Winter Trail Report 12/18/2019
We got about four beautiful fluffy inches with this past storm. The snow from the last storm had pretty much disappeared, but there is a little ice under there, so be cautious!
Our volunteer stewardship agreement with NYS DEC allows us to start grooming after hunting season and once we have eight inches of snow on the trails, so we are looking forward to getting grooming soon! We need another good storm and we should be able to start.
We plan to start our snowshoe and cross country ski rental program after New Years, on Saturday, January 4th. As long as conditions allow, we will be open for rentals on Saturdays and Sundays through mid-March. We will also be renting on Martin Luther King Day and for Presidents' Day and February Vacation Week. Rentals are $5.00 per person, or free for our members.
Trail and Grooming Report 3/4/2019
Well, we got a little less snow than was forecast with two new inches. The trails were rolled this morning while the temperatures were still below freezing.This should keep the trails in good shape for the upcoming week and the cold weather that is predicted.Get out and enjoy the snow while we still have it!
Lots of Great Winter Break Activities Scheduled
No reason (or excuses) to suffer from cabin fever!You can get out of the trails with our snow shoe and cross country rentals - we have lots of kids and adults sizes.You can sign up for a nature walk or an owl prowl! There is something for everyone!!
Update for February 9th Winterfest and 8k Snowshoe Race
Trail and Grooming Report 2/7/2019
We have not groomed since the warm-up and rain. Grooming only happens when it is below freezing or it makes the trails worse!The trails are taking a beating as you can seen in the following pictures.
The warm-up and rain will continue through Friday then it is supposed to get cold again. We will see what the conditions are like after the freeze.We may groom over the weekend if the conditions allow.
Trail and Grooming Report: 1/30/2019
What great, fluffy snow! Looks like we got around 10 inches!!During the storm, the trails were rolled on Tuesday, the 29th when about 5 to 6 inches had already fallen.We will be rolling the trails again this morning as additional snow fell since then.Get out and enjoy while the conditions are great!!As always - PLEASE - do not walk in your boots on the trails that we groom. You can go across the road and walk on the trails at Camp Saratoga South or at Edie Road or at Neilmann. Walking in boots ruins the trails for everyone!!
Trail and Grooming Report 1/25/2019
What a bummer for the rain to ruin all of our beautiful snow!We did a reconnaissance of the trails this morning and while the trails in the forested areas are not in terrible shape, the meadow trails took a beating.The water accumulated under the snow and it has not completely frozen yet.
We are waiting to groom until the snow sets up.We want to also remind people to please please please not walk on the trails that we groom. There are so many other trails to walk on! One person walking can do tremendous damage as you can see in the picture below. These frozen foot prints are going to last a very long time!
Trail and Grooming Report 1/22/2019
There were so many people out enjoying the beautiful snow today!In anticipation of the coming freezing rain and rain, the trails were rolled again this afternoon.With the warmer temperatures and rain forecast through Thursday, we will not groom again until Friday at the earliest.
Trail and Grooming Report 1/20/2019
SNOW!!!We have lots of lovely fluffy snow!!The town plowed parking lot #1 earlier and it has more snow on it since the snow is continuing to fall.We are just getting ready to head out and groom, so barring equipment issues, that trails should all get rolled by this afternoon.
Cancelled: Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe
We have made the difficult decision to cancel the Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe for this year.The overflow parking lots (Parking Lot #2 and the Parade Ground) are extremely icy and dangerous.The same goes for the trails.We walked the meadow loop at Camp Saratoga and found that it is completely icy and is not safe. (See the picture below.)The forecast for 1 – 3 inches on Friday is not enough to groom but it is just enough to cover the ice and make it a hidden hazard.If the Saturday/Sunday storm that is being forecast moves in during the afternoon and into the evening, it will create additional safety concerns.While we are extremely disappointed to have to cancel, the conditions and the forecast leave us without much of a choice.We have lots of other great winter activities planned including our Winterfest on February 9th.Let's hope we get some great winter trail conditions soon!
Important Information about the 2019 Annual Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe
Annual Moonlight Ski and SnowshoeSaturday, January 19, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pmAt Camp SaratogaMaybe you heard that last year we issued a limited number of registration tickets to attend our free annual Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe because of the overwhelming interest in the event (over 7,000 indications of interest on Facebook) and the concern that everyone participating have a safe and enjoyable experience. The tickets were quickly snapped up by those who first saw the Facebook posts, and many of our long-time members and attendees were left disappointed. This year, we will send out a link on Monday, January 7th to our paid supporters in advance of the general public. This will give them an early opportunity to register for the event in case it sells out again. If you have not made a donation in the past year, we need two things from you – a paid membership donation before the first week of January and your current email address. If you don’t use email, please contact the office, and we will make separate arrangements for you. Your membership donation means that we can continue providing the year-round programs and activities that you have come to know and love, like the Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe!Donate Today!Join us at the popular and highly anticipated Annual Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe at Camp Saratoga on Scout Road. Luminaries will glow along 2.5 miles of groomed trails. Along the way you will find fields and forests, warming bonfires, and plenty of hot chocolate! There will be a bake sale of homemade goodies in the Winter Lodge, so stop in for some treats and to warm up.The terrain is suitable for all levels and ages and includes a smaller one-mile loop.Snowshoes will be available on a first-come first-served basis in the I.P. Winter Lodge off of Parking Lot #2. The rental fee is $5/person for non-members.Parking will be directed by volunteers who will collect people's registration ticket.This event is weather permitting.Please call or email for more information or if you are interested in volunteering for this event.
Grooming and Trail Report 2/7/2018
As of this evening we had ten inches of gorgeous powder.The trails were rolled early this afternoon after four inches had fallen, and again late in the day after anther six inches came down.Conditions should be great for this weekend's snowshoe race and for our Saturday Winterfest Activities!!Get out and enjoy these amazing conditions while we have them.
Grooming and Trail Report 2/5/2018
We are very happy to report that yesterday brought us 5 to 6 inches of very lovely snow.We will be getting out to roll the trails this afternoon, so we will update this report once they have been rolled.We are excited that there is more snow in the forecast for Wednesday so the trails should be in great shape for Saturday's Snowshoe Race and for Winterfest!!
Grooming and Trail Report 1/17/18
Snow, snow, beautiful snow!! Light and fluffy and lovely and groomed.The trails at Camp Saratoga were rolled late this afternoon after around six inches of snow had accumulated in the past two days.The trails are in great shape. Please do not walk on the groomed trails in boots - snowshoes and cross country skis only at Camp Saratoga North.You can use the trails on the south side of Scout Road to walk without skis or snowshoes.Our volunteers work hard to keep the trails in great shape and we appreciate your help in keeping them that way.
Grooming and Trail Report 12/22/2017
Today we got eight inches of lovely fluffy snow!!This evening, the trails at Camp Saratoga North were rolled in anticipation of tomorrow's warm up and rain.There may be some more snow in the forecast for Christmas Day - not a bad start since winter officially began on Thursday!!Once we have groomed the trails at Camp Saratoga North, we ask people to please respect the work of our volunteer trail groomers and DO NOT WALK ON THE GROOMED TRAILS WITHOUT SKIS OR SNOWSHOES!! Putting deep footprints in the groomed trails spoils them for everyone. There are lots of great trail on the south side of Scout Road that are not groomed and you can walk on them.Thanks!!
2/17/2017 Trail and Grooming Report
With the warming temperatures over the weekend we should have some really nice spring conditions on the trails!Grooming is tricky when the temperatures are above freezing. We will get out and roll the trails as we can as the temperature and conditions allow.We will be renting out cross country skis and snowshoes everyday from Saturday February 18th through Sunday the 26th from 10:00 - 3:00 at Parking Lot #1 at Camp Saratoga on Scout Road.Get out and enjoy the snow while we still have it!!
2/14/2017 Grooming and Trail Report
It is so nice to have snow!! The trails were rolled today at noontime.We have at least three different user groups for the groomed trails so please be considerate of the other users!Snowshoers - please stay to the middle and left of the trails, try not to walk through and flatten the classic cross country ski tracks on the right side of the trail.Classic skiers - try to stay to the right in the classic tracks.Skate skiers - we try to groom as wide as we are allowed, please have patience with the other trail users.
Grooming and Trail Report: 2/10/2017
The Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe is still cancelled for Saturday night. Based on the conditions and the forecast on Tuesday we had to make a decision based on those conditions. These surprise storms were not in the forecast at all at that time. We are as disappointed as the rest of you are.All of the trails were rolled this morning. The snow is very fluffy and dry with a one inch base on the trails in most areas. There is still ice in some areas under the snow so please continue to use caution.We are expecting a little snow overnight and more significant snow on Sunday.
CANCELLED - No Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe this year
UPDATE Feb 9: : Still cancelled. Storm totals for Gansevoort are predicted to be 1 -2 inches, Saratoga 3 - 6, and Albany 6 - 12. This storm is bigger the further south you are.Enjoy the snow, but we will not be having the event this year.Feb 7: We were really hoping that this storm would be the one!We were hoping that instead of rain and sleet and ice, we would get enough snow to hold our Annual Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe.Unfortunately, the trails are not in any shape to hold this event.There is not enough snow and too much ice, especially after things freeze up later in the week.Here's hoping for some more snow so that other upcoming events can take place.Please check our calendar page for all the other great events that are scheduled for the next months. http://www.wiltonpreserve.org/calendar
Trail Report 2/2/2017
So we were hoping for better winter weather than last year, but so far the snow fairies are not coming our way.As you might expect there are places where the trails are very icy, there are places where there is bare ground, and there are places were there is decent coverage. A real mixed bag!We are encouraging people to wear some kind of traction device like microspikes.We will make a decision about the Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe early next week.