Category Archives: Reports

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Trail Report

October 31, 2017 Jay Richards

Wintry like weather this week. Temps in the lower 20’s Tuesday morning and white on the ground has it feeling like winter! Another measurable snowfall in October with an inch or so falling Monday evening. Total snowfall this month around 3″. Looks to be freezing at nights the next week or so which is great for helping set frost in the ground. An important element for preparing the trails for skiing. Few ponds starting to freeze over as a result of the colder weather.

We’ve had great weather for the month of October for trail work. The leaves have come down the trees and clearing them off the main trails in full force.

Having the trails free of leaves, especially at Maplelag with the thick leaf beds of maple leaves, allows the ground to freeze quicker and skiable conditions after the first snowfalls.

October rainfall around 2″ so far. September rainfall recorded around 5″. A wet August as well with nearly 7″ of total rainfall during the month.

Trumpeter swans dominant presence with over 25 currently residing on Twin Lakes. Good trail to hike or bike to observe them.

Mountain bike trails info and latest report on bike trail report page.

First ski of the year. October 27th, 2017.

Snow started to cover up the forest floor late afternoon on the singletrack. October 26th, 2017. Mountain bike trails now closed for the season. Open again Thanksgiving week.

Intersection of Sukkerbusk and Mother North Star as snow was starting to fall. October 26th, 2017.

Trail clearing right up to the last moment possible. October 26th, 2017.

oct25-1 — Trail clearing at intersection of Sap Run and Skaters Waltz, October 25th, 2017.

oct25-2 — Ready for snow! Final clearing on Suicide Hill. October 25th, 2017.

Fantastic sunset over Maplelag, October 25th, 2017.

Great sight lines through the woods after leaves have come down. View towards Little Sugarbush from Sap Run. October 25th, 2017.

One more clearing on Suicide Hill, October 24th, 2017. — Another clearing on Suicide Hill, October 24th, 2017. Suicide Hill has been mowed/cleared more than any trail segment on the trail system. First to be groomed, and last area to hold snow in the spring.

Fall grooming on "Kamikaze" hill, Skaters Waltz ski trail. October 19th, 2017. — Fall grooming on “Kamikaze” hill, Skaters Waltz ski trail. October 19th, 2017.

Sunrise on Island Lake, October 18th, 2017. We still have dreams of building a outpost/eco cabin on the island in the future!

Tamarack trees in their peak. October 18th, 2017. Tamarack one of species of trees planted at Maplelag over the years. Maplelag has planted nearly a half million trees since 1973!

Trumpeter swans on Rutherford Slough near North Loup ski trail, October 18th, 2017.

Fall grooming on North Loup, October 17th, 2017.

Fall scene in skating rink area. Tamarack trees in their peak right now and a few aspen and oak trees still holding color. October 15th, 2017.

Fall grooming on Skaters Waltz, October 11th, 2017.

Fall grooming on Mother North Star, October 9th, 2017.

Fall grooming on North Loup, October 9th, 2017.

Golden tunnel on the mountain bike course. October 8th, 2017.

Fall scene in the Skinny Field, October 8th, 2017.

Fall scene at Twin Lakes crossing, October 6th, 2017.

Twin Lakes ski trail, October 6th, 2017.

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Double green ski trail, October 4th, 2017.

Twin Lakes ski trail, September 29th, 2017.

sept29-1 — First frost of the year on low lying area near Orange caboose, September 29th, 2017.

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Maple tree near Brant cabin displaying brilliant fall color. September 29th, 2017.

First touch of frost of the year on low lying areas and roof tops. September 29th, 2017.

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Little Sugarbush lake, September 28th, 2017.

Start of Loon Return ski trail, September 28th, 2017.

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Sukkerbusk ski trail, September 20th, 2017.

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Removing rocks and filling in low spots on Sukkerbusk. July 7th, 2017. Trail tuning will continue through the summer and fall until the snow flies. — Removing rocks and filling in low spots and improving drainage on Sukkerbusk. July 7th, 2017. Trail tuning will continue through the summer and fall until the snow flies.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6436344867349516913

Twin Lakes at dusk, June 16th, 2017. — Twin Lakes before an evening rain shower moved in. June 16th, 2017.

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Beautiful summer scene in the woods. June 4th, 2017. — Summer scene in the forest. June 4th, 2017.

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Sunset over Little Sugarbush, June 2nd, 2017.

Various mushrooms popping up throughout the forest floor. May 30th, 2017.

Trumpeter swans on South Twin, May 28th, 2017. Swans more visible on smaller lakes now boat traffic has increased on larger lakes.

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Spring scene on a local pond, May 18th, 2017.

Scarlet Tanager making a short appearance on the Maplelag grounds, May 16th, 2017.

Twin Lakes singletrack lakeside. May 16th, 2017. The foliage has exploded the past week!

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Riders taking in the beautiful Sunday morning on the mountain bike course. April 30th, 2017.

Singletrack in great shape after drying out from snow earlier in the week. April 28th, 2017. Mountain bike trail open for riding.

April skiing! Skiing through the skinny field, April 27th, 2017.

Frozen pond, April 27th, 2017. Ducks were still nesting on the edge, riding out the cold weather.

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Mother North Star ski trail with dusting of snow. April 26th, 2017.

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Marsh marigolds on hold after wintry weather. April 26th, 2017.

Trail work on new mountain bike trail. April 24th, 2017.

Snow Sunday morning April 23rd, 2017 as seen from the Sap Run trail cam.

Ski trails starting to green up after rain over the weekend. April 19th, 2017.

With not much greening (still early in the spring) mossy areas sticking out nicely. April 13th, 2017.

After a windy few days during the ice out phase, calm conditions Monday night, April 10th, 2017. Official ice out date was April 8th this year.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6406389337538943233

Bike Trail, Reports

Mountain Bike Trail Report

September 5, 2017 Jay Richards

Trails are open! No rain from storms that rolled through, just a little wind that brought down a little forest matter. Riding is super after the races this past weekend, track is ridden in and buffed!

Great weekend of riding and racing for the Laddies Loppet. Thanks to everyone that came. Saturday cross country racing for Laddies Loppet. (click here for coverage on Skinnyski) Sunday Short Track (click here for coverage on skinnyski.com)

The trails can be described as classic, old school singletrack. Some sections are very technical with roots and rocks and a great test of skills! The Twin Lakes loop is recommended first for first time visitors to Maplelag with mountain bike experience. For first time riders, the Citizen loop is recommended.

Every Labor day weekend we host a mountain bike race. 2017 marks the 27th year of hosting this event. We are proud to be part of the Minnesota Mountain Bike series. A fun weekend, click here for more information.

Season pass is $10. Park in far parking lot, click in and enjoy!Maplelag maintains, builds, manages and funds the trails privately but we are happy to share the trail. We appreciate season pass purchases to keep the trails maintained and build new for others to enjoy. We have been working on new trail on Maplelag property on the Bullhead loop this summer and hope to have completed mid fall. We are also tuning on the original loop when we can.

Any questions on riding or conditions, email Jay at [email protected] or text 218-849-7669. We typically will have the trails open all the time unless we receive excessive rainfall. The natural singletrack at Maplelag dries and weathers quickly and can be ridden hours after any rain event.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6460811508184758961

Northwest Composite school cycling team on the trail for a evening practice. August 28th, 2017.

Riders lined up before Tuesday night time trial, August 22nd, 2017.

Riders from the Alexandria MTB team checking out the course, August 22nd, 2017.

Rolling down the bridge section. August 22nd, 2017.

Blowing out the singletrack, August 22nd, 2017. We will blow out the entire course again just days before race weekend as leaves are starting to fall. — Blowing out the singletrack, August 22nd, 2017. We will blow out the entire course again a few days before race weekend as leaves are starting to fall.

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Members of the Northwest Composite Cycling team practicing on the course, August 7th, 2017.

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Trail work on Twin Lakes bridge section, July 24th, 2017. We are tuning on various sections of the course. — Trail work on Twin Lakes bridge section, July 24th, 2017.

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Rolling through the Twin Lakes rock garden, July 12th, 2017.

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Twin Lakes singletrack, lakeside. July 7th, 2017.

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Bike Trail

Mountain Bike Trail Report

July 9, 2017 Jay Richards

The trails are open. Light rain shower early this morning will have the track damp but rain ending and riding is possible.

The mountain bike trails are open outside of rain/wet conditions. The “nature” of the mountain bike trails at Maplelag allow for quick drying and rideable conditions 6-12 hours after any precip. The trails can be described as classic, old school singletrack. Some sections are very technical with roots and rocks and a great test of skills! The Twin Lakes loop is recommended first for first time visitors to Maplelag with mountain bike experience and for first time riders, the Citizen loop is recommended.

Click here for trail map. Trail starts just past the flag pole, head towards skaters waltz ski trail for the beginner loop (Citizen/TT), advanced loop (sport/comp/expert) starts near start of Sap Run and Lucky’s Loype ski trails. Singletrack sections can be bypassed on the east side. To access Twin Lakes loop, take either the east side or main loop and follow red signs or head down the driveway and look for orange cones just past the gate and red signs indicating the start of Twin Lakes singletrack. Any questions on riding or conditions, email Jay at [email protected] or text 218-849-7669. We typically will have the trails open sooner than expected after wet weather, feel free to contact us for more information.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6440029561822665217

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Bike Trail, News

Mountain Bike Trail Report

June 16, 2017 Jay Richards

The trails are open.

We brushed out the singletrack segments on the main loop last week and brushed and cleared the overgrown segments on Twin Lakes this week.

The mountain bike trails are open outside of rain/wet conditions. The “nature” of the mountain bike trails at Maplelag allow for quick drying and rideable conditions 6-12 hours after any precip. The trails can be described as classic, old school singletrack. Some sections are technical with roots and rocks and a great test of skills! The Twin Lakes loop is recommended first for first time visitors to Maplelag.

No charge to ride early season. No services available in lodge. Park in far parking lot, click in and enjoy! Season pass is $10. Maplelag maintains, builds, manages and funds the trails privately but we are happy to share the trail. We appreciate contributions to keep the trails maintained and build new for others to enjoy.

Click here for trail map. Trail starts just past the flag pole, head towards skaters waltz ski trail for the beginner loop (Citizen/TT), advanced loop (sport/comp/expert) starts near start of Sap Run and Lucky’s Loype ski trails. Singletrack sections can be bypassed on the east side. To access Twin Lakes loop, take either the east side or main loop and follow red signs or head down the driveway and look for orange cones just past the gate and red signs. Any questions on riding or conditions, email Jay at [email protected] or text 218-849-7669. We typically will have the trails open sooner than expected after wet weather, feel free to contact us for more information.

We have resumed work on new trail near Bullhead lake on the Maplelag property we hope to have completed this fall. We will also be building new beginner trails for winter riding, this fall.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6432632434030005665

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6431128376675675073

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6430377829849998945

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6428889553265223649

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Clearing singletrack on Twin Lakes loop. The entire loop cleared this week as well as select segments on the main loop. May 25th, 2017.

Mowing on a ski trails segment of the bike course, May 24th, 2017.

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Bridge section early afternoon before rain moved in. May 20th, 2017.

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Testing new mountain bike trail near Bullhead lake. May 11th, 2017. We hope to have the new trail completed and open by fall.

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may1-12 — Hard not to think about riding new trail when building it!

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6414958036385402785

Bike Trail

Mountain Bike Trail Report

April 29, 2017 Jay Richards

The course is open . A check of the track Friday afternoon found great conditions. Riding is some of the best of the year right now with a excellent surface, no bugs, pleasant temps and great sight lines.

The mountain bike trails are open outside of rain/wet conditions. The “nature” of the mountain bike trails at Maplelag allow for quick drying and rideable conditions 6-12 hours after any precip.

Earlier this week we cleared out older singletrack that was closed last season from wind storms. We also resumed work on the new mountain bike trail near Bullhead lake on the Maplelag property. We hope to have this new trail, around 3 miles in length, completed mid summer.

No charge to ride early season. No services available in lodge. Park in far parking lot, click in and enjoy!

Click here for trail map. Trail starts just past the flag pole, head towards skaters waltz ski trail for the beginner loop, advanced loop starts near start of Sap Run and Lucky’s Loype ski trails. Singletrack sections can be bypassed on the east side. To access Twin Lakes loop, take either the east side or main loop and follow red signs or head down the driveway and look for orange cones just past the gate and red signs. Any questions on riding or conditions, email Jay at [email protected] or text 218-849-7669. We typically will have the trails open sooner than expected after wet weather, feel free to contact us for more information.

We have resumed work on new trail near Bullhead lake on the Maplelag property. We will also be building new beginner trails for winter riding this summer and fall.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6414209226180296961