The area east of I-75 in the Upper Peninsula is a popular winter sports destination, especially for snowmobiling. There are currently over 100 miles of snowmobile trails connecting Sault Ste. Marie, Dafter, Kinross, Kincheloe, Hessel, Pickford, Cedarville, Detour and Drummond Island.
But one community, Barbeau (population 360), has only been reachable by snowmobiles via a series of roadside shoulder accesses along county roads like 11 Mile Road, Ridge Road and Lechner Road.
Snowmobiles are allowed by law to ride on the far right-hand side of public highway shoulders. Still, many snowmobile enthusiasts prefer dedicated, groomed snowmobile trails for traversing sections of the Upper Peninsula since groomed trails provide a better riding experience and are safer.
For over five years, Sara Gordon, co-owner of the Cozy Corners Restaurant in Barbeau, has worked to fill the gap in the area’s trail network. Since 2021, she has coordinated with state and local agencies, the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and several private landowners to plan and secure approval for a new snowmobile trail.
According to Gordon, it has not been easy, as access must be requested from and subsequently granted by numerous public, private and tribal entities. Formal easements must be established, and state agencies such as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the Department of Natural Resources must conduct environmental impact assessments to ensure the new trail complies with regulations.
“Five years, countless meetings and emails, dozens of drawn-up routes trying to connect the dots to get an official snowmobile trail through Barbeau, and we finally did it earlier this year,” said Gordon. “The Sault Tribe Board of Directors unanimously passed the final piece of the puzzle last spring. To accomplish this, we coordinated with DNR Trail Specialists, EGLE, the Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association, the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club, Barbeau Business Association and the Chippewa County Road Commission, just to name a few.”
What does this all mean for Barbeau residents and visitors? For the 2026-27 snowmobile season, Gordon said there will be an official snowmobile trail, completed and ready for use, connecting the Barbeau community to Pickford, Kinross, Kincheloe, Dafter and Saul Ste. Marie trails, which themselves connect to other communities across the eastern U.P.
When Gordon indicates this is the “last piece of the puzzle,” that sentiment couldn’t be more true. Virtually all of the other cities, towns, hamlets and communities east of I-75 have snowmobile trail access, except for Barbeau. To pull it off, Gordon said they had to get approval from regional landowners and stakeholders so the several-mile-long trail could cross public and private lands and connect to Trail 49 near Pickford and the Les Cheneaux trail system.
The exact length of the new trail is still being determined, but it is slated to run from a point near South Clegg Road near Pickford to a point just south of Barbeau.
“There were hoops to jump through and red tape like permissions from the various branches of the DNR and environmental agencies, but we got it done,” Gordon said.
Gordon added that the five-year effort to secure the new trail has felt like a full-time job, but it’s a job well done now that it is approved and being built.
When the approved trail was announced last spring, the Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association issued a public statement celebrating the completion of the eastern U.P. snowmobile trail system: “A huge thank you to Sara Gordon and the landowners and the Sault Tribe for their generosity in allowing this trail to cross their land.”
Ren Brabenec is a Brimley-based freelance writer and journalist with The Sault News. He reports on politics, local issues, environmental stories, and the economy. For questions, comments, or to suggest a story, email hello@renbrabenec.com.
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Barbeau resident helps secure snowmobile trails in Eastern U.P.
Reporting by Ren Brabenec, Sault Ste. Marie News / The Sault News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ren Brabenec, Sault Ste. Marie News | USA TODAY Network
