All posts by Jay Richards

Ski Trail

Ski Trail Report

Trails are open. A stunning morning and a another great day of skiing in place after a textbook “prairie effect” snow event on Saturday with 4-5″ of fresh fluff snow. Snow globe conditions provided awesome skiing. All the double track trails groomed during the day while it was snowing with Sap Run, Mother Hen, Sukkerbusk, Twin Lakes, Poki Loki, Mother North Star and JibFly tracked. Saturday evening once the snow stopped and wind calmed down, all skate trails groomed and new tracks reset on Sukkerbusk, Sap Run, Twin Lakes and the track on North Loup. The Saturday night groomed trails should ski very nice Sunday morning. Plan is to reset singletrack trails Rootin Tootin, Roy’s Run, Wavy Gravy and Bullhead Lake today.

We have also have a loop on Little Sugarbush Lake “Lumi’s Loop” with a skate lane and track on each side. This is a fun 1.2km loop that makes for a fun ski at sunrise, sunset and especially at night with the full moon this past week. The loop is drifted in but will plan to groom it on Sunday. The lake has over a foot of ice. 

It’s been awesome seeing so many people out on the trails so far this winter season and we deeply appreciate the support! Want to share your ski experience at Maplelag, file a report on Skinnyski.com

Skating on Skaters Waltz, the extension loops, North Loup, Single Green, Kristin’s Kutoff and Eira Bikwadinaa Hill. All other trails are tracked for classic skiing. (Please no skating on classic trails) Sukkerbusk is a great starter trail for classic which feeds the outer trails and crosses most of the inner trails providing a good “lay of the land”.  

27″ of snow so far this season. We have been grooming daily on the entire trail system since mid November, only missing a few days.  

Thank you to everyone that comes to ski and supports the trails with season pass purchases. Day passes can be purchased here. A MN State trail pass is NOT required to ski at Maplelag. The Maplelag trails are self funded by operations with no grants or state funding.  18 and under day pass is $15, use the summer trail pass option. 

Ski rentals are available at a rate of $25 for adults and $15 for 18 and under. Snowshoe rental is $10 a person. 

The entire 25km FatLagChilada loop is now open. Click here for fat bike trail report. 

Snowfall YTD at 30″ Compacted base on trail 3-6″. Total snowfall in January at 6″. December: 17″. Snowfall in November: 7″. October precipitation (rain) at 2.7″ and around 1″ in September. Total precipitation ytd (rain) at Maplelag is at 25.12″. 

Setting new double track on JibFly, January 10th, 2026. Snow is starting to pile up! 
Grooming on Skaters Waltz, January 10th, 2026.
Grooming fresh fluff snow on Twin Lakes, January 10th, 2026.
Prairie effect powder day! Lot of smiling happy faces today with the fresh snow! January 10th, 2026. 
Cutting new track on Bullhead Lake trail, January 9th, 2026.
New track on the lake segment of Bullhead Lake trail, January 9th 2026. At the bottom of Eir hill, veer right to pick up the track! 
Evening groom on Sap Run, January 9th, 2026.
Sunny start to the day on Sap Run, January 7th, 2026.
Resetting the double track on JibFly, January 8th, 2026.
Touch of rime frost on the deck making for really nice gliding but loose outside the track for great control, January 8th, 2026.
Resetting double track on Twin Lakes, January 8th, 2026.
Frosty scene in the “Switchyard“, January 7th, 2026. 
Late afternoon groom on Mother Hen trail, January 7th, 2026. There is great snow to work with for future grooming and conditions should be very good to excellent rest of the week and weekend. 
Frosty scene at crossing to Twin Lakes and the western trails, January 7th, 2026.
Wavy Gravy trail, January 7th, 2026.
North end Bullhead lake trail, January 7th, 2026. (M. Sands photo)
Frosty scene between Twin Lakes, January 7th, 2026 (Dani S. photo) 
Frosty day at the races January 6th, 2025
The hills of Mother North Star January 6th, 2026
JV Boys classic race, January 6th, 2026.
Ending the day with a ski….magical conditions! January 6th, 2026.
Always good when the moon pops out during the evening groom, January 6th, 2026.
Trees thick with rime frost, January 5th 2026.
Norwegian Log cabin at night surrounded by frosty trees, January 5th, 2026.
Cutting a new track on the lake loop, “Lumi’s Loop”, January 5th, 2026.
MPLS Washburn skiers in the “skinny field”, January 4th, 2026.
Local skier D. Johnson happy to have the recent fresh snow after navigating the icy conditions the week before! 78 years strong! January 4th, 2026.
MPLS Washburn skiers gliding on Bullhead Lake, January 4th, 2026.
After the fire of October 2022, Joel Woodward unbeknownst to us, started a GoFundMe to bring back the cookies. The cookies are back! Thanks Joel.
Local skier “Dr. Bob” still going strong at 82 on trail today, January 3rd, 2026. 
MPLS Washburn skiers working on skills on Eira Bikwadinaa hill, January 3rd, 2026.
Bike Trail

Fat Bike Trail Report

The entire 25km FatLagChilada course is open and groomed. Snow falling on Saturday with 4-5″ of new fluff snow on top of the recent groom. Base is solid and firm and is rideable. Nice job to Saturday riders pushing through the new snow! Tough going but fun conditions! The groomed path on Bullhead lake is drifted over but rideable. Bootleg loop has some drifted areas but overall good.The inner singletrack and Twin Lakes (Innermost) is the best riding until we groom again most likely Monday.

To pick up the trail, head to the skaters waltz trail and go right. Signs are out marking the key intersections. To access the west side trails, use the driveway to access Twin Lake singletrack and Sukkerwest which is a good starter trail for first time riders. A good loop to start with is taking the skaters waltz and following the signs and groomed singletrack to access Bjorps and Sukkerwest. 

The first half of Twin Lakes has a few soft spots and the singletrack is a bit tighter. We plan to groom Twin Lakes first half this morning to clean up the edges and flatten the base. (It is important to run lower tire pressure and keep the bike centered on the trail! On the corners, check the speed and make turn in the middle. Going wide will result in “augering”.) 

Any questions on riding, text Jay 218-849-7669. 

Snow getting deep in the woods! Twin Lakes singletrack, January 10th, 2026.
Fresh fluff on the FatLagChilada!! 4″ of classic “prairie effect”snow today, January 10th, 2026. Nice job to the riders plugging away out there today!
Fluff on the fat bike trail! January 10th, 2026.
Bootleg singletrack lakeside, January 9th, 2026 after a touch up groom.
Riding at dusk, January 8th, 2026.
Last downhill on Twin Lakes singletrack, January 7th, 2026. Keep the wheels in the middle!
Groomed connector trail on Bullhead lake to access Bootleg loop, January 7th, 2026.
“Eira” downhill as part of the FatLagChilada course, January 6th, 2026.
Saturday on the singletrack! January 3rd, 2026. Nice fat bike riding conditions over the weekend. 
Fat bike ride at dusk, January 4th, 2026.
Fat bike grooming, January 2nd 2026. (B.Olson photo) Thanks Ben for grooming today! 
Rolling on skaters waltz ski trail, January 2nd, 2026 (G.Ames photo)
Night riding, January 1st, 2026. Riding at night is super fun and with good lighting, almost easier to read the trail versus day time!
More fresh groomed trail! December 31st, 2025.
Fat bike grooming, December 30th, 2025.
*Front Page, News

Maplelag Trails

Cutting new track on JibFly trail, January 10th, 2026.

4-5″ of fresh fluff snow Saturday January 10th, 2026. Excellent ski conditions.

Trail report on the trail report page. 

Ski trail passes can be purchased here. 18 and under $15, use summer pass option.

Ski rental available, $25 for adults and $15 for 18 and under for day use.

Cabins available to book now! Check the lodging and availability page to book a stay! Contact us at [email protected] for special early season pricing the next two weeks.

Bike Trail

Fat Bike Trail Report

The entire 25km FatLagChilada course is open and groomed. Snow falling on Saturday with 4-5″ of new fluff snow on top of the recent groom. Base is solid and firm and is rideable. Nice job to the riders pushing through the new snow today! Tough going but fun conditions!

To pick up the trail, head to the skaters waltz trail and go right. Signs are out marking the key intersections. To access the west side trails, use the driveway to access Twin Lake singletrack and Sukkerwest which is a good starter trail for first time riders. A good loop to start with is taking the skaters waltz and following the signs and groomed singletrack to access Bjorps and Sukkerwest. 

The first half of Twin Lakes has a few soft spots and the singletrack is a bit tighter. We plan to groom Twin Lakes first half this morning to clean up the edges and flatten the base. (It is important to run lower tire pressure and keep the bike centered on the trail! On the corners, check the speed and make turn in the middle. Going wide will result in “augering”.) 

Any questions on riding, text Jay 218-849-7669. 

Snow getting deep in the woods! Twin Lakes singletrack, January 10th, 2026.
Fresh fluff on the FatLagChilada!! 4″ of classic “prairie effect”snow today, January 10th, 2026. Nice job to the riders plugging away out there today!
Fluff on the fat bike trail! January 10th, 2026.
Bootleg singletrack lakeside, January 9th, 2026 after a touch up groom.
Riding at dusk, January 8th, 2026.
Last downhill on Twin Lakes singletrack, January 7th, 2026. Keep the wheels in the middle!
Groomed connector trail on Bullhead lake to access Bootleg loop, January 7th, 2026.
“Eira” downhill as part of the FatLagChilada course, January 6th, 2026.
Saturday on the singletrack! January 3rd, 2026. Nice fat bike riding conditions over the weekend. 
Fat bike ride at dusk, January 4th, 2026.
Fat bike grooming, January 2nd 2026. (B.Olson photo) Thanks Ben for grooming today! 
Rolling on skaters waltz ski trail, January 2nd, 2026 (G.Ames photo)
Night riding, January 1st, 2026. Riding at night is super fun and with good lighting, almost easier to read the trail versus day time!
More fresh groomed trail! December 31st, 2025.
Fat bike grooming, December 30th, 2025.
Ski Trail

Ski Trail Report

Trails are open. Snowy Saturday! Textbook “prairie effect” snow with 4-5″ of fresh fluff snow so far today and still coming down. A little bit of wind but not so noticeable in the woods. The trails were busy today and lots of happy smiling faces! We groomed all the double track trails today with Sap Run, Mother Hen, Sukkerbusk, Twin Lakes, Poki Loki, Mother North Start and JibFly groomed. Tracks filled in fast as snow continued to fall but skiing in a snow globe can’t be beat! We will be back out tonight grooming the skate trails once the wind settles down, have a snack and resume Sunday morning grooming classic trails.

We have also have a loop on Little Sugarbush Lake “Lumi’s Loop” with a skate lane and track on each side. This is a fun 1.2km loop that makes for a fun ski at sunrise, sunset and especially at night with the full moon this past week. The lake has over a foot of ice. 

It’s been awesome seeing so many people out on the trails so far this winter season and we deeply appreciate the support! Want to share your ski experience at Maplelag, file a report on Skinnyski.com

Skating on Skaters Waltz, the extension loops, North Loup, Single Green, Kristin’s Kutoff and Eira Bikwadinaa Hill. All other trails are tracked for classic skiing. (Please no skating on classic trails) Sukkerbusk is a great starter trail for classic which feeds the outer trails and crosses most of the inner trails providing a good “lay of the land”.  

27″ of snow so far this season. We have been grooming daily on the entire trail system since mid November, only missing a few days.  

Thank you to everyone that comes to ski and supports the trails with season pass purchases. Day passes can be purchased here. A MN State trail pass is NOT required to ski at Maplelag. The Maplelag trails are self funded by operations with no grants or state funding.  18 and under day pass is $15, use the summer trail pass option. 

Ski rentals are available at a rate of $25 for adults and $15 for 18 and under. Snowshoe rental is $10 a person. 

The entire 25km FatLagChilada loop is now open. Click here for fat bike trail report. 

Snowfall YTD at 26″ Compacted base on trail 3-6″. Total snowfall in January at 2″. December: 17″. Snowfall in November: 7″. October precipitation (rain) at 2.7″ and around 1″ in September. Total precipitation ytd (rain) at Maplelag is at 25.12″. 

Setting new double track on JibFly, January 10th, 2026. Snow is starting to pile up!
Grooming on Skaters Waltz, January 10th, 2026.
Grooming fresh fluff snow on Twin Lakes, January 10th, 2026.
Prairie effect powder day! Lot of smiling happy faces today with the fresh snow! January 10th, 2026.
Cutting new track on Bullhead Lake trail, January 9th, 2026.
New track on the lake segment of Bullhead Lake trail, January 9th 2026. At the bottom of Eir hill, veer right to pick up the track! 
Evening groom on Sap Run, January 9th, 2026.
Sunny start to the day on Sap Run, January 7th, 2026.
Resetting the double track on JibFly, January 8th, 2026.
Touch of rime frost on the deck making for really nice gliding but loose outside the track for great control, January 8th, 2026.
Resetting double track on Twin Lakes, January 8th, 2026.
Frosty scene in the “Switchyard“, January 7th, 2026. 
Late afternoon groom on Mother Hen trail, January 7th, 2026. There is great snow to work with for future grooming and conditions should be very good to excellent rest of the week and weekend. 
Frosty scene at crossing to Twin Lakes and the western trails, January 7th, 2026.
Wavy Gravy trail, January 7th, 2026.
North end Bullhead lake trail, January 7th, 2026. (M. Sands photo)
Frosty scene between Twin Lakes, January 7th, 2026 (Dani S. photo) 
Frosty day at the races January 6th, 2025
The hills of Mother North Star January 6th, 2026
JV Boys classic race, January 6th, 2026.
Ending the day with a ski….magical conditions! January 6th, 2026.
Always good when the moon pops out during the evening groom, January 6th, 2026.
Trees thick with rime frost, January 5th 2026.
Norwegian Log cabin at night surrounded by frosty trees, January 5th, 2026.
Cutting a new track on the lake loop, “Lumi’s Loop”, January 5th, 2026.
MPLS Washburn skiers in the “skinny field”, January 4th, 2026.
Local skier D. Johnson happy to have the recent fresh snow after navigating the icy conditions the week before! 78 years strong! January 4th, 2026.
MPLS Washburn skiers gliding on Bullhead Lake, January 4th, 2026.
After the fire of October 2022, Joel Woodward unbeknownst to us, started a GoFundMe to bring back the cookies. The cookies are back! Thanks Joel.
Local skier “Dr. Bob” still going strong at 82 on trail today, January 3rd, 2026. 
MPLS Washburn skiers working on skills on Eira Bikwadinaa hill, January 3rd, 2026.