Family-Outdoors

English: North Country Trail - Wisconsin, Brule Bog, Douglas Co. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Wisconsin looks and feels very more like November than April this week as rain, snow and unseasonable cold moved in across the state. Needless to say, the weather has dampened the spirits of anglers, bird watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts, and created additional challenges to hunters looking for turkeys. Many rivers in the south are running very high with some approaching flood stage. Slow-no-wake rules are in place on the Rock River in Rock County. All trails are open to hiking but they are wet and soft. Most mountain bike trails are closed. Mountain bike trails typically remain closed each spring for several weeks until adequate drying of the trail base. Trails managers are asking people to please stay off the soft limestone screened trails until the tread hardens to minimize damage to the trail surface. Deep ruts or footprints are difficult to fix and the trail is easier to grade with...

While some areas of west central Wisconsin received upward of a foot or more of snow last weekend, most areas receiving from an inch or two to 4 to 6 inches. Only a few counties in northwestern and north central Wisconsin have opened snowmobile trails, and conditions are listed as poor to fair at best. In most areas, there was not enough snow for groomers to even get out and pack down snow. State recreational safety specialists are reminding snowmobilers that it is trespass to use snowmobile trails before they are open. Opening of trails is done by county snowmobile trail coordinators based on recommendations from local snowmobile clubs that maintain the trails. Using the trails before they are open can make conditions more difficult for the volunteers, and can also jeopardize the easements that allow trails to cross private lands. A few state parks and forests reported that they have rolled some cross-country ski trails, but there were no reports of snow deep enoug...