Question: when the snow flies...

[batjerk]

When the snow flies, which trails are still open for riding? Or, which ones are least likely to offend XC skiers if you're out there? Which ones would be the most rideable, in terms of good packed snow such that a bicycle might spend more time floating and less time plowing?

Of course, all of this presumes there will, in fact, be appreciable snow accumulation during the coming season.

[gopherhockey]

The River Bottoms always seems to be open and packed well all winter long.

Leb and Salem are both open all winter long. At Leb we put up stop signs where we cross the ski trails and ask that people obey them.. all it would take is a conflict with a skier and we are likely to lose our winter riding privileges. Skiers have right of way. Leb has required some amount of maintenance to keep open as well - we start holding snowshoe stomps when the trail is too deep to ride. It is our hope that people will come out and help keep the trail open - without this effort Leb becomes impossible to ride.

Salem stays open but eventually gets a strange layer of ice and deep footprints that makes it difficult to ride. This is probably due to more hikers than bikers on the trail.

Murphy had an announcement of being open, but I'm not sure how they would fare once larger snow falls happen. We struggle to keep even just the Intermediate trail open at Leb - I'm not sure we will have the people to be able to keep both trails completely open but we will see how it goes.

Theo is open as well - someone else can comment on that trail.

Most others close when ski season starts.

[RiverRat]

Theo seems to be in about the same boat as Leb. There are a few regulars who get out there as soon as there is any snow and start snow shoe stomping. When the big snow came at the end of the year last year, there were a lot of stomping, but the temps never cooperated to get a solid re-freeze after stomp and slight melt. But it was good until then.