Trucking it north got the call Monday morning. The half-inch of new snow I got in Indian Lake paled in comparison to the fresh 3-4 inches at Seveys Point awaiting me when I got there around 9:30am.
It’s a longer haul to Seveys than to Horseshoe Lake. But it takes me only 15-20 minutes longer to get there. You make up some of the time by not nursing your rig 10-20 mph over frost heaves on Route 421 to Horseshoe.
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Heading north
C7A north from Seveys was barely tracked. I figured that was a good place to start! Aside from big bumps where the trail ran along Route 56, most was good riding, nothing worse than studder ripple under the new snow. Shared use driveway hadn’t been plowed. WIN!
Untracked dog leg through S73 was the BOMB!
From the Rest Stop and Little Blue Mountain entrance, it was much more tracked through C7A/C8 to Troopers Shed, with wavy bumps in places.
C8D from Troopers Shed was studder bumps and some rollers. Looked for something better on Local 702 and found it!
Pretty good riding through S86 to STLA 60. From there, C8D was a quality ride through Rainbow Club.
Took the dog leg off STLA 61 and had a nice rip through S84A toward Claire. Snowpack thinned somewhat, but I really couldn’t complain about this.
Bald bridge crossing on Country Route 27 was a cue for me to turn tail and head back to the hills!
C8D was beautiful riding from STLA61 to STLA 67, with a nice dog leg on S84 before the plowed section.
Turned onto C8E, trail eventually got mealy in places descending into South Colton. But it held up for a glimpse of Old Glory. Didn’t feel like humping the dirty snowbank into town, so I didn’t.
Turning south
C8D from STLA 67 to STLA 78/Stark Road was untracked beauty. Nobody wanted it, so I took it!
Plowed driveway section after crossing Route 56 had solid ice base with wet/compacted 2 inches of snow on top. Had no problem skating through there.
Rolling back over my own track on C8 near Stark Road. Can’t imagine it gets much better.
After that, C8 had several deep scalloped bumps southward to Route 56. But it was more untracked trail and mostly good riding.
One of my favorite wooded views on a snowmobile.
After crossing Route 56, C8 was pretty good riding to STLA 56. By far, my WORST stretch of riding was the river of studderbumps and rollers on C8 between STLA 56 and STLA53. Was very happy to leave that behind!
Star Lake run
After passing through Troopers Shed, I hit a gem on S81 to Windfall/Cooks Corners.
YEAHHHHHH BUDDY!!!
The half-mile of roadside riding into Cooks Corners had enough slush and flowing water to slither by.
C8 from Cooks Corners to STLA222 was studder bumpy and worn in places.
Aside from several worn corners for about half-mile after crossing River Road, S80G was a nice ride to STLA 202, ranging from smooth to studder-ripple.
S80 was a FUN rip to Newton Falls and Star Lake. Took a few moments to sunbathe by the river.
After a refuel stop at Circle-K, I hit up Twin Lakes Hotel for lunch mid-afternoon. Wanted to try the ribeye steak. They didn’t have it today, so I went with the tried-n-true chicken parm and spaghetti dinner.
Back to Seveys
I was more than happy to retrace my steps to Troopers Shed! Ended up doing a dog leg on C8 to Wanakena. Some bumps here and there, but a good ride. Best was south of Route 3.
Always the gorgeous river crossing…
Paved road into downtown Wanakena was bald. I turned tail and rolled back to Troopers Shed via S81 from Cooks Corners.
C8/S88 from STLA 38 to STLA 28 had soft bumps here-and-there, but pretty good riding through that avenue. C7A to C7C/Seveys had studder bumps in places.
Got back to the truck around 6:30pm with 181 miles rolled for the day. Parking lot was slush, ice and water, far different than it was in the morning.
Definitely was worth the trip.
Ride map
Click here for ride stats, larger map and 3D Flyover!
Unfortunately, Polaris ride app flaked out and missed much of my ride back to the truck.
Bottom line
Bright sun, afternoon temperatures well into the 40s and deep snowpack made this a GREAT spring ride! And that fresh 3-4 inches of snow kick started the day just right.
Snow was holding up well on vast majority of trails. But strong March sun is doing its dirty work in places, reminding that our snowmobiling season isn’t for much longer.
Better get your riding in soon! I think some will be surprised at how much snow will get flushed down the drain by next week.
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
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