Black River State Forest Conditions

Conditions as of Monday, February 8, 2010:

• Camping
• Trails

Cross-country Ski Trails

All trails were groomed on Friday, February 5, and are in fair to good condition. We are expecting 5 to 8 inches of snow today and tomorrow. All trails will be groomed on Wednesday, and if the forecast holds, they should be in excellent condition.

Smrekar Warming shelter's newest feature is in-floor heat. This feature greatly improves the comfort of the building, and was made possible by the generous donation of the Black River Forest Trail Foundation.

Snowmobile and All-terrain Vehicle (ATV) Trails

All snowmobile and ATV trails were groomed on Friday, February 5, and are in fair condition with a few icy places. One section of the trail, heading north from the Wildcat loop towards Battlepoint Road, is closed due to overly icy conditions and a logging operation taking place. This is the snowmobile-only section of the trail. With the predicted snow ,this section may reopen and conditions should be good to very good for the entire system. All trails will be groomed on Wednesday.

Snowshoeing

Any place in the state forest not designated for skiing or motorized recreation is open for snowshoeing. Two recommended places include the five mile trail that runs from Pigeon Creek Campground to Smrekar Road, and the nature trail at Castle Mound Campground. If you use the Pigeon Creek trails you could start at the Smrekar warming cabin and hike out to Smrekar road to the trail head. Please use caution, though, and remember that you can not snowshoe on any of the cross-country ski trails.

Camping

Castle Mound and Pigeon Creek have a limited number of sites open for winter camping. Pigeon Creek campground is not plowed in the winter, but visitors are welcome to hike to sites. East Fork is closed for the season.

Reservations for Castle Mound can be made for dates from May 14 through September 23, 2010. Reservations can be made for East Fork campground for dates from the Thursday before Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. Use the Web or call (888) 947-2757, TTY (800) 274-7275. The other campgrounds are first-come, first-served.

Any firewood brought in from more than 50 miles away or from a quarantined area [PDF, 102KB] or from out of state will be confiscated due to the potential of carrying harmful emerald ash borers [exit DNR].

DNR Outdoor Report
Weather [exit DNR]

For more information, ask Black River State Forest, (715) 284-4103.

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