Trail Reports

70 West, More 70 West and Even More 70 West

There have been lots of discussions about our club’s 70 West trail. You’ve likely seen our previous emails about the impact and coordination with the proposed bike trail and ATV trail, including some of the town meetings the club has been attending. But that is only part of the Highway 70 trail story. Our club actually has 3 separate projects in the works along 70 West running from Highway 51 out to Black Bear Bar.

The long-term goal of all the projects is to establish a consistent viable trail corridor for western access to Minocqua. Current sections of the trail are at risk due to continued development and connecting trails of other clubs are also at potential risk. There is a long-term goal for a better western connection to Price County as part of these projects.

This is some background information about what’s going on behind the scenes and the year-around work our club is doing to protect and improve snowmobiling in the Minocqua, Woodruff and Arbor Vitae area. So first we are going to identify the 3 separate projects.

From east to west, starting near the intersection of Hwy 70 West and US 51, near the high school and McDonald’s is the 70 West east…ok, that’s confusing, so we’ll call this one the Bullhead Lake section.

Next, we’ve got the 70 West central, which is the trail redevelopment and bridge over the river as part of the DOT work on Highway 70, along with the potential bike path and ATV trail along Hwy 70. This section has gotten a lot of attention in the last several months and is now part of a fundraising effort to raise money for the bridge (which will be a whole separate email to come).

And finally, we have the 70 West west part of the projects, which is the extension of the 70 West trail from Sheri’s Pub and Grub to the Black Bear Bar to connect to Forest Rider trails. This is what we call the 70 West extension.

So, from east to west, here is what’s been going on with each of these sections of the 70 West trail.

Bullhead Lake-70 West Trail east section

This section of trail currently runs on the north side of highway 70, and “meanders” behind various businesses. The goal of the project is to establish the trail on the south side of Hwy 70 from the high school to the Krist Oil gas station. The challenge is the swamp along Hwy 70 at Bullhead Lake, and various obstacles in the DOT right of way (light poles, utility boxes, etc.). Snowmobiles can ride the swamp, but a groomer cannot. Our club has engaged an engineering firm to study the route and determine the feasibility of extending culverts and avoiding the other obstacles present in this route. Once the study is complete, we will need to work with the DOT and DNR to determine what is feasible and what the cost will be, which our club will likely need to fund in some manner.

Trail Re-development and Bridge-70 West Trail central section

This is the section of trail west of the Krist gas station that currently runs “one way” in each direction. The Town of Minocqua was hoping to develop a bike trail in this area, and the ATV club is hoping to develop a trail along Hwy 70 to establish ATV access to the west of Minocqua. All of this is attempting to coordinate with planned DOT work on this section of road including a new highway bridge. The proposed bike path would have a dedicated bridge, and the ATV trail would need a bridge which snowmobiles could use (although snowmobiles are allowed to use the highway bridge). The town selected a south side of the highway trail and bridge for the snowmobiles and ATV club, although final choice of trail location is subject to DOT and DNR approval. Currently the bike trail is apparently on hold as the Town did not receive the grant money they had applied for. But a fundraising effort is being led by the Minocqua Area Visitors Bureau to fund the trail bridges. Look for more info on these fundraising efforts to come!

There will not be much “real” activity on this section of trail for the next several years. The DOT work on the highway and bridge is tentatively scheduled for around 2030. This is when our trail decisions and work will hit high gear.

Trail Extension-70 West Trail Sheri’s to Black Bear Bar

Our club currently has a trail that dead ends at Sheri’s Pub and Grub. Over the past several years we have worked with the DOT and landowners to develop a trail from Sheri’s to Black Bear along Hwy 70. All the background work including permissions and permits has been received and actual work on this section of trail is beginning this month. There is a lot of work including tree removal, material placement and excavating to do but we will at least have a good start on the project this summer and fall. It is currently doubtful that the trail will be able to open this year but stay tuned! And watch for workdays specifically for this trail extension which are starting this summer.

Summary

What does a snowmobile club do in the summer? This is just a sample of the type of working, planning and preparation that goes on all year! Trails don’t just happen…it takes planning and coordination to even get a trail and keep a trail system vital and functioning. Without multi-year efforts and planning we lose trails and access to key areas of our system. Support all clubs and the volunteers that make this happen!