Cross-Country Ski Trail Conditions on the Gunflint Trail
Welcome to winter on the Gunflint Trail! Cross-country skiing is one of the #1 activities on the Gunflint Trail in winter. Find complete Gunflint Trail ski trail conditions report below.
Trail reports are updated weekly once the season begins, typically mid-November – April.
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Click to expand on the trail system for complete trail report and trail details.
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- 124 E. Bearskin Road
- 800-338-4170
The Central Gunflint Trail Ski System is located about midway up the Gunflint Trail. The trail system is maintained by two resorts, Bearskin Lodge and Golden Eagle Lodge. More than 77K of beautiful groomed trails through the woods and wilderness are available for skiers. Bearskin…
TRAIL CONDITIONS
- Date: 1/29/2025
- Trail Base, Staked: 7"-11"
- Snowfall Last 48 Hours: 2.75"
- Snowfall Last 7 Days: 4.25"
- Snow in Woods, Staked: 12"-15"
- Surface Conditions: Groomed fresh snow
- Last Grooming Day: 1/29/2025
- Total Season Snowfall: 36.25"
Central Gunflint Trail System Conditions Update/Notes: From Golden Eagle Lodge: 1/30/2025: Groomed everything fresh again late Thursday night after the warm day. Great skiing continues! (Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)
Central Gunflint Trail System Conditions Update/Notes: From Golden Eagle Lodge: 1/29/2025: We received just shy of 3" of new snow. With a larger snowfall over good base, we were able to move quite a bit of snow over known rocks and thin spots, as well as do quite a bit of additional leveling. Everything has been groomed fresh again as of this morning. Fantastic skiing out there right now. The lake crossings are still blowing in by mid-day but we'll continue to groom them daily to keep them as fresh as possible. The rest of the trails are sheltered, and with calmer winds, they should hold up very well. (Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)
Central Gunflint Trail System Conditions Update/Notes: From Golden Eagle Lodge: 1/28/2025: We’ve received about 2” of new snow so far this morning and a couple more inches are forecasted throughout the day. We groomed the north side of Flour this morning as well as the skijoring trail and lake crossings. The wind on the lake is blowing in the lake trails pretty quickly but isn’t affecting the trails much in the woods. We’ll be grooming the south side trails early in the morning tomorrow as well as the north side again. Great skiing right now! (Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)
Firsthand Trail Reports from Skinnyski.com: 1/31/2025: Pristine conditions for both classic and skate! Ruth Baumann does a fantastic job grooming the trails at Golden Eagle! We enjoyed all the hills on the Old Logging Trail, the Ridge Trails with their scenic views of Flour Lake, and a few others. Central Gunflint is our favorite area to ski! (Bill Lundberg)
Firsthand Trail Reports from Skinnyski.com: 1/31/2025: Trace of new snow over newly groomed Poplar Creek loop off the Gunflint this morning. Excellent conditions as they have been up here for the last week. Shared the trail with three classic skiers and two moose. Well, didn't actually see the moose, but they clearly enjoyed a stretch of the skate deck. (Walter Ebertz)
Firsthand Trail Reports from Skinnyski.com: 1/29/2025: Excellent conditions, everything perfectly groomed (that we skied on anyway). Monday thru Wednesday skied Logging Camp north, and east of Flour Lake; North-South Link across Flour Lake; small part of Red Pine (eastern outlet); Deer Mouse; Moose Pasture; Beaver Dam; Poplar Creek; and Cabin Loop. Snow is pristine, temps perfect. (Vince King)
Firsthand Trail Reports from Skinnyski.com: 1/28/2025: Yes, bring your best skis. 2-3 in of fresh last night, snow showers most of the day. Classic loop on the skins, perfect for groomed section, skiing in the 2-3 inches ahead of the groomer and following where others claimed it ahead me. Looped through BWCA section as well, always skier groomed there. It's like winter here. (Walter Ebertz)
Firsthand Trail Reports from Skinnyski.com: 1/26/2025: Wonderful wintry conditions on the Central Gunflint. Enjoyed first 3 hour ski of the season. Some sections carried a half inch of fresh from last night and some were immaculately groomed this morning. Solid classic tracks and firm skate deck throughout. (Walter Ebertz)
Firsthand Trail Reports from Skinnyski.com: 1/26/2025: Magnificent skiing up the Gunflint Trail this weekend! They got 6-8" a week or so ago, and 3" this weekend. All the trails I skied were in good to excellent condition, although my ski bottoms did get nicked a couple of times, so I'd recommend B skis. Both lodges are grooming almost daily and now that the weather is warming and the snow is getting faster, the conditions are excellent. (Bob Amis)
Grooming frequently occurs between the release of new trail reports. For the most up to date grooming information, as well specific trail conditions, please contact Golden Eagle Lodge (218-388-2203) or Bearskin Lodge (218-388-2292). Central Gunflint Ski Pass Required.
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- 143 S Gunflint Lake Road
- 800-328-3325
The Upper Gunflint Trail Ski System is privately maintained and is not part of the Minnesota Ski Pass system. Passes are available at Gunflint Lodge (800-328-3325) or Gunflint Pines (800-533-5814). This system meanders through the heavily wooded rolling hills along Gunflint Lake…
TRAIL CONDITIONS
- Date: 2/2/2025
- Detailed Grooming Report: https://gunflint.com/trail-report/
Upper Gunflint Trail System Conditions Update/Notes: From Gunflint Lodge & Outfitters: 2/2/2025: We got out early this morning to groom after getting 3 to 4 inches of fresh snow. This morning we groomed Overlook, Highlands, Ham Lake, North Star, Upper West End, Big Pine, Little Pine (lighted trail), Amperage and Lonely Lake. All of the trails are groomed with a classic track and a skate deck. We have great snow coverage and the deck and tracks are setting up really nice! (John Fredrikson, Gunflint Lodge & Outfitters)
Upper Gunflint Trail System Conditions Update/Notes: From Gunflint Lodge & Outfitters: 1/31/2025: We groomed the basin loop this morning. Overlook, Rabbit Run, Aspen Alley, Warren's Road, Cut Across, Power Line, Short Cut, River Run and Lower West End. All were set with a skate deck and a classic track. The snow coverage is really good and the skate deck and tracks are setting up really nice. The whole system has been groomed in the last three days with a skate deck on all trails and classic track and are ready for the busy weekend. In addition to the ski trails we have about 10k of skating trails cleared and groomed for skating. We rent Nordic skates which are longer skate. Loaded that use Nordic bindings and skate ski boots. (John Fredrikson, Gunflint Lodge & Outfitters)
Firsthand Trail Reports from Skinnyski.com: 1/31/2025: Really, really nice conditions on the Upper Gunflint. We skied Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on various trails, including Amperage, Highlands, Aspen Alley and Rabbit Run. Lovely snow on all of them, all recently groomed for skate and classic. It looks like winter is supposed to look up there! We also ice skated the skate trail that the Gunflint Lodge folks are maintaining on Gunflint Lake. We used Nordic skates. The ice is not perfect but very skateable.(Catherine Winter)
Firsthand Trail Reports from Skinnyski.com: 1/28/2025: Visiting Gunflint Lodge and enjoyed a day of skiing lots of the nearby trails! From the Lodge at about 10:30am, we did a large loop of Overlook, Rabbit Run, Aspen Alley, Highlands to Ham Lake, and then took it home on Rabbit Run and Overlook. Lots of fresh snow and great trail conditions, although we should have checked that Ham Lake hadn't been groomed. Made for great exercise making our tracks! Later in the afternoon, we skied Big Pine and about a mile and back of Lonely Lake. All the day's snow made for some really fun skiing. Thanks to staff for maintaining these trails! (Jimmy Canning)
Visit Gunflint Lodge & Outfitters or Gunflint Pines Resort & Campground to purchase your Upper Gunflint Ski Trail pass! Proceeds support the upkeep and grooming of the trail system.
A note to skiers, Gunflint Lodge has a pair of driving Clydesdales giving sleigh rides, Hannah and Heather. They begin their sleigh rides on Little Pine trail. If you see them, please give them space and move to the side of the trail while they pass. Give us a call if you would like to arrange a sleigh ride while you are visiting.
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- Poplar Creek Drive
- (218) 388-4487
The Banadad Trail System is a public ski trail managed by the Banadad Ski Trail Association, in agreement with the US Forest Service Gunflint Ranger District and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. History of the Banadad Trail: The Boundary Waters Act of 1978 called…
TRAIL CONDITIONS
- Date: 1/29/2025
- Trail Conditions Update/Notes from the Banadad Trail Association: 1/29/2025: Today we groomed (single track Nordic) the 1st 10km of the Banadad Trail. Come ski with us! (Andy Jenks, Banadad Trail Association)
- Trail Conditions Update/Notes from the Banadad Trail Association: 1/23/2025: We groomed the Banadad Trail again on Wednesday, the first 10k. Parking lots are plowed. 2-3" of new snow. (Andy Jenks, Banadad Trail Association)
- Note: We have cleared several miles of the West End but it is not packed or tracked. We have had a tough year getting our operation going but are making progress with great local support on the Gunflint Trail. We don't expect to have more of the middle of our trail system open this year due to serious downfall; of what we did, some sections had to be cleared and re-cleared over 5 times. We had great trail clearing help but will need next summer to clear/open the middle section. (Andy Jenks, Banadad Trail Association)
- Firsthand Trail Reports, from SkinnySki.com: 2/1/2025: Lots of other skiers, good conditions; tracked. Snow in the woods 18-24", the deck is 6-8". Grooming plans: Next grooming will be Monday or Tuesday. (John Craddock)
- Firsthand Trail Reports, from SkinnySki.com:1/30/2025: Visiting from Chicago and got to ski the Banadad for the first time, and it was fantastic. Tracks were set well, and we were able to go all the way to the end of the tracked portion and back. One small length of track about 4 miles in had been freshly stepped on by moose, but no issues at all beyond that! Thanks for grooming and for the opportunity! (Jimmy Canning)
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