All posts by Jay Richards

Ski Trail

Trail Report

Seasonable weather in place after a pleasant weekend. Conditions this fall have been great for clearing leaves off the ski trails with the dominating dry weather as we enter our final phase of fall grooming. We have been working on most of the trail system daily clearing leaves off as they fall. Having the trails as clear as possible before the snow flies allows us to open the trails on minimal snow.

We hit our peak of fall color around September 24th but still enjoying some great autumn scenes. The poplar, oak and tamarack trees on a display of nature beauty as we enjoy one of our favorite times of year.

We are focused on having the ski trails in tip top shape going into the winter. We have been on the trails daily, weather permitting, with final mowing and clearing leaves etc. We will continue throughout the fall right up until the frost sets in and snow flies.

The mountain bike trails are open for riding. We will continue maintaining the trails, and will be open, weather permitting, until November 1st. The Maplelag trails are closed to horse travel and motorized vehicles.

Maplelag is enrolled in the fee based MN DNR Woodland Stewardship Program as part of conservation efforts and forest management. Please consider donating to our Maplelag Conservation Legacy program to help offset these increased costs. Thank you!

Still some fall color with the tamaracks at peak in the middle of Kohlepp slough, October 23rd, 2021.
Bullhead lake as seen from the Bullhead lake trail, October 23rd, 2021.
End of Twin Lakes ski trail, October 21st, 2021. Ready for winter snows!
Looking across slough towards south Twin Lake, October 21st, 2021. Ice on the edges!
Clearing deadfall on Twin Lakes trail, October 21st, 2021.
Poplar and tamarack trees displaying their autumn gold this week, October 19th, 2021.
Late fall color scene at Twin Lakes crossing, October 20th, 2021.
Saturday hikers on Rootin Tootin! October 16th, 2021.
Frosty coating at start of JibFly trail, October 16th, 2021.
Frosty scene at Twin Lakes crossing, October 16th, 2021.
Saturday clearing on Skaters Waltz, October 16th, 2021.
Moss along the mountain bike singletrack, October 16th, 2021.
Moon rise over Maplelag, October 13th, 2021.
Leaf clearing on a mossy segment of Skaters Waltz, October 12th, 2021.
Clearing a “snow field” on the side of Skaters Waltz, October 12th, 2021. We have random “fields” designated along the trail to collect snow we use to transport to the ski trails vulnerable areas such as south facing, turns and uphills.
Porcupine in a tree off in the distance along Skaters Waltz extension October 12th, 2021.
Good to see the Maplelag creek flowing again after the weekend rain, October 11th, 2021.
Rootin Tootin trail, October 7th, 2021
Crossing to the western trails, October 7th, 2021.
Mountain bike singletrack, October 6th, 2021. We are clearing leaves off the singletrack this week as well.
Another clearing on Suicide Hill, October 5th, 2021.
Fall grooming on Sap Run trail, October 4th, 2021.
Our wonderful trail volunteer, Denny, out for a hike on Skaters Waltz. Good to see Denny out after hip surgery the end of the summer. October 4th, 2021.
Clearing out side of trail on “Kamikaze Hill” on Skaters Waltz, October 4th, 2021. There are select areas we clear along the side of the trail used for “snow farming”. On south facing slopes or other areas that need more snow on the trails, we have spots we can shovel from early season to build up the base.
Fall color scene at end of Maplelag driveway, October 1st, 2021.
Leaf clearing on Sukkerbusk trail, September 30th, 2021.
Bike Trail

Mountain Bike Trail Report

Trails open. Great late season conditions with tacky dirt and great sight lines. Just a scattering of leaves on the deck after the entire course was cleared after the leaves came down off the trees. This is the last week the trails are open for the dirt season.

The mountain bike trails will continue to be open until November 1st. We will leave the signage up for Citizen, Sport, Comp and Expert and the LagChilada signs remain in place for the LagChilada challenge. (Nice job to the riders completing the LagChilada challenge this past weekend!)

Fantastic Labor Day weekend for the Laddies Loppet. Thanks everyone who came to the race. Race recap click here.

Twin Lakes singletrack, October 23rd, 2021.
Bullhead Bootleg singletrack, October 21s,2021. Great sight lines with the leaves down.
Suicide Hill, October 21st, 2021.
Lakeside singletrack, October 19th, 2021.
Sunday Funday! Incredible riding conditions for October 17th.
Moss along the singletrack, October 16th, 2021. Some of the best fall conditions of the year this weekend.
Rolling through North Star singletrack, October 15th, 2021. Great fall conditions!
Thursday clearing on the “Lagchilada”, October 14th, 2021.
Leaf clearing on “North Loup Gnar” singletrack, October 12th, 2021.
Resuming with leaf clearing to kick off the week, October 11th, 2021.
Twin Lakes singletrack “bridge section”, October 9th, 2021.
Derek H out to take on the full “LagChilada” challenge, October 8th, 2021.
“Moorhead” singletrack after fresh clearing, October 7th, 2021. Trails recently cleared are riding fantastic!
Clearing on Hudson’s Hula, October 7th, 2021.
End of Twin Lakes singletrack after clearing, October 7th, 2021. Rest of Twin Lakes on tap for clearing Friday.
Clearing leaves on the starter loop, October 6th, 2021.
Ski Trail

Trail Report

Cooler weather moving in overnight with more seasonable temps in place for October. Conditions remain dry and ideal for final fall grooming on the ski trails.

Beautiful weekend with incredible weather for mid October. Great seeing everyone out on the trails! Frosting mornings on Saturday and Sunday with a nice coating of white. Dry conditions back in place after 5″ of rainfall the past 10 days. With dry conditions late summer and fall, the precipitation was welcomed.

Conditions this fall have been great for clearing leaves off the ski trails with the dominating dry weather as we enter our final phase of fall grooming. We have been working on most of the trail system daily clearing leaves off as they fall. Having the trails as clear as possible before the snow flies allows us to open the trails on minimal snow.

We hit our peak of fall color around September 24th but still enjoying some great autumn scenes. The poplar, oak and tamarack trees on a display of nature beauty as we enjoy one of our favorite times of year.

We are focused on having the ski trails in tip top shape going into the winter. We have been on the trails daily, weather permitting, with final mowing and clearing leaves etc. We will continue throughout the fall right up until the frost sets in and snow flies.

The mountain bike trails are open for riding. We will continue maintaining the trails, and will be open, weather permitting, until November 1st. The Maplelag trails are closed to horse travel and motorized vehicles.

Maplelag is enrolled in the fee based MN DNR Woodland Stewardship Program as part of conservation efforts and forest management. Please consider donating to our Maplelag Conservation Legacy program to help offset these increased costs. Thank you!

Poplar and tamarack trees displaying their autumn gold this week, October 19th, 2021.
Late fall color scene at Twin Lakes crossing, October 20th, 2021.
Saturday hikers on Rootin Tootin! October 16th, 2021.
Frosty coating at start of JibFly trail, October 16th, 2021.
Frosty scene at Twin Lakes crossing, October 16th, 2021.
Saturday clearing on Skaters Waltz, October 16th, 2021.
Moss along the mountain bike singletrack, October 16th, 2021.
Moon rise over Maplelag, October 13th, 2021.
Leaf clearing on a mossy segment of Skaters Waltz, October 12th, 2021.
Clearing a “snow field” on the side of Skaters Waltz, October 12th, 2021. We have random “fields” designated along the trail to collect snow we use to transport to the ski trails vulnerable areas such as south facing, turns and uphills.
Porcupine in a tree off in the distance along Skaters Waltz extension October 12th, 2021.
Good to see the Maplelag creek flowing again after the weekend rain, October 11th, 2021.
Rootin Tootin trail, October 7th, 2021
Crossing to the western trails, October 7th, 2021.
Mountain bike singletrack, October 6th, 2021. We are clearing leaves off the singletrack this week as well.
Another clearing on Suicide Hill, October 5th, 2021.
Fall grooming on Sap Run trail, October 4th, 2021.
Our wonderful trail volunteer, Denny, out for a hike on Skaters Waltz. Good to see Denny out after hip surgery the end of the summer. October 4th, 2021.
Clearing out side of trail on “Kamikaze Hill” on Skaters Waltz, October 4th, 2021. There are select areas we clear along the side of the trail used for “snow farming”. On south facing slopes or other areas that need more snow on the trails, we have spots we can shovel from early season to build up the base.
Fall color scene at end of Maplelag driveway, October 1st, 2021.
Leaf clearing on Sukkerbusk trail, September 30th, 2021.
Bike Trail

Mountain Bike Trail Report

Trails open. A great weekend of Fall riding. Good seeing everyone out. Overall the dirt is tacky and riding very good with excellent sight lines. Most of the leaves are down from the trees and the entire course was cleared last past week with leaf blowers. Ride the corners and berms high for any possible greasy spots on the low or inside.

The mountain bike trails will continue to be open until November 1st, weather permitting. We will leave the signage up for Citizen, Sport, Comp and Expert and the LagChilada signs remain in place for the LagChilada challenge. (Nice job to the riders completing the LagChilada challenge this past weekend!)

Fantastic Labor Day weekend for the Laddies Loppet. Thanks everyone who came to the race. Race recap click here.

Lakeside singletrack, October 19th, 2021.
Sunday Funday! Incredible riding conditions for October 17th.
Moss along the singletrack, October 16th, 2021. Some of the best fall conditions of the year this weekend.
Rolling through North Star singletrack, October 15th, 2021. Great fall conditions!
Thursday clearing on the “Lagchilada”, October 14th, 2021.
Leaf clearing on “North Loup Gnar” singletrack, October 12th, 2021.
Resuming with leaf clearing to kick off the week, October 11th, 2021.
Twin Lakes singletrack “bridge section”, October 9th, 2021.
Derek H out to take on the full “LagChilada” challenge, October 8th, 2021.
“Moorhead” singletrack after fresh clearing, October 7th, 2021. Trails recently cleared are riding fantastic!
Clearing on Hudson’s Hula, October 7th, 2021.
End of Twin Lakes singletrack after clearing, October 7th, 2021. Rest of Twin Lakes on tap for clearing Friday.
Clearing leaves on the starter loop, October 6th, 2021.