Trail Registrations: All snowmobiles require registration, whether a Minnesota registration or one from another state. Out-of-state riders must purchase a Minnesota State Trail Permit for $ 51. Purchase permits online from the Minnesota DNR or in person at most gas stations. Find more information, including a list of license agents, at www. dnr. state. mn. us / licenses.

Safety Training: Minnesota requires a safety certificate for every snowmobile operator born after 1976. Safety classes are offered both online and in person. Learn more at www. dnr. state. mn. us / safety / vehicle / snowmobile / index. html.

What’ s Grant-in-Aid? You’ ll often see signs that designate a trail as“ grant-in-aid.” Grant-in-aid is a funding system where the DNR offers money to aid local clubs with trail maintainance. If you see a the sign, you can thank the clubs for doing the hard work and the state for providing funds to help them out.

No Studs on Paved Trails: Studded snowmobiles are prohibited from using public trails with pavement underneath the snow. Signage will alert you if you’ re entering a paved trail, and these trails typically have an alternative route for studded machines. Snowmobile trails on top of public paved trails account for less than 2 percent of trails.

Where am I? There are several sources for snowmobile trail maps, including large state maps from the Minnesota DNR( www. dnr. state. mn. us / snowmobiling / interactive _ map). Pro tip: Minnesota trails are numbered like highways, with odd trail numbers running north-south and even trail numbers going east-west.

Itasca Driftskippers’ West Shelter

ends at Pinehurst Resort( food / fuel) where the 300 Trail also ends. You can make a full loop depending on the trail you came up on to get back to Detroit Lakes.

A fun, shorter loop heading north on 300 is to veer off across Buffalo Lake and pick up Trail 100 in Richwood( food / fuel) or cross Rock Lake, which also connects to 100. Trail and 100 will take you ditch running to Sunlite Bar and Grill on Little Floyd Lake for a quick warmup with only a few miles back to your trailer at the Technical College.

NORTH SHORE TRAIL: A SHINING STAR

Do you want a slice of sledding nirvana? The CJ Ramstad North Shore State Trail offers long seasons, highly dependable snow, awe-inspiring scenery and truly spectacular trails.

We like to point the sleds north from the spacious lot at the trailhead just up the hill from Two Harbors. We’ re quickly immersed in the very best aspects of trail riding: a wide, groomed path that weaves between super-tall, snow-laden trees, over quaint bridges that cross trickling creeks, and eventually to high overlooks – some with glimpses of glorious Lake Superior on the horizon.

After 34 miles of sweeping turns and rolling hills of the North Shore, we hit the first of three intersections of the Moosewalk trail system – each spurring off to the right. This spiderweb of narrower club trails provides a much more intimate snowmobiling experience, with tighter turns, closer trees and, somehow, almost always more snow on the ground than on the state trail. There also another towering scenic overlook on the shortest Moosewalk spur that shouldn’ t be missed.

Running all three Moosewalk trails adds 23 miles to the adventure before spitting us back out on to the North Shore trail. Continue to the northeast for 24 miles to the Tomahawk state trail intersection. We like to take a short 3-mile jaunt up the Tomahawk for two reasons:( 1) we love having lunch at the famous Trestle Inn; and( 2) with 81 miles rolled up by now, we are usually starting to get a tad nervous about gas and know we can get it at Crooked Lake Resort down the hill from the Trestle( or, new this year, the Trestle will now serve gas for hungry snowmobiles).

After lunch, there’ s no wrong answer. Continue west on Tomahawk toward Ely, or consider returning to the North Shore and head northeast toward Grand Marias. Either could create a higher-mile adventure. But often times, we’ ll just return to the North Shore Trail and blast south back to the tow vehicle. With this plan, we’ ll end the riding day with 143 miles on the sled’ s odometer and can often still load the sleds onto the trailer before sunset.

34 / JANUARY 2026 / SNOWGOER. COM