Winter trails being prepped

The Missoula Snowgoers plan to begin grooming snowmobile trails in the Lolo Pass, Granite Pass and Gold Creek areas as early as December 1, depending on snow conditions.

The Snowgoers operate under a Forest Service Special Use Permit. They plan to begin grooming in the Granite and Lolo Pass areas, grooming to the warming hut and down the East Fork drainage, and then grooming the remainder of the system as snow accumulates and conditions allow. Gates along these roads will be closed so that the roads/trails will become available for snowmobiling.

At this time there are no trail restrictions. All system trails will be available week-long. If restrictions are necessary for administrative use, maps with the trail restrictions will be posted at affected trailheads, the Lolo Pass Visitor Center, and the Lolo Hot Springs Resort. The maps will be updated as restrictions change.

The West Central Montana Avalanche Center will begin posting advisories on Friday December 17th and will post two advisories per week on Fridays and Mondays at missoulaavalanche.org. The avalanche center, in cooperation with Trailhead Sporting Goods and the Powell Ranger District, plan to have a beacon park set up near the Lolo Pass Visitors Center, available to the public for beacon practice. The beacon park is only available for use when the visitor center is open, Friday through Monday.

Winter recreation passes will be required to park at the Lolo Pass Visitors Center beginning December 5th. Day and season passes will be available at the Visitor Center during normal hours of operation. After hours, only day passes will be available at the Visitor Center. Season and day passes will be available at The Trailhead and at Lolo Hot Springs.

For additional information or questions contact Carl Anderson at (406) 329-3976.