events, News, what's new

EVENTS

The January 18 ribbon cutting is history and was a huge success, despite the sub-zero weather. While the weather limited the outdoor activities, it didn't dampen the energy and spirit. Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to get this trailhead established. Without it, there would be no easy access point for the trails. Look for more information about the event in the next newsletter.

See pictures from the event below.

NEWS

Rain Event of June, 2024

In summer, 2024, a 1-in-300 year rain event damaged the bridges round Flathorn Lake (See photo on right). Two bridges cannot be used for skiing in their current condition. Since Flathorn Lake is the only access point to the ski trails, the Friends of Flathorn-Gegoka ski trails worked feverishly with the U.S. National Forest Service to establish a new access point on Jensen Road. Through the summer and autumn, we obtained the necessary permissions, lined up contractors, cleared an area for parking, and completed improvements on Jensen Trail from Highway 1 to the new access point parking area. The trail was completed a couple weeks before the first snow and has been used by exuberant skiers since the first snowfall (see trail conditions). We are hosting a ribbon cutting event on Saturday, January 18, to celebrate the completion of this trailhead. See Events above for more information about the ribbon cutting event.

About that rain event. As stated above, the rainfall over much of the Arrowhead approximated a once in 300 year rain event. Most of the region received at least inches of rain, with locations reporting more than 7 inches. But more importantly, this rain fell over a relatively short time of about 6 hours. The result was widespread flooding and considerable damage to infrastructure in the area. Below are some interesting links concerning this storm.

• MPR story on the event

• National Weather Service storm summary

• Bridge damage between Flathorn and Rat lakes

• Bridge damage between Flathorn Lake and Rat Lake

• Bridge between Flathorn and Gegoka lakes following the storm. Note the extensive flooding.

Forest North podcast

On October 8, Nancy Schultz, George Lokken, and Jeremy Pischke shared the history and their personal views of the ski trails and the Lake Gegoka area in a Forest North podcast. Click on the link above to listen to the podcast. The home page for Forest North podcasts is found at this link. These podcasts focus on activities, events, resources, and more for the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota.

WHAT'S NEW

This is a new section to which we will be adding information that may be of interest to people who use and support the ski trails and the Arrowhead region in general. We have been updating our web page to keep it more up to date and to provide interesting information. Examples of updated pages include this page and the new tab called Our Trails, including updates to Ski Conditions. Check them out.

Current Conditions

January 31: A dry stretch the past 10 days, but snow is falling, with 3-7 inches expected. This should be high quality snow at an air temperature of 16 degrees. The snow is needed, as snowpack has dropped below the 20th percentile, meaning in 4 years out of 5, we would expect more snow on the ground at this time of year. As of this posting, snow is expected on Wednesday, 4 days from now.

January 21: Recent snowfalls, though not large, have somewhat improved the snowpack in the Arrowhead. The region is now at about a 20-40 percent ranking. An average year would be at 50 percent. The past week has seen some of the coldest temperatures in recent years. But the cold snap was relatively short-lived. The 10-day forecast shows temperatures approaching freezing by the end of the month. We'll see.

Despite the December rain, much of the region is still in a moderate drought. This is because the rain fell on frozen soils and promptly ran off rather than soak into the ground. This rain may help rejuvenate lakes, rivers, soil, and wetlands, but without a good snowpack, we could be back in drought conditions this spring.