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DOGS MUSHERS BEGINNERS FEATURES FIND IT LINKS RESOURCES RACING TRAINING |
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Training Trails -
USA To submit information about public training trails in your area, please send details to info@sleddogcentral.com
Skijor Trails Near Lake Tahoe Ca/Nv Paige Meadows This area has no set track but it does have a nice series of long meadows that have lots of local XC skier traffic on light touring and backcountry skis. There are no snowmachines allowed in the area. There will be loose dogs but usually plenty of open space for everyone. For the sled musher it may be an interesting place to try but getting through the trees from the parking area to the meadows for the first quarter mile could get a little dicey. A scouting trip on skis would be recommended. Mt. Rose Because the base elevation is 8900 feet the road is usually skiable by the end of November and often a month before that. There is usually a snow machine track on the road but the snowmachiners don't use the road much and there is lots of open space for everyone. The road is very safe but there is some avalanche danger in some areas so be wary and knowledgeable about what conditions favor avalanches. The road climbs gently for about three miles and steadily steeper for the next three to the summit of the Mt Rose Relay Station at 10100 feet. The first three miles are good beginner backcountry skijor track. There is one windblown section about a mile up the road that often has exposed rocks early in the season and late in the season the gate may be buried and the road hard to see. Spectacular views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains. Brockway Summit This road is groomed for a snowmachine touring outfit and is part of the local parks and recreation. There is limited parking so the snowmachine traffic is never heavy and they tend to go by in groups and it may be hours between encounters especially early morning. There is a groomed track about fifteen feet wide that winds twenty
mountainous miles to Tahoe City with a few side tracks to local lakes and mountain tops.
Usually groomed about twice a week depending on conditions, the trail can get washboarded
and rough between grooming and other times it can be every skiers dream. Usually skating
skis are the outfit for this track. Diamond Peak XC Center This XC ski area is dog friendly and offers about 60K of mostly mountainous groomed track . A trail pass for you and your dog is required. There are loose dogs out on the trail and other skiers so be as accommodating and courteous as possible. Boise Area Lake County Forest Preserves The Lake County Forest Preserve District has a dog sledding park at one of their forest preserves in Lake County, IL. All users and dogs must be registered and fees paid prior to use. Residents pay $50 annually and non-residents pay $100. The access to the trail is on Yorkhouse Road just east of Delany Road. This is in the Gurnee/Wadsworth area. There is a 6 dog team limit and no motorized vehicles allowed. From the parking lot, you must cross open farm field to reach the defined trails to the north. While the trails are not yet detailed for length, there are many opportunities to change routes as the trails wind and cross themselves routinely. This is as good as it gets in this area. Specific information about the dog sled area is available on our website. A permit application is available online at http://www.lcfpd.org/preserves/index.cfm?fuseaction=preserves.viewActDetail&object_id=129 along with a bit more detail about the area. Huntington, Indiana - "Kil-So-Quah"
Reservoir Campground Over 6 miles of looping trails, which can, by taking a haw or a gee here and there be made into 3 miles, 4.5 miles, 6.2 miles, 1 mile, etc. without any head-on passing or duplication of trails. The trail is a multi-use trail shared by hikers [occasionally] and mountain bikers [often during summer/fall season]. Do not use the trail if it is wet and muddy. Use common sense, and clean up after yourself and dogs. Our club has scheduled times when we will be there, always beginning at 9:00 a.m. We welcome other mushers to come and visit. Maps available from the contact listed above. Can-Am Crown 20-Mile Sled Dog Training Loop Can-Am Crown's 20-mile sled dog training loop in Fort Kent, Maine, now has about two feet of groomed snow cover. There is no charge for use of the loop, and all mushers and skijorers are encouraged to use the trail to train and condition their dogs. The course is signed, and water is available near the 9-mile and 12-mile marks. Local mushers have been running the loop, which takes them about two and a half hours. The development of the training loop originated as part of a $28,000 grant awarded to the Town of Fort Kent from the Maine Department of Conservation's Recreational Trails Program. Private landowners have granted permission for use of the trails as a sled dog training area, not for use by ATVs or snowmobiles, except as necessary for trail maintenance. ATV riders and snowmobilers are requested to avoid the training loop so as not to endanger dog teams and jeopardize future use of the trail. The training loop starts in Fort Kent at Glendale Siding (now Robert McBreairty & Sons), which is 1.2 miles west of the Violette Settlement Road on Rte. 161 ( the St. John Road). The loop runs west along the Heritage Trail (abandoned railroad bed) for 3.5 miles, then turns off the Heritage Trail to take mushers over a roller coaster course which crosses Wheelock Lake, runs just south of St.Almond Pond, and loops down thru the Spaulding Pond area. Can-Am trail boss, Dennis Cyr, has set up a small cabin for a rest stop and campsite at Spaulding Brook, 12 miles out on the trail. The course then continues on to the pastures of Guimond Farms, to the east branch of the Violette Settlement Road, and finally runs west parallel to the Heritage Trail for 1.5 miles to the starting point. This is a very scenic, but challenging trail -- an ideal training ground for anyone planning to run a Can-Am Crown race. In fact, much of the training loop (about 14 miles) is also used by all three Can-Am Crown races. Mio, Michigan - Huron National Forest Large network of trails located in the Huron National Forest. Trails include non-maintained seasonal roads, logging trails and horse/hiking trails. Most have a good sand base for fall training. The area is also excellent for winter camping. Baldwin, MI Two locations: one for flat, easy training and easy highway access; the other location features remote, challenging trails with lots of hills and intersections. Both are private properties with reasonable camping fees. The Wooden Nickel (U.S. Hwy. 10) Location for M.U.S.H. sprint race for the past 10 years. Campground with electric, trail access from campground, some seldom-traveled road crossings, variety of trails and distances. Individuals or groups. Hall/sound equipment available for rent on premises also. Shower House available in warm months only. Outdoor privies. Last Chance Retreat Remote area about 5 miles from The Wooden Nickel. Camping area with limited electric. Looping trails on 100 acres of mature growth forest with lots of intersections for gee/haw training, lots of hills, trails 7 ft. wide or more. One mile rugged drive from county road to camping site/trail head. Horses also welcome spring, summer and early fall. Property bordered on two sides by USFS land (with non-motorized trails). Trail use and/or camping fee. Individuals or small groups. Duluth Area Ah-Regah Kennels, Mahtowa, Minnesota Ah-Regah Kennels has up to 7 miles of roller groomed trails at your disposal for training. You have options of 4.2, 5.4, 6.3 or 7 miles in which to train. There is a separate parking area available in our field with trail access. E-mail or call for more information. Minneapolis-St. Paul Area A couple more skijoring trails: [Thanks to Mark Johnson for providing this information.] Fort Snelling State Park The trail is a multi-use trail so there may be skiers, biker, hikers and other dogs on the trail. Parking is available at the south end off Black Dog Road (under the Cedar Avenue bridge). A State Parks permit is required for that lot. On the north end there may be parking available at the MN/DOT commuter lot by the St. Peters Church. The trail is through the tunnel from that lot. Rum River Central Three Rivers Park District (763) 559-9000 Dogsledding and skijoring are permitted on designated trails within Three Rivers Park District. With the exception of the multi-use trail at Baker Park Reserve, a special-use permit is required; call the Reservations office at (763) 559-6700 for further information, permits and maps. Crow-Hassan Park Reserve (5 ½ miles) / Elm Creek Park Reserve (11 miles) Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (3 miles) Baker Park Reserve (4 miles) http://www.threeriversparkdistrict.org/trails/trails_skijoring.cfm Gateway & Luce Line Trails, maintained
by Minnesota DNR The Luce Line Trail is a crushed limestone surfaced trail built on an old railroad bed that starts at Parkers Lake in Plymouth. From Parkers Lake to Stubbs Bay (about 7 miles) it is closed to motorized use, including snowmobiles and ATVs, but is open to running, walking, biking and cross-country skiing. There is a horse trail that parallels the limestone surface which is also closed to motorized traffic in this area. There are several road crossings between Parkers Lake and Stubbs Bay with the longest unbroken section being a stretch about 3-miles long which runs from Old Long Lake Road near the Wayzata Country Club to Willow Drive just west of the town of Long Lake. There are three bridge crossings in this stretch, one over US 12, one over the Burlington Northern railroad tracks and one over Orono Orchard Road; all have closed bottoms and fenced sides but all can be free of snow during warm and/or low snow conditions. There is a lot of foot traffic in this area, particularly dog walkers and occasional cross-country skiers. The horse trail in this area is very challenging with a lot of short, steep hills and a narrow path. It's a favorite of local mountain bikers in the summer and fall. The stretch from Old Long Lake Road to Willow Drive is well protected from the sun in most areas so there's often snow there when it is gone everywhere else. In regard to the trail west of Stubbs Bay, there are a lot of aggressive (very fast) snowmobilers who can be a danger to slower moving traffic. Most are really great about slowing down and/or pulling over for dog teams but there are a few who just go rocketing by so teams have to gee-over really fast. Rochester Area Douglas State Trail Out and back. Some road crossings, but works well to be dropped in one area, and then picked up as far out as you like. Snowmobile trail side by side with XC Ski Trail. Keep your teams on the snowmobile trail. Terrain is level to slightly rolling. Old railroad grade. Some bridges to cross also. No motorized carts or ATVs allowed. Because it is so straight, you can see and hear snowmobiles approaching. NH
Mushers Association Phillips Brook Backcountry Recreation Area The Phillips Brook Backcountry Recreation Area is the home base for all sled dog activities in the North East. Training, recreation, skijoring, and racing on non motorized 150 mile trail system. Our 24,000 acres centered around a lodge at 2000' elevation has snow in October and reliable from late November to April. We groom about 50 miles with an 8' wide drag and set no tracks. We groom another 30+ miles with snowmobile and drag. Trails range from old logging roads to plowed roads to steep high mountain trails to almost 3000' to spruce and fir lined riverside trails. We host the Yankee Siberian 30 mile and Yankee Alaskan Malamute Freight races. There is parking at the Paris Base Camp for day training, yurts for lodging at parking areas, and remote yurts for mushing into on all levels of trails and terrain. The Lodge is remote 10 miles in on a plowed road and fully equipped for a sled dog base camp. We have several guides who offer sled dog experience trips from day trips to multi day yurt camping deep in the wilderness. We are very proud of the Beargrease, Can Am, Race To The Sky, Iditarod, and Yukon Quest teams and mushers who use our trails. The trails are for non motorized use only and open to the public for skiing and pets so other dogs may be on the trails with their owners. Moose are the biggest problem. The trail system is so long and the users so few that mushers should be prepared for any conditions. In winter the conditions are the same as below tree line on Mt Washington. Cold, windy, Snowy. As one Iditarod musher said, " Phillips Brook has elements of the Iditarod, Beargrease, and Fort Kent all in one." Check out www.phillipsbrook.org for maps and pictures. Its time to put New Hampshire and Phillips Brook on your map and schedule and stay where you mush. Bashakill Fishing & Waterfowl
Area, Westbrookville N.Y. This consists of a old railroad bed that travels through the countryside with water on one side and fields and hills to the other. The trail is adequate for cart and sled work and several distance runs can be obtained by starting from distance point along the way ranging from 2 mile round trip to a 5 1/2 mile round trip to the longest being 20 miles. Entrance to the trail can be accessed from South Rd. in Westbrookville and then follow the signs. You can see the trail from the road and if you can't find it you've got no business being out there with dogs!! There's always plenty of parking as this is not a heavily used area in the winter. Submitted by B.K. Manning dogman@frontiernet.net Winona Forest, Loraine, NY Submitted by Larry Obrist, Lake Effect Sled Dog Adventures, Lacona, NY Phone: 315-387-2610, E-mail: lobrist@tcenet.net Cle Elum Trails Sled Dog and Skijoring opportunities on the Cle Elum Ranger District. Northern Wisconsin Dog Mushers Association trail, between Cornucopia & Bayfield Northern Wisconsin Dog Mushers Association trail system is now open from the Apostle Islands Sled Dog Race starting area between Cornucopia and Bayfield in the gravel pit on Highway 13. People can email me (wear@wolfsongadventures.com) if they want maps or call the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce at 715-779-3335 for more information. There are loops at 6, 10, 15, and 30 + miles. Trail signage is good for the first couple miles and the trail is packed until it snows again. Submitted by John Thiel WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN Cornell/Lake Holcombe The first trail is Moonridge Trail. Total length is 12 miles. It is an old gravel logging road kept graded in Winter. It is always hard packed and fast, beautiful scenery. The second is Deerfly Trail. This one is over 20 miles and not plowed. They are located about 40 miles North of EauClaire. Contact Paul Giencke at 715 239 6535 or e-mail: PaulieG@centurytel.net
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