
Q&A with a Mackinac Island Cross-Country Ski Trail Groomer
Q: Where can you ski on Mackinac Island? You’ll see snowmobiles all over in the winter because Mackinac Island is car free. But even snowmobiles aren’t allowed on the trails on the east side of the island. That’s where the Mackinac Island Ski Club grooms trails for skiing, with parallel tracks for classic skiing and flat, open paths of hardpacked snow for skate skiing. Depending on snowfall, a good five to 10 miles of trails are groomed any given day, sometimes as many as 15 miles if there’s enough snow on the ground. All the trails are free to use. “We need probably a foot of snow to start with, and we’ll just go out and pack it down and establish a base that freezes down,” Myers said. “We’ve got a lot of rocks here on the smaller trails, so you’ve got to establish a hard base, and then you start setting your track on top of that.” Check out this map of cross-country ski trails on Mackinac Island Q: When can you ski on Mackinac Island? Of course, this is weather dependent, so it’s best to call ahead and ask the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau if the trails are groomed and if people are skiing. Generally, the Mackinac Island Ski Club hopes to start packing snow by mid-December, so there are some good trails in place for the holidays. January through March is a pretty good bet for snow-covered trails, but you never know what the weather may bring. The streets on Mackinac Island all are plowed and have a hardpack of snow through the winter, so that’s a good option, too, especially for skate skiers. See average monthly snowfall on Mackinac Island
