54 FALL 2021 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 03 SNOWGOER . COM
55 but once a rider begins exploring the Black Hills National Forest on snowmobile the picture becomes far less cluttered .
Pretty much every trail has broad sections that are lined with trees – predominantly evergreen like ponderosa pine and Black Hills spruce , but you ’ ll also come upon broad sections of whitetrunked quaking aspen and paper birch plus occasional oak and ash hardwood trees that decorate the landscape .
The trees , though , are generously spaced in most areas , allowing the sun and light to pour through , plus there are many broad clearings with open meadows that serve as food lots for the wildlife in the spring , summer and fall , but extended playgrounds for snowmobilers in the winter .
That interesting mix was on display as we explored most of the trail network in the northeast portion of the national forest the first morning and early afternoon . The trails were wide and groomed flat , and signing at intersections left no doubt where we were headed .
When empty stomachs started to growl by mid-afternoon , we followed the signs toward one of the most renowned snowmobiling destinations in the Snowbelt – the Trailshead Lodge in the west-central portion of the Hills . Since its founding in the early 1980s , Trailshead Lodge has been dedicated to snowmobiling and other trail-based activities . In fact , the trails in the immediate area were designed around its location .
“ We tell everybody if the diamondshaped trailer markers are on your left , you ’ re headed toward the Trailshead Lodge ; if they ’ re on your right , you ’ re going away from us ,” current owner Todd Ebright said during our stop there . With gas , food , sled rentals , service and other amenities on-site , a handful of modern cabins out back where we ’ d previously stayed and a huge parking lot often filled with trucks and trailer across the street , it truly is a hub .
There are two locations to the north that first-time visitors to the Black Hills simply must visit . Our favorite is the weaving trail up to Spearfish Canyon past Roughlock Falls . It follows a river bed that carves through towering walls of exposed granite – seeming to defy logic , trees with exposed roots grow out of the rock-hard surface , while in other places water seeps through the walls , making frozen creations that melt on warm , sun-baked days . It was on the trail up to Spearfish where the aforementioned incident with the Ski-Doo and Steve occurred . No harm , no foul .
The other side-venture is a trip across the Wyoming border to the Cement Ridge Lookout – at 6,647 feet , it ’ s one of the highest points in the northern Black