NYS Snowmobile Association President, Bob Perry out enjoying a beautiful day riding our trails, thanks Norm for another great year of trail grooming ! J

***CRANBERRY LAKE MOUNTAINEERS SNOWMOBILE CLUB MEMBERS***

Annual Season End Groomer & Landowner Appreciation BBQ

Saturday May 3^rd at the Pinecone

Monthly Meeting 11am – Annual BBQ to Follow Meeting

To attend members MUST make a reservation prior to April 19^th!!

Please call Deanna at 315-384-3114

***50/50 Club Raffle Winners Drawn April 5^th***

1^st Prize Lorie Lewis, 2^nd Prize Mike Wheaton, 3^rd Prize Mary Lou Agel

Congratulations!!

Thanks to all who support the club through ticket purchases!

Congratulations to all the members of the Cranberry Lake Mountaineers Snowmobile Club for having been awarded the 2007 New York State Snowmobile Club of the Year & to Ralph Collins for having been awarded 2007 Groomer of the Year by the New York State Snowmobile Association !!!

Join The Cranberry Lake Mountaineers Snowmobile Club & receive e-mails of current changes to trail & business closures & openings!

(includes memberships in both St. Lawrence County Snowmobile Assoc. & the New York State Snowmobile Association)

Live Cam at the Wanakena Ranger school !!

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Our Club’s volunteer’s groom trails in Cranberry Lake, Shurtleff’s, Newton Falls, Spruce Mountain, Brandy Brook, Windfall, Wanakena & Star Lake

Updated as conditions change

E-mail contacts for more trail info:

Darren Bullard @ d_s_bullard@yahoo.com or Brian Bullard @ bbcberry@HUGHES.NET

The Cranberry Lake Mountaineers Snowmobile Club and the host/administrator of this website assumes NO responsibility for trail and lake conditions. RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK & WITHIN YOUR ABILITIES.

Date Updated: Sat , April 5th, 2008

A great snowmobile season has come to a close. We had our season begin early with a very snowy December, four wicked wind & ice storms which gave us huge jobs of clearing fallen branches & trees from the trails & overall phenomenal trail conditions for four month! Special thanks to all our club & neighboring club volunteers who kept the trails cleared & groomed, making for an outstanding snowmobiling experience for all.

The end of the season brought very good news. The Main Haul Road (C8) was been re-opened to snowmobiles once the loggers finished & we now have gas available for snowmobiles at the Cranberry Lake Lodge.

Shurtleff’s / Sevey’s Corners area was groomed almost every single day by our very own NYSSA Groomer of the Year award recipient, Ralph Collins & those trails are unbelievable. Ralph has himself groomed over 500 hours this season & over 2,500 miles !! … & all as a 100% volunteer! J He is truly amazing. Thanks also go out to the rest of our dedicated groomers, who through a combined effort, maintained awesome trail conditions throughout the 4 month season.

We are extremely lucky to have such a great group of dedicated volunteers in our club who have earned the New York State Snowmobile Association’s 2007 Snowmobile Club of the Year Award for the entire state of New York – if you haven’t experienced riding our trails, you are missing some of the best snowmobiling in the northeast, as documented regularly on hardcoresledder.com & in the many positive e-mails we receive daily! J

Base:

Trail Conditions:

Cranberry Lake Ice Thickness:

Remember Cranberry Lake has numerous springs so no matter how cold temps we have, there is always thin ice areas or areas not frozen (ie: by the dam/public boat ramp/DEC barn at the north-east outlet of the lake, as well as other area’s). Always Ride any lakes at your own risk & be aware, the lake has numerous small islands & rocky areas that we cannot sign to warn you of, as well as numerous stumps in the river .

Lake Conditions: See above & Associated Press - January 30, 2008 3:15 AM ET

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - After an ATVer and three snowmobilers fell into Adirondack lakes this weekend, the state Department of Environmental Conservation re-issued some advice about ice.

The agency says pay attention to ice and weather conditions, particularly recent thaws and the likelihood of thinner ice farther from shore and near moving water.

An ATV and two snowmobiles went through the ice on Lake Pleasant in Hamilton County and a snowmobile went through the ice on Lake George in Warren County.

There were no injuries. The machines were recovered.

According to the DEC, there should be at least two to three inches of clear ice to be safe for walking and at least six inches to safely operate a snowmobile.

- Note: Brandy Brook Trail has just been closed Jan ‘08 temporarily due to logging

See additional Lake warnings under “Comments” at the bottom of this page

**********Scroll Down For Detailed New Snowfall Dates & Amounts***************

**SPECIAL NOTE** C-8/81 Main Haul Road was being actively logged from Route 3 to the Packard Club/Outpost Camp & was temporarily closed to snowmobilers, but has been re-opened as of Feb 21^st!! We had a fatal snowmobile into logging truck accident on a blind corner on this road Jan 9^th, 2006 so the landowners had advised no snowmobiles will be allowed on this road/trail while they will be logging it this season (or any active logging roads).

Leaving Cranberry or Windfall to go east on C8, we have the new “Outafit Trail” with clearly marked “Detour” signs to J29 (Main Haul Road or old 81) To get on to the new Outafit Trail, take the main trail (C89) from downtown Cranberry Lake (access via Mill St or behind the Community Center/Post Office) & instead of taking the left to Windfall approx. 2 miles north of town, make the right turn heading towards the Main Haul Rd / C8 aka old 81, which was closed due to active logging trucks. Just before the Main Haul Rd, you will make a sharp (almost 360 degree) left turn at the Detour C8 signs onto the newly opened Outafit Trail which will take you to Junction SL 29. It is just over 9 miles from downtown Cranberry Lake to Junction SL 29 & there you cross the Main Haul Rd & approx. another 3.2 miles will come to Junction SL 28, from which you can go to Shurtleff’s, Hams/Sevey’s Corners (for gas), Thirsty Moose (old Dumas’s), the Backwoods Inn, Little Blue Mountain & beyond.

Tooley Pond Road is being plowed all the way to Degrasse this year, for logging truck access, so us S80 / Railroad Bed trail that runs just to the West of & parallel to Tooley Pond Road.

Spruce Mountain Trail has also been re-opened as of Feb 22^nd!!

The trails on Cranberry Lake Fish & Game Club’s leased lands have been re-opened giving access directly into town so no need to ride Tooley Pond Road south of Windfall – this trail is now open & rideable with snowmobile trailer parking available behind the Community Center right in the middle of town!! In town, the Stone Manor Diner, Cranberry Lake Lodge & Ralphies are all open, but Lakeside General Store is closed for the winter, but gas is available in town as of Feb 14^th at the Cranberry Lake Lodge, as well as Ham’s at Sevey’s Corners or the Nice & Easy in Star Lake.

Please e-mail us if you have any suggestions/reco’s &/or other thoughts to improve your Cranberry Lake trail riding experience... that’s how we keep improving on them!

New Snow Dates & Amounts: ’07 – ’08 Season

Thurs. March 20^th … Spring began with 1” new snow overnight & 4” – 7” forecasted by 6amn Friday March 21^st!

Friday March 7^th into Saturday morning March 8^th, we got 4” – 5” of extremely wet heavy packy snow … great for the trails !! Saturday morning then the snow changed to heavy rain all day & then to sleet & freezing rain, covering all the trees with a heavy layer of ice … things went downhill quickly then as the winds picked up, bringing down hundreds of branches & numerous trees, knocking out power Saturday afternoon & we were without power through Monday afternoon with below zero temps both nights … we’ve had our hands full just looking out after our neighbors & keeping all our pipes from freezing! As of Monday night we’ve got power back, but the tree’s are all still ice covered & if we get any more wind, we’ll be right back in the dark. Trail clearing has already begun & for the 3^rd time this season!!

Monday, March 3^rd brought sunny skies with temps as high as 50 degree’s, melting most the snow on the lake & most all snow on road surfaces, as well as opening up moving water on some of the trails. Tuesday March 4^th again brought above freezing temps after ice & sleet in the morning making roadways very slippery in the early am, but all were blacktop by the end of the day. Tuesday night brought ice & sleet with Wednesday morning temps above freezing, with more rain & sleet with possible snow forecasted for the rest of the day.

Thursday, Feb 28^th we got another 1” – 2” new snow … we’re all set for a great weekend to ride!

Tuesday, Feb 26^th & overnight into Wed. Feb 27th, we got 6” – 8” of new snow! This was a big help for the few area’s lacking snow from moving water & heavy traffic’d trails J

Thursday, Feb 21^st into Friday Feb 22^nd, we got another few inches of new snow!

Tuesday, Feb 19^th we got 2” – 3” of new snow & we’re back out grooming! J

Sunday, Feb 17^th into Monday Feb 18^th we had above freezing temps with heavy rain L

Fri., Feb 15^th – we got 4” – 5” of new snow, when the forecast said 1” & then the temps dropped way below zero overnight (minus 12 degree’s @ 6am Saturday). Step off the trail & you’ll be in 3+’ of snow!

Wed. Feb 13^th overnight into Thurs Feb 14^th we had below zero temps helping both the lake & the just groomed trails!

Tuesday Feb 12^th into Wed. Feb 13^th we got 5” – 7” of new wet packy snow, just exactly what we needed to be able to groom our trails to perfection … & we are out every day doing just that! J

Mon Feb 11^th into Tues Feb 12^th we had 18 below zero temps & it is still 1 below zero @ 10am – Perfect for getting rid of any slush on the lake J

Sunday. Feb 10^th – white out conditions at times gave us 4” – 6” of new snow !! Trails are getting better & better, with more snow forecasted for Tuesday Feb 12^th!

Fri. Night Feb 8^th we got another 1” – 2”

Wed. Night Feb 6^th into Thurs. Morning Feb 7^th we got another 4”- 6” new snow & the groomers are out!! J

Wed, Feb 6^th We got 5”- 7” of new wet snow – just what we need to get the trails back into shape!

Tues. Feb 5^th brought temps in the low 40’s & heavy rain L

Fri. Feb 1^st. began with snow & than changed to heavy rain all day & into the evening, then changed back to snow – we got 3” – 4+” new snow & fortunately temps dropped & have remained cold, so whatever slush we had from all the rain, has frozen!

Wed. Jan 30th into Thurs Jan 31^st we got 4+ inches of new snow which groomed nicely, but also had a lot of wind so we lost much of it along Silver Lake & on the main trail into Cranberry making the snow cover there very thin – it’s much better once you get out into the woods!

Mon. Jan 29^th – Raining & 36 degree’s at 1pm L

Sat. Jan 26^th into Sun Jan 27^th we got another few inches of dry snow … a help, but really need a good heavy wet snowfall to make 100% of our trails excellent again.

Tues Jan 22^nd & Wed Jan 23^rd we got 7” – 10” more very dry snow, so we groomed all day Wed in Windfall, the north end of the Manhattan Trail, the trails in & out of Cranberry, Shurtleff’s & the groomer is out today on the Manhattan Trail to Wanakena

Fri. Jan 18^th & Sat. Jan 19^th we got 4” – 6” very dry snow … good as it has re-covered exposed ground, making our trails rideable, but needed it to be wet to pack better. Saturday night temps dropped to between 5 & 10 below zero, which is just what we need to freeze the shoreline of the lake & the river back up.

Wed. Jan 9^th we got a severe windstorm (up to 75 MPH winds reported, blowing over a tractor trailor on the Ogdensburg Bridge, taking an incredible number of tree’s down & knocking our electric power out at 10am through Friday Jan 11^th at 4am! Phone service was completely knocked out also for the entire town. This resulted in a huge undertaking by approx. 14 volunteer members of our club, to remove hundreds of trees & branches from our snowmobile trails, who got it done within 6 days!

Sun. Jan 6, Mon Jan 7 & Tues Jan 8^th all had unusually warm above freezing temps with rain & noon Tues., Jan 8^th, the thermometer just broke 60 degree’s & sunny L We’re in a major January thaw but colder temps forecasted for this weekend, but we’ll need more snow to get the trails back in shape.

Wed Jan 9 we had extremely high winds knocking out power & phone service to the entire town & we didn’t get restored until Friday Jan 11^th. Tree’s are down everywhere so we’ve got a huge amount of work to get the trails passable & then we need more snow & cold temps, which are forecasted for next week! J

Fri. Jan 4^th & Sat. Jan 5^th we got light snow – approx. 1” each day – riding was excellent!

Wed. Jan 2^nd & Thurs. Jan 3^rd – Extremely cold temps with lows to -16 & highs below 10 degrees

Mon. Dec 31^st we awoke to 5” – 8” of new snow !! & a lot more forecasted for Jan 1^st & 2^nd !!! J Winter has arrived early this year & we’ve already got great riding !

Thurs Dec 27^th we got 4” of very wet/heavy snow – excellent for reinforcing our base!

Wed Dec 26^th we had heavy rain overnight making for very icey conditions, but fortunately our trails held up surprisingly well!

Mon. Dec. 24^th – 6+” new snow! Just what we needed … groomers have been out since!!

Sun. Dec. 23^rd – very heavy rain all day L Fortunately we had groomed all of our trails & they held up quite well … however, the lake did not & is not rideable until we get a period of cold temps

Wed. Dec. 19^th – additional 1” – 2” new snow … unusually great early start to our season!

Mon. Dec 17^th – 8” – 10+” new snow, with some reports of over a foot !!

Sun. Dec 16^th – 4+” new snow

Dec 13^th to Dec 14^th (Fri) got an additional 4” – 5” of snow – we now have between a foot & 18” on the ground out in the woods!! Enough that we got the work sled & trailer stuck 3 times yesterday! We’ve got an early start on what’s shaping up to be an excellent snowmobile season!!

Dec 11^th to Dec 12^th we got a very wet/heavy 6”- 8” of new snow – just what we needed to begin building a base on the trails!

Dec 6^th thru Dec 10^th – additional 1”+ each day & temps remained below freezing!!

Dec 2^nd thru Dec 5^th – additional 7” – 9” started out very wet/heavy & changed to powdery/light snow

Nov. 30^th into Dec 1^st, 2007 – 1^st snowfall of 4” – 4 ½” – had white out conditions Fri Nt!

Comments:

**EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! ** If you come upon a plowed road, you can assume it is for an active logging operation & around any corner there could be a loaded logging truck coming your way & taking up the entire width of the plowed roadway. You must be prepared to come to a complete stop at any time, so you must substantially reduce your speed on plowed roads! Give the loggers a break & save your own life & the live’s of others in your group.

CAUTION: Stumps in the river between the Hawks Nest and the Pinecone/Wanakena. As the lake level drops stumps will appear on the Beaten Track; what was a flat section last week could have a stump poking through now. It’s extremely important that you SLOW DOWN! Between the channel markers is the safest route on the River, but be very aware of the stumps!!

Cranberry Lake has area’s, including in the middle of the northern end of the lake, with rocks sticking above the surface of the ice, as well as numerous islands... beware! PLEASE REMEMBER AT NIGHT TO NOT OUTRUN YOUR HEADLIGHTS!! WE WANT EVERYONE TO BE SAFE AS THEY ENJOY THIS WONDERFUL AREA WE ALL HAVE TO RIDE AT NO COST!

Remember there is Trailhead Parking behind the Community Center in Cranberry Lake. It is extremely important that speed limits in town are complied with, especially on Tooley Pond Rd, River Rd, Riverside & Mill Street – let’s not jeopardize our access roads! Please save jumping on the throttle until you are out of town & it’s safe.

Special Thanks to our Trail Groomers who, TOTALLY VOLUNTARILY WITHOUT PAY, are at it again this season:

Darren Bullard (Trail Coordinator), Ron Caton, John Collins, Ralph Collins, Mark Glendenning, Leo Grant, Jerry Hobbs, Roy Lincort, Kenny Maxwell, Norm Santimaw, Bob Simmons, Todd Szlamczynski, Bob Tebo, Bill White, and the Chief scheduler Brian Bullard – they are the reason we have some of the best riding trails in New York! Thank you one & all! Help Support the Groomers - $1. buys a “Adopt a Groomer” card or a 2008 Winter Fun Button – available at the local restaurants.

***SPECIAL THANKS TO THE NEWTON FALLS HUNTING CLUB, LITTLE RIVER FISH & GAME CLUB, THE RANGER SCHOOL AND THE NUMBEROUS LANDOWNERS WHO GENEROUSLY DONATE TO ALL OF US, USE OF TRAILS ON THEIR LAND – WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

Groomers & Logging Trucks by law have the RIGHT OF WAY – Give them a break & come to a complete stop whenever you are approaching them, until they wave you by. Be Safe & enjoy the trails! J