Snowmobilers had a fantastic riding season this year, but all good things must come to an end — all 350 miles of the Black Hills’ snowmobile trails will officially close on Monday.
This doesn’t mean the trails aren’t rideable. This official closure simply marks the end of the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department’s trail grooming duties. Riders may still use the snow-packed trails but must stay on Forest Service land as contracts between the state and private landowners also terminate on Monday.
Snow has melted out in some areas at this point, especially around the southeast corner of the trail system, Black Hills Trails District supervisor Shannon Percy said, but in the central and northern areas and at higher elevations there’s still abundant snow.
Percy said snowmobile traffic was up significantly this year compared to last season. Game, Fish and Parks saw almost 65,500 clicks on trail counters at the end of February last year, and more than 84,000 clicks at the official end of the season. This season 91,404 clicks were logged through the end of February. This amounts to a roughly 39 percent increase in trail usage over last season.
While sledders in the Hills had a banner year, trail conditions were not as ideal in the eastern part of the state.
“Even though we experienced cold temperatures throughout the winter, a majority of the East River trail systems didn’t receive the snowfall that we’d like to see for trail grooming,” said Tony Schmitt, trails program specialist with the Department of Game, Fish and Parks. “The best trail conditions this season (in Eastern South Dakota) were in the Brookings, De Smet, and Lake Poinsett areas.”
For more information on South Dakota’s snowmobile trails, visit gfp.sd.gov/snowmobiling
