Amid heavy snow, Oneida snowmobile trails lagged in re-opening

With snow on the ground and heavy snow coming down, all of Oneida County snowmobile trails remained closed through last weekend, even as neighboring Vilas County reopened its extensive trail system to riders on Saturday morning, March 14.

Oneida County finally got around to re-opening its trails three days later, on March 17.

For snowmobile enthusiasts, the contrast was hard to miss. While Vilas County residents and visitors were once again taking to more than 500 miles of trails over the weekend, the only sounds on Oneida County’s trail system were silence — and frustration from riders who believed conditions were good enough in most places to support re-opening.

Trails in both counties had closed temporarily, but Vilas County was ready for the quick winter weather turnaround, while Oneida County was not, despite the forecast and despite historically frequent late-March snowfalls.

The situation rubbed salt into still-fresh memories of last winter, when county officials and snowmobile club leaders clashed over trail conditions and over when and how trail systems should open.

After closing the trails this year, Vilas County announced on March 13 that it would reopen at 8 a.m. the next day after club officials determined conditions were safe for riders.

“Vilas County Snowmobile Alliance Clubs have certified that the snowmobile trails in Vilas County are safe to re-open,” Todd Bierman, Vilas County Parks and Recreation supervisor, said in an announcement.

Bierman thanked local clubs and landowners for their work preparing the trails for riders.

“Please thank these clubs for their efforts in preparing the trails to re-open; without these dedicated clubs and our landowners, snowmobiling would not be possible in Vilas County,” he said.

Even with the reopening, Bierman warned that conditions were not perfect everywhere and that some trails remained closed or rerouted due to water issues, and that grooming had not yet occurred in all areas.

Riders were also urged to operate cautiously.

“Riders are reminded to slow down and that drinking and snowmobiling do not mix,” he said. 

Bierman also reminded snowmobilers that most trails cross private land.

“Most riders do not know where public land and private property lines are, and we ask that when out on the trails, assume that all trails are on private property,” he said. “Off-trail riding is trespassing and could result in closure or loss of trails.” 

Slow response

In contrast, Oneida County’s snowmobile trail system — both club-funded and state-funded — remained closed through the weekend and Monday.

In announcing the earlier trail closings, the county had advised that the trails might re-open, weather permitting. 

Even with the re-opening, the county advised that some trails would remain closed: The Minocqua Forest Riders advised that the spillway over the Willow River was not frozen and not passable, so all trails south of that area would remain closed; Trail 5 (southern half) from TIN 524 to TIN 509 (Lincoln County Line) was closed; as were Trail 8 (western half) from TIN 522 to TIN 502 (Price County Line); Trail 8 from TIN 524 to TIN 463; and Trail I from TIN 536 to TIN 460.

For Northwoods Passage, Club Trail 51B remained closed and, in Three Lakes, Trail 45 from TIN 109 to TIN 101 in Monico and Trail Corridor 12 from TIN 107 to TIN 174 (Forest County Line).

County officials directed those with questions regarding specific trail conditions and trail closures to the local snowmobile clubs. In addition, the re-opening announcement advised that many trails would be minimally groomed. 

“Riders should always exercise caution when riding a snowmobile and be aware of changing trail conditions,” the county cautioned. “The trails are in rough late season condition. All lake and river trails in Oneida County are considered unsafe and should not be utilized unless they have been clearly marked by a local snowmobile club.”

As a reminder, the county continued, riders must stay on marked trails and off trail riding is trespassing and could result in closure or loss of trails and citations and fines for those who participate.

Not fixed

The delay reopened the wounds of last winter when the county’s snowmobile council refused to open the trails — they do so on a countywide basis — even though trails in the northern half of the county were adequate for snowmobiling.

In that case, the Oneida County forestry committee voted to open the county’s state-funded trail system anyway, which would have allowed individual snowmobile clubs to decide whether to remain closed. 

However, the Oneida County Snowmobile Council ultimately voted to keep the entire system closed and asserted it had the authority to do so, not only on trails maintained directly by clubs but on the state-funded trail system as well.

The council’s voting members include representatives from nine snowmobile clubs as well as the county’s forestry department. 

The controversy arises because, even though county-approved trails are those that receive state funding and are sponsored by the Oneida County Forestry Department, or are trails on which Oneida County owns the land or holds the land-use agreement, the forestry department does not have final authority over whether those trails open or close.

Under a 2021 ordinance, the opening and closing dates are determined by the county forestry department in conjunction with the Oneida County Snowmobile Council. County leaders vowed last winter to change the ordinance to give the county more direct authority over the trails it sponsors or owns, but those changes were never adopted.

The latest snafu drew complaints from some riders, with The Lakeland Times receiving messages from readers in recent days questioning why the trails remained closed while neighboring Vilas County had already reopened.

It also comes after a snowy winter that has proven difficult for another county department to handle. Earlier in the season, the county highway department faced criticism following storms during the Thanksgiving travel period when roads remained snow-covered for extended periods.

Motorists reported poor driving conditions across the county, while social media users compared the situation unfavorably with neighboring counties.

At the time, then-highway commissioner Alex Hegeman — who has since resigned and whose last day was March 13 — attributed the delays to several factors, including equipment failures and inexperienced staff.

“We were experiencing some lake effect snow, and we had hoped that the de-icing material used would have kept the road in decent shape,” Hegeman said at the time. 

A hydraulic failure on one of the department’s plow trucks also complicated response efforts.

“With many staff in the first or second year of their roles, the inexperience of our department showed over the long weekend,” Hegeman said. 

County board chairman Scott Holewinski said winter maintenance policies would be addressed in open session with a focus on traveler safety.

Ultimately, the county public works committee took no official action on the matter, though Hegeman said the department planned to improve communication, conduct storm debriefings, and update equipment as part of future response efforts. 

“Improvements will include more extensive communication between management and on-call supervisors before, during, and after storm events; departmental ‘debriefings’ after each storm; and continued efforts to update the plow-truck fleet and maintain reliable backup equipment,” he said.

Internal discussions were already underway, he said, as the department works to “provide a better level of service for all road users within our county.”

However, a second winter weather event during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period also raised concerns about response timing, as traffic compacted the accumulating snow before plowing operations began, creating icy conditions.

Richard Moore is the author of “Dark State” and may be reached at richardd3d.substack.com.