When natural disasters like floods, fires, tornadoes or particularly damaging storms sweep through an area, the news coverage is rightfully most often focused on threats to human lives and/or the dwellings and services the local people depend on.
Often – but not always – overlooked by the mainstream media is the mess that is made of local recreational trail networks.

Yet every year, a few stories trickle to the surface of Herculean efforts made by local snowmobile club members to clear massive amounts of debris, rebuild trail surfaces, replace culverts and/or washed away bridges, and much more.
It might be easy to visualize folks with chain saws and heavy equipment, painstakingly moving downed trees one at a time. But often times, work is also needed on the financial front, as underfunded clubs spearhead efforts to seek local, regional and national support from governmental bodies, corporations, foundations and more. There are grants to apply for, permits the need approval, agencies on many levels that need to be involved and much more.
A recent appearance by a snowmobile club president on a folks public radio station portrays the situation well, and is worth the listen to anybody who wants to hear an interesting success story.
Sharon Hexum-Platzer of the Lutsen Trailbreakers club in northernern Minnesota tells WTIP North Shore Community Radio the two-year effort behind getting a 65-foot bridge replaced on the super-popular CJ Ramstad North Shore State Trail. The bridge was washed out in a 2022 flood.
The span in now being built and will be installed this winter. But one could argue that the efforts to get funding and approval for the project were more complicated than physically building the $492,500 bridge itself. Give it a listen (it’s at the bottom of the story within the link). It’s educational, interesting and small-town folksy, all at the same time.
It’s also one more great reminder of the importance of snowmobile clubs. All across the Snowbelt, clubs are solving problems every year. As you’ll hear, some of this stuff gets pretty complicated, but in the end their efforts keep trails open and great.
Clubs do FAR more than groom trails. Listen and find out one great example. Thanks to the Lutsen club, and also to WTIP for the important role it plays in that area.
Editor’s Note: Every Snow Goer issue includes in-depth sled reports and comparisons, aftermarket gear and accessories reviews, riding destination articles, do-it-yourself repair information, snowmobile technology and more. Subscribe to Snow Goer now to receive print and/or digital issues.