Policemen do you have for that little town again??
Darnit, I like riding on that
Darnit, I like riding on that bridge!
How could the city be so short sighted????
The last time Mary's sled broke down the horse had thrown a shoe!
Reslly Sad
What’s really sad is the city of Brainerd was even given a grant from the State/DNR to install a hanging bridge for snowmobiles on the side of the college drive bridge due to the new construction but refused to take the money granted and install it.
HeadShake there F&B
You're aging yourself there!!!LOL Walt's going to get mad. hee hee again!!! Just could not pass that up!
Mav we can still cross that bridge. Just Dr fast & take chance's!! Didn't know you had a snowmachine??
P.S you are a smart man. Where can I buy a corn tree around here??
The bridge
Took pictures of them plowing the snow off the south side of the east bound lanes today, made me sad. There was enough snow there to safely operate a machine across the bridge but it's gone now. The city just has no sense of humor, unlike Walt who keeps you-know-who around so he has somebody to laugh at... when she hasn't "tossed a shoe". lol
It will be interesting to see how the "new council" works with things being the mess that they are, three new lefties on there to go with the two that were already on the council.
From what I've heard wildman,
that would be the only patch of pavement in Brainerd that isn't snow-covered! They musta done it on purpose to discourage OFB and mav777!
Grant
The tragedies to snowmobiling here are numerous and the source seems to be two sided, a city council with their heads in a very dark, stinky place and a city planner with his own personal agenda which has nothing to do with moving the city of Brainerd in a forward direction. Seems to me that the thought of a city planner being objective should go without saying. I guess that's not the way things work in Brainerd.
Infantryman....I heard the grant amount for the hanging bridge was $150,ooo and Mary confirmed that amount was correct. Wish I could afford to turn my nose up to that kind of money.
beer
The entire thing gives me the urge to reach for another Hamms... Good thing LLR is buying:)
40+ years ago
I used to drink free Hamms at the brewery when I delivered barley there.
Seriously?
There were funds available ($150,000) to provide bridge access and they were rejected by the city? Come on- the economy is weak, we need every tourist dollar that we can get. It all trickles down through our economy.
Instead, Baxter, Nisswa, and Pequot have rolled out the red carpet and are reaping the benefits.
Am I missing something here? This doesn't make sense.
What next, closing all lake access to ice fishermen? It makes about as much sense...
We have a great area, and tourists that are willing to come here and spend a huge amount of money and we are not doing everything we can to lure them here?
My head hurts...
The Un-Crossing
The Un-Crossing
I have not been following the snowmobile crossing the river boggle very much, but I have been crossing there since there was a College Drive Bridge. I use it several times/week, as do many of my friends. Most come from Baxter to head to the Garrison and the south trails. When there is good snow they visit the shops and taverns and restaurants downtown, and often the restaurant in south Brainerd. Another group I know comes from the east Brainerd side and goes to the Gull Lake area.
This year I went on the trail and of course found the trail on the south side of the bridge gone, as that sidewalk was removed from the shady side, and put on the sunny side…great for a walking trail I suppose. I understand we need huge 66’ roadways and the one on the bridge should be too, but couldn't they have saved a lousy 6’ for snowmobiles? So we have a bit of a pinch point, a lot of older bridges sure do too! I have heard that the sled group had a good financing plan for an extension of some kind to the bridge, but the thing fizzled with the Brainerd council somehow. But the thing that REALLY annoys me is that there is not even ONE sign in that area, nothing in the paper, to let all these hundreds of folks that have been relying in The Crossing so many years know of the big change before they get there! So now I get to the Kiwanis Park area, and see I can’t cross to the north side as there is a concrete barrier making a right-only legal. So I’d have to illegally do that, then scrape carbide all across that new sidewalk on the bridge, then cross again, to get to the trail behind the college. I suppose I could use the new underpass, but that is not marked for sleds. Nothing in this area is marked!!! The only other option is to go up to the easternmost roundabout, cross it somehow, then travel that new trail by the mountain which I doubt is legal for snowmobiles.
We all see that on a cold year many sleds DO cross the river just a few hundred feet to the bridge’s south, yes, cross the Mississippi river on a sled. Well, you watch, you’ll see much more of this, and some day some idiot will wind up found in the spring stuck in the Little Falls dam under water. So way to go, Brainerd! You may as well install signs on the east and west edges of town, saying “snowmobilers, we can’t figure out how to get you across the river…you are not welcome…keep out!” Brainerd used to be called The Crossing. The pioneers figured it out back in 1870. Now we can be called The Un-Crossing.
Become a member?
I found out a few years ago that it was the Snowmobile Clubs that pushed for the trail sticker tax. Just another expense to ride for MAYBE 3 months out of the year and it was brought on by fellow riders? NO I won't join a club that thought it would be a good idea to make an already expensive sport more expensive. I no longer even register my sled I just ride around in circles in my field or take a quick jaunt down the ditch. Of course now I'm 550 miles from home and my sleds are moth balled until the Army is done with me.
Trail pass
Well mhart75, many of us fought for months against the trail pass but many in the state association had the taste of blood in their mouths. It was a chance for the people that do all the trail work to get some much needed cash for trail widening, stump removal, bridge rebuilds and permanent easements. The trail system had reached a point where the sleds got so powerful and the groomers got so big that it all outgrew the funding design from the 70's. I wish we wouldn't had to do it but it's here and for now it works. The trail pass has enabled many clubs to do updates that should have taken place 20 years ago.
OFB
Why should it matter how many law enforcement there are in Nisswa, drive the speed limit and not intoxicated.....pretty simple and SMART!!!