ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Escanaba is home to several ideal locations for winter activities like snowshoeing. City departments offer free opportunities to enjoy those activities and work to keep trails groomed.
Recreation areas like Ludington Park and the West Side Trail System are maintained by the Escanaba Public Works. Department Director Kent DuBord says last year, local trails were fairly quiet due to a lack of snow accumulation.
“We have had several questions about them, but it wasn’t really something we ran into much last winter,” he said. “This winter, obviously, has come with an abundance of phone calls. I think they’ll start to get utilized more.”
Public Works crews groom the trails as they can. However, major snowstorms—like the ones that have hit the U.P. this winter—can cause delays.
“When we get an abundance of snow, our priority is to plow major streets, to plow local streets, to plow alleys, and then to plow bike paths,” DuBord explained. “The recreational trail or anything that’s park-related is kind of our last priority due to the urgency of vehicles traveling, pedestrians walking.”
The department also started the season with staffing issues, impacting the grooming schedule even further.
“We’ve got over 80 miles of roadway to plow, we’ve got 15 miles of bike path to plow, and guys were coming in at night for three or four weeks straight,” said DuBord. “We didn’t have guys here during the day to go out and trim on these trails. We’ll have a better routine going forward now that we are only down one employee.”
To help residents take advantage of Escanaba’s trails, the Recreation Department is offering free ski pole and snowshoe rentals.
“They can check them out for 24 hours,” said City Recreation Director Kim Peterson. “A lot of people rent them on Friday because they can bring them back on Monday. We have 13 pairs. The smallest size we have is size 20, and the largest we have is size 36.”
To check out poles or snowshoes, community members can visit the Catherine Bonifas Civic Center, fill out a rental form, and present identification. The person renting the equipment must be at least 18 years old. Snowshoe sizes are based on weight.
Peterson says snowshoeing is a fun and accessible way to stay active during cold-weather months.
“It’s just really important for people to get outside in the outdoors, get some sunshine, get some fresh air,” she said. “Snowshoeing is low-impact. They can go as far as they want, they can go as long as they want, and they can take breaks. We do have some benches back there. We just think it’s a great place for them to go and enjoy the outdoors.”
It also provides opportunities for Escanaba residents to enjoy the city’s public recreation areas, weather permitting.
“It would just be helpful if the public understood where we were coming from,” DuBord said. “Every time we get more snow, everything just resets from square one. We’ve got a tremendous crew here at Public Works. We’ve got the best 13 guys on the planet. They make my job very easy every day.”
The Catherine Bonifas Civic Center is located at 225 North 21st Street. The Civic Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 6:30 p.m.
