Trail Conditions

Near Madison

Blue Mound SP (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 2 2026	Fair	Classic	Kyle Richard
🔗	BMSP received half an inch of snow overnight. Coverage is still good, though there are thin spots near the trailhead, campground, and under the pines in Pleasure Valley. There is also another dirty area in Pleasure Valley related to brush removal and burn piles. No tracks.
January 30 2026	Fair	Classic	Blue Mound SP Staff
🔗	Able to level the top 1" of snow and scratch the deck level. The base is still thin (2") and firm, and coverage is generally good. No track was set. Expect downhills to remain fast, with thin coverage. Vehicle tracks in the campground have been removed. Blue Mound State Park will have its Candlelight Ski & Hike on Feb. 7th from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. A 1-mile candlelight ski loop and a 1-mile candlelight hike loop will be available.
January 28 2026	Good	Classic	DarylH
🔗	Fair to Good, but surprisingly good given the limited snow cover. Some skied in tracks. Thin and firm with mostly good coverage. Downhills are faster than they've been, been not bad and with good control. I'm still using B skis for peace of mind, but didn't notice any scratches.
January 25 2026	Fair	Classic	Kyle Richard
🔗	I skied the entire trail system. There are currently no machine-made tracks, though some sections have usable skier-made tracks. Coverage is generally good, but it’s starting to thin in a few predictable spots, most notably on the initial descent into the campground and under the pine grove in Pleasure Valley. Some drifting has also occurred on the upper skate loop, though those thin areas are easy to avoid. Overall, the trails have become quite firm due to the recent extreme cold and skier traffic. In less-trafficked sections, there is still about an inch of unpacked snow sitting on top of a solid base. A few areas, particularly parts of John Minix, Willow Spring, and Flint Rock, still have some leaves and debris (including a few larger pieces of scat), though conditions are much cleaner elsewhere. One note of concern: a vehicle appears to have driven through the campground. It doesn't affect coverage, and they're largely avoidable, but skiing over them isn't very fun.
January 21 2026	Good	Classic	DarylH
🔗	Much improved since Sunday. Still a thin base, but mostly good coverage, the small thin-bare spots are easily available. I'd rate mostly good (maybe on a bit of a curve, given the current conditions!). If you're comfortable with the hills the best trail is beyond the campground and through the hills. Though I think I came through unscathed, given no track and soft, thin tread I'd recommend a wider "B" ski for stability and peace of mind.
January 21 2026	Fair	Classic	Bue Mound SP Staff
🔗	Trails were groomed on Jan. 21st and in fair condition. The deck is about 2", but you can expect many thin areas as well. No track was set due to the lack of depth. Blue Mound State Park will have its Candlelight Ski & Hike on Feb. 7th from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. A 1-mile candlelight ski loop and a 1-mile candlelight hike loop will be available. Please bring snow....
January 19 2026	Good	Classic	Kyle Richard
🔗	The trails firmed up quite nicely overnight, with some new snow covering up most of the thin spots I had noticed yesterday. The only truly sketchy areas are under the pines at Pleasure Valley, and that nasty area of brush right next to the trailhead. The campground is also felt a little thin relative to the other trails. Hikers had been out in a few spots.
January 18 2026	Fair	Skate and Classic	Friends of BMSP
🔗	We set corduroy for the entire trail system, save for a few cutoffs and the trail to/around the top of the mound (only rolled). The snow is extremely fluffy and compacted to only an inch or two. There are stretches that look great, but quite a few others where the groomer unfortunately brought up a ton of debris. The "base" was mostly bare ground, but there were some sections I slipped on at John Minix where some ice had survived the warm spell. A big thank you to the skiers who helped get me unstuck! As we were finishing up, it began to snow moderately, which should help.
January 18 2026	Fair	Classic	DarylH
🔗	Had been lightly groomed (thanks!), but is fairly thin tread. 90+% covered, but plenty of thin, bare or churned spots. So, have to keep a keen eye for bare ground and occasional gravel pebbles. Still, quite a nice ski, best is below the campground and through the hills. Lightly groomed and rarely used made it almost good, but still needed to watch.
January 17 2026	Good	Classic	G.Rae
🔗	A delightful wonderland for a waxable (blue/green) ski with nary a trace of my tracks. I was able to stay in grooves laid by groomer WVH who rolled beautiful wide lanes on all the trails -- with a warning of possible gravel at the bottom of the hill in the campground stretch due to no true base. I savored the medium (Willow Springs), short (John Minix), and Pleasant Valley loops in under 2 hours. This lightweight skier enjoyed kick and glide with ample coverage as lanes were constantly refreshed with a dusting of beautiful snow. Thank you to Willi for his persistence and expertise in helping keep BMSP a pristine paradise. If only hikers followed the "no hiking" winter signs and refrained from gouging newly groomed trails . . .
January 17 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Crew
🔗	We rolled all the trails. 6 or 7 inches of fluffy snow with no base under it.So,you will touch the ground .some.

Cherokee Marsh (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
January 29 2026	Good	Classic	Tony Miller
🔗	Trails were all snow covered with skier-made tracks and some new grooves (not tracks) from recent grooming. Unsurprisingly, the trails closest to Wheeler Rd had lots of footprints from hikers - but trails in the back forty were generally footprint free.
January 21 2026	Good	Classic	Denise
🔗	I was pleasantly surprised to find grooming in progress shortly after lunch today. They have packed the snow down, no tracks set. Most of the debris is covered now, what is left is easy to step around.

CXC Outdoor Rec Center (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 5 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Yuriy
🔗	Snowmaking trails groomed for classic and skating in the AM. Trails on the golf course are currently closed due to insufficient snow coverage in several areas.
February 4 2026	Excellent	Skate	Brian Parks
🔗	Solid deck. Mostly clean except for the usual north end of the upper field. Good news is that that area will be filled in later today by the volunteer crew (Team Medicare!!). So, after it sets up tonight, Yuriy and Chip will make it great corduroy tomorrow morning.
February 2 2026	Excellent	Classic	Kevin S
🔗	Doesn’t get much better. That pesky turn at the north end is good now with good coverage, but will be hard to keep that way if we don’t get more snow. Delightful conditions overall. Thanks to the crew!
February 2 2026	Fair	Skate and Classic	Reid
🔗	Went out for my usual 3pm mini-skiathlon. Some snow was added to the north end of the field, and was reasonably safe to double pole through today. However, warmer temps and sun did not do us any favors. Skate deck still pretty good but classic tracks not doing so hot. Groomers are doing a great job all things considered and as a fresh transplant from Minnesota I’m happy to have been able to ski for a solid 2 months so far. Looking at long term forecast things will probably be winding down soon. Get out while you can!
February 2 2026	Good	Skate	Dan D
🔗	Excellent on man-made loop-ventured out on golf course-the 1/2" of new snow helped make the trail good with a thin base but enough cover- the south flat portion was excellent. However, the east end by the pines -is a long stretch of bare ground
February 2 2026	Excellent	Classic	Brian Parks
🔗	Another fine day on the magic carpet. Deck and tracks in great shape on the entire manmade loop. Groomers filled in a lot of the exposed section on the north end of the upper field. Skiing should be great all week. But it will get softer as we progress. Enjoy!
February 1 2026	Fair	Skate	Reid
🔗	Skied Sunday afternoon. What snow exists is in great condition. Fast, not too hard, not yet transformed. However, we need more of it. The thin spot on north end of the field (furthest from the snow guns) is borderline unskiable with the gravel speed bumps poking through. If it were just this area, I’d say good, but there are debris zones on about half of the rest of the snowmaking loop. That being said, looking at the forecast it is probably the best we’ll get for a while here. Hoping to get out with the B-skis tomorrow and Wednesday afternoon with the “until the sun sets” crew!
January 31 2026	Excellent	Classic	Brian Parks
🔗	Great day to be out on the white beauty. Tracks are a bit worn, but in beautiful shape. Thanks Chip and Yuriy. North end of the upper field is the only place where one should take caution due to thin snow and hence a bit of exposure and dirt. Get out here folks. It’s going to be stellar all week and possibly even better if we get a dusting tomorrow and/or Monday. Yow baby!
January 31 2026	Good	Skate	Chip
🔗	Used the Gator to groom for skating.
January 29 2026	Good	Classic	Craig Fischberg
🔗	All the tracks were very solid, the far north end of the loop is getting quite thin with some gravel starting to show through. If they haven’t covered that area with Snow, I recommend Bwe’re very solid, the far north end of the loop is getting quite thin with some gravel starting to show through. If they haven’t covered that area with snow, I recommend B skis. I managed to get a new groove in the bottom of one of my good skis. It wouldn’t take much snow to cover that portion.
January 28 2026	Excellent	Skate	Ian Duncan
🔗	I should have chosen my classic skis as the tracks are excellent at all parts of the current skiable territory. Ideal for lessons. Skate deck also excellent but the cold snow makes it very slow - go striding - easy kick wax!
January 28 2026	Good	Classic	Cowboybob
🔗	At 12:30 pm classic tracks well set on the CXC trails. Northern portion of the big loop is very thin. Importing some MM snow there, to cover the snirt, would be a big improvement.
January 27 2026	Excellent	Skate	Cowboybob
🔗	What a joy! Blue sky, full sun and excellent skiing. The skate deck at 1:30 was firm corduroy, a dusting of loose snow, just enough to make edging easy. (The classic tracks looked good, as well.) Amazing grooming! A day like today demonstrates the mission of the CXC can be realized. Snowmaking and great grooming -- even without much natural snow -- makes for excellent skiing.
January 27 2026	Excellent	Skate	Dirk Lacker
🔗	Haven’t been to CXC in a couple weeks, impressed with the snowmaking loop work. Freshly groomed, firm hard deck. Plunge felt safe, plenty of control. You can make a nice little loop with a couple big climbs. The out and back on the power lines (round -a -lot?) was thin but worth a ski and also groomed today. Thanks for keeping us alive CXC
January 26 2026	Good	Classic	Ian Duncan
🔗	I skied at around 1:00PM yesterday as Yuriy was grooming the trail. Contrary to another report from yesterday, skating looked perfect on the upper part of the loop and on the two climbs to the left, with well groomed corduroy. The classic tracks were better than the previous day. Obviously more snow is needed and for the moment the golf course is best avoided (in my view!)
January 26 2026	Poor	Skate	Dan D
🔗	poor by cxc standards -ungroomed boiler plate -golf course very thin, uneven and ungroomed. man-made loop needs some serious tilling
January 25 2026	Fair	Skate	Cowboybob
🔗	Skied the CXC trails at 2:00 pm. Base is hard and crusty but skiable. Base is very thin 10% or so, lotsa grass and ground up leaves in the deck. Groomers doing the best they can with what's there. New natural or more man-made snow desperately needed. Pleasant View trails similar but have more sections very bare.
January 25 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Chip
🔗	Used Piston Bully today and groomed skating and new classic on the man-made snow loops.
January 24 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Chip
🔗	Groomed mostly the man-made snow loops for skating and some classic. Classic tracks are somewhat drifted over. Did a partial grooming on the golf course which had a lot of drifting. Hopefully it's skiable. Have to say that Yuriy (and Dave making snow) have done a fantastic job to the artificial snow loops.
January 22 2026	Good	Skate	Cowboybob
🔗	Skied the golf course trails and CXC loop at 12:30 pm. Golf course trails are good mostly but very wind blown, several sections are thin, lots of grass, barely navigable, rock skis recommended. The CXC loop is in great shape, full coverage wide and very firm skate deck
January 22 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Yuriy
🔗	The snowmaking loop was groomed for skating and classic using a pull-behind groomer. Excellent conditions. Trails on the golf course were groomed for skating with the roller. There are some drifting areas, which is a good thing for now, given our thin snow coverage. However, there are also a few spots where the wind has blown snow off the trail; these areas are still skiable where there is grass. Fair conditions. There are a few locations where the trail crosses golf cart paths and the pavement is exposed, or snow coverage is very thin. Please ski with caution through those areas.
January 21 2026	Excellent	Skate	Cowboybob
🔗	At 11 am the CXC skate deck was excellent. Firm base, wide and not bare spots. The golf course trails were only fair: loose and soft base. The colder temps coming will help firm up the golf course trails.
January 21 2026	Good	Skate	Yuriy
🔗	The snowmaking loop and trails on the golf course were groomed using a snowmobile and a roller to pack down the new snow. Conditions should be good for skating. Classic tracks on the snowmaking loop remain in good condition from yesterday, with a light layer of fresh snow in them. Trails on the golf course have thin snow coverage, so please ski with caution. Use your rock skis or B skis. We may return this afternoon to pack the trails on the golf course again.
January 20 2026	Excellent	Skate and Classic	Yuriy
🔗	The full snowmaking loop was groomed for skating this morning. Classic tracks remain in good condition. We finished pushing snow in the open area and will keep two stockpiles from last weekend of snowmaking (one on the east side and one on the west side of the field) in case we need to move snow to thin areas if Mother Nature challenges us again with warm weather or rain. Trails on the golf course remain closed. We will roll them this evening before the snow arrives and roll them again early Wednesday morning after the snow stops. We may keep them closed on Wednesday to allow the new snow to set up so we can begin grooming with heavier equipment without the trail breaking down from skiing or grooming. The forecast calls for temperatures to remain below freezing, so skiing should be great for the next week or so.
January 19 2026	Excellent	Skate and Classic	Yuriy
🔗	The snowmaking loop was groomed for skating, and the classic track was reset in areas where it had drifted over. We started pushing the snow that was made over the weekend, and will finish pushing by the end of tomorrow.
January 18 2026	Excellent	Skate and Classic	Yuriy
🔗	The snowmaking loop was groomed for skating and classic using the snowcat. The far north section of the Upper Field Trail remains very thin for approximately 100 meters; please ski with caution in this area. Snowmaking will continue throughout the day and is expected to finish sometime after 3:00 p.m. Due to ongoing snowmaking operations, the Upper Field Trail will be skied out-and-back today: start counterclockwise, and once you reach the west end of the trail, return clockwise. Please note that trails on the Pleasant View Golf Course remain closed. The trails were rolled yesterday, but there was only enough snow to roll them lightly. We need to allow the base to harden, and with a little additional snow later today or later this week, we hope to open the golf course trails soon. The golf course has been a great partner, so please respect this partnership by skiing only when the trails are officially open and following trail report updates. Skiing off designated ski trails or on trails that are closed is prohibited.
January 17 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Yuriy
🔗	Most of the snowmaking loop is groomed for skating and classic, using lightweight pull-behind grooming equipment as we continue packing fresh snow. Larger equipment tends to push snow off the trail, especially with the light new snow we received yesterday evening. The downhill section of the snowmaking loop is not groomed due to ongoing snowmaking operations, which will continue through the weekend. Please ski only on groomed sections. Attempted to groom the trail along the power line toward the switchbacks, but there was not enough snow to make it good. Trails on the golf course remain closed.
January 16 2026	Good	Skate	Brian Parks
🔗	Conditions quite soft and a tad slow today… including the skier 😂. One can ski the full upper loop without turning around. Yes, it is a bit thin and dirty out there at the far end, but quite passable. B skis recommended if you do that. With colder temps and snow production on the menu, conditions will just get better. Glad CXC survived the warm-up. No more of those please.
January 16 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Yuriy
🔗	The snowmaking loop was groomed for skating and classic using lightweight grooming equipment to pack fresh snow. Please expect older, transformed snow at the base of the classic tracks, as there was not enough new snow to fully reset the track. The north end of the Upper Field Trail remains very thin. We recommend continuing to ski out-and-back on the west and east sections of the Upper Field Trail, with the suggested turnaround point where the classic tracks currently end. There was not enough new snow to groom any additional trails. Please note that trails on the Pleasant View Golf Course remain closed until we receive more snow. We are planning additional snowmaking over the weekend in the large open area (HyCite Field of Play) in front of the under-construction trailhead lodge (Middleton Nordic Center) to fill thin areas and create a stockpile to move snow to the north end of the Upper Field Trail.

Door Creek Park (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 3 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Roger A Goppelt
🔗	Enough coverage for good gliding. Only rough spot near skating rink. One other skier today.The trials were good good for skating and classic.No footprints except for deer tracks A hidden gem.

Elver Park (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 4 2026	Good	Skate	Nancy W.
🔗	Wondered who made the parallel tracks in the soccer area looking like an aerial view of an archeological site! Good skating there and OK elsewhere, although falls on hidden small obstacles can happen. I go slowly, but others look fast and good.
February 4 2026	Good	Classic	John
🔗	May agree about skating which cuts into base?But a flat ski classic is the best-great kick with 3” powder on top of snowy field-Skied 2hrs back/forth/around on lower soccer field. Covered most setting new tracks great training for Birkie—-East has open field with same great opportunities!!
February 4 2026	Fair	Skate	Tony H.
🔗	Very sketchy out there. Really more like Fair to Poor. Rock & dirt skis for sure. A few stretches here & there you can get into a rhythm. Come on Heikki Lunta!
February 3 2026	Good	Classic	John
🔗	Same good conditions off and on track. May suffer if temps climb to high 30s with sun.Did whole course plus ( 8.5miles). East is very good too.
February 2 2026	Good	Classic	Jeff S.
🔗	Just an update to John's report. Amazing what a quarter inch of new snow can do for base that is just hanging on. Skied until 4 p.m. Monday. Grip was good with crown base. I just want to alert people that on the Eastside loop there is 1) a little patch of what sounded like partly exposed frozen cones, sticks and maybe gravel on the west end of the loop, down the little southern-exposed drop through the pines, and 2) a little patch of something gravelly near the center of the long descent on the east end of the loop, that then turns sharp left to head west to the base of the sled hill. It's about 2/3 of the way down. So use a little caution and may side-step down to investigate first. 3) Because track was earlier set so expertly, there is also 250 m of mostly superb deep and firm set CL track on the south part of the loop "where the sun don't shine." There are just a couple small bits of exposed grass in the bottom of that track. It's a great stretch!
February 2 2026	Good	Classic	john
🔗	Swix45 good on hills. fresh snow adequate --no break thru. did all east side hills downward without problem- 1hr 20 FUN
January 28 2026	Good	Classic	John
🔗	Did East trails in track!! & off into fields great ..Clean. West side again in good shape Downhills manageable on 205 classic skis. Making new tracks lacks long glide but great Feel of fresh snow.
January 27 2026	Good	Classic	John
🔗	Skied off groomed trail 4” fluffy snow. Soccer fields& around any open area Back today.
January 25 2026	Fair	Skate	Adam Kox
🔗	Classic skied on 1/24, night and day difference between prior midweek grooming. Unlevel, rutted, debris everywhere. Skate ski on Sunday 1/25, night and day difference from yesterday, more level, less ruts, less debris, cold and hard. What was poor I would grade fair/good. I used my B skis. Some track was removed on lower soccer field? Downhills were manageable, areas that the groomer had been through had enough snow the edge. Other areas were hard to edge.
January 24 2026	Poor	Skate	Sarah G
🔗	Very thin, lots of dirt; conditions seemed significantly worse than when I was last there Thursday night. Recommend rock skis if you have them. The best coverage sections were on the east side (the far east trail right after the downhill out of the woods was beautiful) but there's no way to get there without going through bad dirty sections up the central big hill or up the east side slope.
January 24 2026	Good	Classic	Ryan P
🔗	Groomers have done a great job with how little snow there is. Recommend b skis but there was only one very thin spot on the east side of the trails. Even had tracks on the both the east and west side long gradual striding hills which made my day!
January 22 2026	Fair	Skate	Madnorski grooming team
🔗	We groomed all trails East & West, skate only, to thin for tracks. Blowing & drifting covers our grooming quickly in the open areas.
January 22 2026	Good	Skate	TD
🔗	Really nice skating conditions, improved since yesterday's soft conditions. Grooming in progress again this morning. Nice work groomers!
January 21 2026	Fair	Skate	Andrea
🔗	Great conditions for the little soft snow we have. Happy to be on the trails.
January 20 2026	Good	Skate	daniel dudley
🔗	Nice to ski elver again- full coverage with parts of grass poking thru on open areas-in the northwest woods conditions were very good albeit very slow due to cold temps 3F when I started. Open area around ball diamond was even skiable-didnt make it to the southeast trails. After our forecast 2-4" snow-Elver should be back to "full strength"
January 18 2026	Fair	Skate	MadNorSki Volunteers
🔗	Groomed for skate only. Just enough snow for coverage but there is grass showing in open areas.
January 17 2026	Fair	Classic	Eric
🔗	Not groomed, plenty of tracks. Coverage is pretty good, but heard a little singing from the scales when I was under the pine trees. Glad I used rock skis.

Governor Nelson SP (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 5 2026	Poor	Classic	Roger A Goppelt
🔗	Enough snow yesterday to do woodland trail and the part that overlooks the highway.Some brances,grass, and rocks but skianke.Today would be last day.Definite scratches on my skisBut it is the rnd of the seadon.Old B dkis go for it but watch out for dome rocks and bare ground
January 31 2026	Fair	Classic	T Miller
🔗	We only skied the flats - starting at the far parking lot & looping back to the Morningside Trail. About 2-3 inch packed base on the trails with skier made tracks. Some easily avoidable small holes where hikers footprints left divits but entirely skiable and a pleasure to be out. Skied back along the shore on the lake from the pet swim area back to the main beach house- good snow on the drifts but thins out to ice about 50-100 ft from shore

Kegonsa SP (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 1 2026	Fair	Classic	Julie Gutmanis
🔗	Lots of cars in the ski parking lot! Classic tracks were skiable in most parts but with bare spots. The big hill was covered in leaves and debris. A PSA and my cautionary tale: while trying to navigate the downhill by going side to side slowly, must have hit ice or debris and tried to break a backward fall with an outstretched hand---ended up breaking my wrist as well! The snow layer was so thin and the ground so frozen solid. It was like landing on concrete. Hopefully, Sunday evening's snowfall added some padding, but be careful out there (and maybe consider walking down the side of the hill)!
January 29 2026	Good	Skate	Roger A Goppelt
🔗	A warm day with good skating.The left field small loop was great.Bigger field okay but some grass was on left side of skate deck.Hilly section good coverage.Only three skiers today.I saw a fox today. Next week a heatwave with snow.
January 27 2026	No Go	Classic	Roger A Goppelt
🔗	Good coverage for skate dwck abd classic tracks. Only a few easily avoidwd gravel in 5he campground loop. I skated a liitle bit and it was good. THE Oak Nature Trail had rocksand dirt on the final end of trail hilk climb I did not ski on the sledding hill or XC hill because there was dirt showing Every other trail was great.I only saw two other cars and no skiers.If you skion Thur of Fri the ranger station is open.They require a XC bike pass for 25 annual fee. That is new this year. TRACKING of trail is geeat.Worth a ski during this heatwave
January 23 2026	Good	Skate	Roger A Goppelt
🔗	Skied yestwrday right after it was groomed.Skate dwck good coverage but soft.classic tracks were better.DnR niw charges XC sking at Keginsa.Year pass is 25 dollars for XC and bike teails.Ranger station hours are only Thur and Friday.
January 17 2026	Good	Classic	Dave Ende
🔗	Dry fluffy snow, but not a good base. Ungroomed. However, paradise for those who want to break their own trail!

Lake Farm Park (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 2 2026	Good	Classic	Roger A Goppelt
🔗	Only one sking.Enough snow for good gliding today.I skated a little but the snow is thin with some grass.Today it was warm and fast skiing. Enjoy it bef I re it might rain this week.

McCarthy Park (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 2 2026	Fair	Skate	Eric
🔗	Trails were fair to good considering such little snow. A couple of the hills had lots of grass/twigs showing but still manageable with B skis and quite enjoyable!
January 31 2026	Fair	Classic	Pete
🔗	One persons fair is another’s good and another’s poor. If you’re not too much of a snob and don’t need tracks there are lines to ski the whole place. Bring B or Rock ski’s and a good attitude and the world is your oyster 🙂
January 23 2026	Fair	Skate	McCarthy Park Volunteer groomer
🔗	Groomed out the drifts today and smoothed out some areas with good snow, no go on the hills. you will find skiable areas, use cautions and Rock skis.
January 21 2026	Fair	Classic	Roger A Goppelt
🔗	En I ugh sn I w for classic and skating. I skied the outside loop but avoided diwnhills because if not enough giod snow. Still a great day and warm wxceot for wind.One more good day of warm weather.Get out and ski
January 21 2026	Fair	Skate	Sarah Guillot
🔗	Recommend B skis, lots of spots with grass or leaf litter poking through the snow and some dirty spots, especially on the hills, but no real care patches and it had been groomed which I wasn't sure it would be so that was nice! The front loop had the best coverage except for right where you enter by the parking lot.
January 20 2026	Poor	Skate	Roger A Goppelt
🔗	Hills no go toi much dirt.Outer loop had enough snow but often grass.Slow going.I saw three classic skrs they were okay.There is snow on the way so even a inch or two would be good skiing.Seceral inches would be needed for the hilly sections.Tommorow could nb e a goid skiday
January 19 2026	Fair	Skate	McCarthy Park Volunteer Staff
🔗	Groomed the trails today, there are no classic tracks, too thin. Some nice spots to ski, some bad spots as well. You should be able to enjoy some skiing, bring your B or Rock ski's.
January 18 2026	Poor	Skate	Andrew Leaf
🔗	Trails were rolled Sunday morning. Many areas had good coverage but in many other spots the snow was thin and grass and other vegetation was showing through. Because of this, we decided not to groom today. The trails are still probably skate-able with rock skis if you want to get out.

Odana Golf Course (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 4 2026	Fair	Classic	Mark W
🔗	Was there at 7 am. Still decent coverage. Several places where tracks are down to the ground and some where you need to DP through a narrow lane to get through.
January 31 2026	Fair	Skate	Linnea
🔗	There is just baaarely enough coverage for the trails, but what a joy to get out finally! Areas under trees were in the worst condition with a lot of debris and grass showing. However, where there was snow it was hard packed and fast. The loop along Milward Dr had the best, most consistent snow coverage.
January 30 2026	Fair	Skate	Kiffer
🔗	The skiing was great! There are a few sections that make your skis feel like you are in a 'war zone', and you feel them slowing you down (twigs, grass, dirt, some rocks). Aside from that, there is still skiing to be had. Have fun!!! -- Continue the snow dance to bring more cold weather and moisture.
January 25 2026	Fair	Classic	Courtney
🔗	A Finn told me that I needed to work on my sisu so I went out. Fair bit of grass showing through the tracks. Thanks to the groomers for setting the tracks!
January 25 2026	Fair	Skate	Dirk
🔗	Nice to get out for a ski. I used my “A” skis with no damage to report. Several areas were thin but was able to pick my way through or double pole to avoid any damage to my bases. With that said B ski would have been a better choice.
January 24 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Peter B
🔗	Well groomed today after the recent wind and blowing snow events. Skate lane is good condition. Classic track is set all the way around, but has grass showing in sections.
January 22 2026	Fair	Classic	YellowJacket
🔗	Did 2 laps mid afternoon. Here and there (~10%) remnants of nice, machine-set tracks, but the rest covered by blowing snow. So trackless shuffling next to the skate deck most of the course, good for balance, double poling and fresh air.
January 22 2026	Good	Skate	Jeremy Todd
🔗	Good conditions and coverage, but I could hear poles making contact on the golf cart path in numerous spots, sounding like I was roller skiing. Ski made contact with the cart path on the incline back to club house, would recommend rock skis.
January 21 2026	Good	Skate	Jonathan Patz
🔗	Skated this morning. Pretty good coverage (just minimal grassy spots) and by 2nd time groomer passed over, skate deck was firming up, though still on the soft side. If you can ski a flat ski, you'll be fine 🙂
January 20 2026	Poor	Classic	2KSkier
🔗	No sign of grooming for either skate or classic. Shallow man-made tracks occasionally made me feel as though I were skiing. High winds have removed much of the snow, leaving grass to show in places. Someone with connections may wish to come take photos to demonstrate to the City the need to plant more trees, or to at least create a dedicated ski loop at Odana protected by conifers, which could double as a running/hiking loop in summer.
January 18 2026	Good	Skate	Brian Parks
🔗	Full coverage, but thin in spots with grass poking through. Couple more inches and we'll be much better off. It is groomed for skating, not for classic. But many classic skiers have set their own track. Very soft and slow snow today. Hard work.
January 17 2026	Good	Classic	Tom S.
🔗	Better today, thanks to several inches of new powder. Trails are still ungroomed, but classic skiers have made tracks. A few thin spots; otherwise, good cover.
January 17 2026	Fair	Classic	Connie D.
🔗	Fair for skier-made tracks. Well-covered, but uneven and soft in spots. Still great to be out!
January 16 2026	Poor	Classic	Arya Nielsen, PhD
🔗	Great to be out skiing but snow is shallow and the grass acts like a brake. Slow going. Need more snow.

University Ridge Golf Course (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
January 26 2026	No Go	Skate and Classic	University Ridge Staff
🔗	Attempted to groom yesterday, but too many bare spots. Closed until we get more snow.
January 23 2026	No Go	Skate and Classic	University Ridge Staff
🔗	Due to extreme low temperatures and thin snow cover, the University Ridge trails will be closed through Sunday. We will attempt to groom on Sunday and have a new report on Monday morning.
January 22 2026	Fair	Skate and Classic	University Ridge Staff
🔗	We are going to hold off grooming until Sunday. The trails are open today until 4pm but there may be some drifting in spots. We’ll post again Sunday after grooming.
January 21 2026	Fair	Skate and Classic	University Ridge Staff
🔗	Should have everything groomed by 10-10:30am. Conditions are soft. We’ll attempt to lay classic tracks on all trails, but it is likely that grass will be popping through in spots. Open until 4pm today.
January 20 2026	Fair	Skate	University Ridge Staff
🔗	We were able to groom all trails for skate skiing but it was too thin for Classic tracks. Open 11am-4pm today. It's supposed to snow tonight and that might give us enough to put tracks down. We'll be out in the morning and post about conditions once we know more.
January 20 2026	Fair	Skate	University Ridge Staff
🔗	We are out grooming this morning. Hoping to have all trails ready to go by noon. Not sure if we have enough to put tracks down. We'll report when we are finished.
January 17 2026	No Go	Skate and Classic	University Ridge Staff
🔗	We will not be opening the cross country ski trails this weekend. We are hopeful that we can up all trails on Tuesday, January 20th if we get enough snow coverage. We'll post on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning to confirm. Thanks for your patience.

East of Madison

Lapham Peak - Delafield (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
January 25 2026	Excellent	Skate	daniel dudley
🔗	Arrived early to find perfectly groomed man made loop. did not go on the natural snow loops Was Plus 4F when I started-only a couple other souls out. With light winds skiing was not bad and surprisingly not too slow given the temps. tracks looked really good as well.

McMiller - Eagle (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
January 30 2026	Fair	Skate	Dan D
🔗	First time at mcmiller this year. Skied the blue loop trail early this am 4F. Trails ungroomed apparently haven't been groomed since the 22nd. So need some serious grooming as the center portion is hard packed and uneven. Some areas under pines etc very thin with lots of debris- understand not grooming there but back portions of the trail have plenty of snow Downhills manageable due to cold temps ie slow glide. the new lodge is a nice setup with nice changing rooms and indoor toilets-be nice if nordic trails could get the same setup.

Nordic Trails - LaGrange (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
January 22 2026	Good	Skate	daniel dudley
🔗	Skied the blue loop early morning 6F and 1" of new snow on groomed base. Full coverage on the trail with a few thin spots-trail was very uneven as snow consistency is very dry and light. Very slow due to temp and new snow Part of blue was closed do to icing as posted but sign up to follow a bypass alternate blue. Nice to ski Nordic again-one of my favorites.

Just North of Madison

9-Mile - Wausau (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 3 2026	Good	Skate	Dan D
🔗	Skied the 20k loop plus. Full cover freshly groomed- only issue was debris on parts of the trail otherwise overall very good 8f temp made it a bit slow initially.
January 17 2026	Excellent	Skate	Dan D
🔗	Took a drive up to nine mile -well worth the trip. Did the 20km loop. Solid base that was groomed yesterday with about a half inch of new snow. making downhills easily manageable. tracks looked good as well. Surprised that skiing the whole 20km-I did not run into another skier.

Iola Winter Sports Park (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
January 31 2026	Excellent	Skate	Dan D
🔗	Skied the black and blue loops. Arrived early morning 5F to absolutely perfect groomed trails. Was one of the first ones on the trails. found it to be fairly fast considering the temps. Kudos to the grooming crew-Was best groomed natural snow trail I've skied on all year. The grooming crew should teach a class or a forum on grooming- these guys are the best!

Mirror Lake SP - Baraboo (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
January 23 2026	Fair	Skate	Aaron
🔗	The park recently groomed most of the trails. I did Turtleville on the 22nd. There are no tracks set, but there is a nice corduroy base for skating. Unfortunately it is not thick and part of the trail are in poor condition with exposed leaf litter and even dirt in a few areas creating by the grooming machine. The worst spots were the steep hill and the sections by the logging (so stupid that state parks are now open to logging). I still had a good time but the rough spots were disappointing. I understand the other trails should be in slightly better condition. We really need more snow.
January 17 2026	Fair	Classic	Aaron
🔗	There is enough snow as of Jan 17th, but the trails haven't yet been groomed. I don't know when this is scheduled or if anything will be done Saturday. Skiers were making their own tracks on Fern Dell which kind of worked, but kind of didn't. Hopefully the park grooms tomorrow.

Standing Rocks (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 1 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Denny B
🔗	I classic skied yesterday and today. Andrea skate skied today. Very happy with the snow conditions, they’ve done a great job with the snow they have. A fun place to ski.

Other Locations

Other (Back to Top)

Date	Condition	Style	By
February 5 2026	Excellent	Classic	Darren B
🔗	MOUNT ASHWABAY (Bayfield, WI): Our first visit here in many years, Joanie and I circled the trail system on many of the single-track classic only trails, including Deer Path, Sugar Bush, and Oppendahl's Alley. The tracks appeared to have been groomed recently with some fresh powder on top, and pole plants were still solid. These trails go through scenic woodlands and have a good flow, with gentle climbs and descents. They appear to be two-way, which is unusual for classic-only trails. Thanks for the grooming and care of these trails!
February 4 2026	Excellent	Classic	Darren B
🔗	MOUNT VALHALLA (Washburn, WI): Joanie and I returned to these trails for the second time this week. We strided the A and B loops on the Valkyrie classic-only system, but not the C loop, because it appeared a track was set on on the first steep hill after the B loop cutoff (it is difficult to slow down/stop on a steep downhill with a track set down the middle). Otherwise, the grooming and tracks were nice and solid. We then strided the A, B, and C loops on the Teuton combination trails. The tracks and skate lane were also solid and in excellent condition. Thanks for the great grooming!
February 3 2026	Good	Skate and Classic	Darren B
🔗	COPPER FALLS STATE PARK (Mellen, WI): Trails had a light coating of snow over yesterday's grooming upon our arrival this morning. Joanie and I strided the Meadow and Pipeline trails, and then skated a couple of laps on the Meadow Trail. The tracks were good overall and the skate lanes were a bit soft-a very enjoyable ski thanks to Monday's grooming.
February 2 2026	Good	Classic	Darren B
🔗	Mount Valhalla (Valkyrie and Teuton Trails) near Washburn WI: These trails have an "Out West" feel, with their long climbs and descents and distant views. Joanie and I strided Loop C on the Valkyrie Trails and Loops A and B on the Teuton Trails. There was about 2 inches of powder on the trail, but it was easy to ski in the existing track and still have solid pole plants and an enjoyable ski. It was nice to have some loose snow on some of the bigger hills. The skate lane on the Teuton Trails would be challenging with the new snow cover. Thanks to Connie and the volunteers for maintaining these very special trails that we have enjoyed skiing for many years.
February 1 2026	Excellent	Skate	Darren B
🔗	WinMan Trails-Winchester/Manitowish Waters: Phenomenal skating conditions this morning on perfectly groomed trails-thank you groomer(s)! Joanie and I skated all the dog-free trails (and some more than once). The trails were very level and firm, with some nicely groomed soft snow on top. The tracks were not newly set, but still looked very good as well.
January 31 2026	Fair	Classic	Roger Goppelt
🔗	Owen Conservation park. A hidden gem where I saw a flock of turkeys and a huge deer. I skied the main sections and a small trail in the woods. Tehre was good snow coverage but icy. The downhills are very fast BUT the logs they have horizontal to the trail to stop runoff were barely covered so they could cause damage to nice skis. However th skliing was fun for about an hour. This is locatede off Old Sauk Road and a map is available on the Madison XC trails websiute. A great place for quiet classical skiing. Too narrow for a lot of skating but possible on some of the hills but watched out for the logs. The trails into the woods are more like snowshoeing trails but can be done very slowly on classicakl skis. More snow on Sunday will make this park really skiable. Try something new,. This is great for classical skiing and very isolated and quiet. :Lots of wild life and great downhills