Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – As the snowmobile riding season draws near, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issued a reminder Thursday for riders of important safety tips and registration requirements.
In a news release, the agency stated the current lack of snow cover means that Minnesota’s snowmobile trails will not be usable by the official opening date of Dec. 1 and several conditions must be met before trails are open, groomed and ready for travel:
- The first condition is the ground must be frozen. Where trails cross wetlands, 15 inches of ice are needed to support the weight of trail groomers.
- The second is adequate snow cover of about 12 inches must be on the ground to allow for trail packing and grooming.
- And a third condition states trails must be cleared of fallen trees, signs put in place and gates opened on official trails.
Registrations for new snowmobiles must be purchased in person at a local deputy registrar of motor vehicles and, for further information, riders should consult the MN DNR’s website. DNR’s licenses and vehicle registrations website (mndnr.gov/licenses).
Current conditions for lakes area snowmobile trails can be found on ULTRA Snowmobile Club’s website and Facebook page.
The volunteer service club, along with state and county agencies, take on task of grooming hundreds of miles of trails every winter
A statewide interactive snowmobile trail map can also be found on the DNR’s snowmobiling website.
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