Mt. Jefferson Snowmobile Club Grooming Report

Grooming Report February 17, 2024

Big night for our grooming crew last night!  Lots of new snow to play in as well as lots of trails that are freshly groomed and ready to explore. just a reminder that even though we’ve gotten a fair amount of snow this week, the pack is still pretty shallow with lots of logs, rocks and other hazards lurking just under the surface caution. ODOT did plow the parking lot yesterday, so it shouldn’t be terrible today. Plan for lots of traffic on this busy holiday weekend. Stay safe and enjoy the sledding! 




Grooming Report February 16, 2024

Happy Friday Morning!  Big thanks to our groomer Paul for putting in a big night last night in the snocat. He got the main trails on both sides of the pass groomed.  Lots of new snow up on Santiam Pass today.  Off track or areas we have not groomed it will be deep and a bit heavy.  Forecast shows a warming trend coming into the weekend with snow continuing to get heavier by Sunday but also a possibility of a few more inches.  Parking lot as of last night had not been plowed and was a complete mess.  Come prepared with shovels and chains.  Trailers will be a challenge.  As we get updates on the parking lot we will post them.  Enjoy the new snow and stay safe! 


Grooming Report February 15, 2024

Grooming report for Thursday February 15th.  Huge thanks to Joe and Jim for a full night of grooming.  Lots of new snow came down yesterday (10-12 inches) and the forecast is showing another 10 to 20 inches forecasted in the next two days up on Santiam Pass.  Jim was able to push all the way out to Windy Point on McKenzie Pass Highway.  Trail 2 is now covered from Ray Benson out to McKenzie Pass.  Please do not venture past Windy Point due to extreme avalanche danger this week.  We have already had some big slides out there this year.  Joe was able to finally cut a new track on Trail 1 so the express way to 3 Bowls is now open!  Chad was able to run the loop out to Little Nash and the 301 and 300 trails on Tuesday so most everything is back online.  We will work to get the Cache Mountain Loop reestablished later this week with the new snow but until we do trail 10 and 14 will be a mess and possibly still require a water crossing.  As of midnight last night ODOT had not plowed the parking lot.  Come prepared with chains and very challenging conditions getting to Ray Benson and around the parking lot.  With all the new snow ODOT will be focused on keeping the highways open and the parking lot may not get touched till later in the week.  Excited for the new snow just in time for Presidents Day Weekend.  Enjoy the sledding and ride safe! 




Grooming Report February 14, 2024

CLUB RIDE THIS SATURDAY!!!!
Mt Jeff will be hosting a club ride on Saturday, February 17th. Destination will be a surprise, but the total length of the ride will be roughly 40-45 miles. Meet at staging area A at Ray Benson Sno Park at 9:30 am. This will be an advanced beginner to intermediate ride. If you are fairly new to the sport but have a few rides under your belt, this should be a good ride. First time snowmobilers should not attend.
We hope to see you there!!!!

Grooming Report February 10, 2024

Big thanks to Anthony and John last night   Both put in some significant hours in the snocats grooming to make this weekend great   Anthony was somehow able to scrape enough snow together to push all the way out to Windy Point on McKenzie Pass in addition to making it around Cache Mountain.  Be cautious as there is a water crossing on trail 10 just east of the 505 junction if you do the Cache Mountaon loop.  John made a big run all the way out to HWY 126 and Little Nash snopark.   So anyone with a sled deck or small trailer would that does not want to deal with the crowds at Hoodoo can launch from there.  With some sunshine forecasted today it should be a solid day for riding.   Parking lot is in good shape and a little bit of fresh off track.  Still need more though!  Be safe and have fun sledding! 





Grooming Report February 9, 2024



Grooming Report February 8, 2024

Thanks Joe for laying down the smoothest, best corduroy trails on the pass!  3-4 inches of new last night are helping to improve conditions and make for great ingredients to smooth trails out   Joe was able to hit most of the westside trails last night.  Parking lot is still fairly clear.   Maybe time for some mid week brapping!  Have fun and sled safe! 




Grooming Report February 7, 2024

Grooming report for Wednesday   Both SnoCats went out last night and groomed the main trails.   A couple of notes.  Trail 1 is still not being groomed due to water so tread lightly if you use it from Ray Benson to 3 Bowls.  Trail 2 has snow out to junction 515 but thins out east of that.   Trail 302 out to little Nash Sno-park is not being groomed due to thinning snow as well.   Trails are in great shape that have been groomed and we got a few more inches of fresh snow last night.  Parking lot is in decent shape.  Enjoy the sledding and be safe! 




Grooming Report February 6, 2024

Big night for grooming last night.  Huge thanks to our fearless leader Christian and Groomer extrodinaire Tyler for getting things in tip top shape.  West side is all good to go including the backside trail up Sand Mountain to the saddle.   East side is good out to the 513 junction on trail 2 and all interconnecting trails   The only exception to this is trail 1 (which is the express lane to 3 Bowls).   We are unable to run the cat over it due to some very soft spots where water collects.   As of the weekend you can still easily sled around these soft spots however a 10 ton snocat will not float over it like a sled can.   Please use both caution and light on the throttle to try and maintain the track as best as possible for now.   More grooming tonight so stay tuned for more reports. 




Grooming Report February 3, 2024

Grooming report for Saturday February 3rd.  Both sno-cats went out last night with the PB100 heading east and the PB400 heading west. Westside trails have held as well as could be expected given the warm temps and large amounts of rain this past week. We were able to groom all the way to Little Nash but the snow is getting paper thin on the 302 trail to Little Nash.  For the most part Westside trails are solid and everything got groomed. Off trail it is boiler plate with 1-2 inches of fresh snow on top of this crust.  Eastside has not faired as well with lots of water covering portions of the trail.  We did not groom trail 1 out to Three Bowls due to water and we did not make it out to Blow out shelter or HWY 242 due to water.  Conditions right now resemble November. So use caution when off trail.  Parking lot is clear of snow however it was already turning into a cluster with RVs, Trailers, and campers.  A reminder to all that Ray Benson is a Sno-park not a campground.  So if you are brining your RV or big custom bus and sled trailer please be courteous and park in the designated stalls and do not block lanes.  Weekends will become extremely busy from here on and it is critical we use good parking practices so all can enjoy a these trails. One last thing!  Avoid camping out in front of the snow ramps we create.  Keeping them clear allows us to keep those ramps in good shape so folks can get up out of the parking lot.  Thanks everyone and enjoy the sunshine this weekend! 




Grooming Report February 2, 2024

Mt. Jefferson Snowmobile Club will be offering a Snowmobile Safety Class on Saturday February 17th for anyone who is interested.  The class will take place up at Ray Benson Sno-Park on Santiam Pass.  For more info on this and other events this season be sure to click here to view our club events calendar.  https://www.mtjefferson.org/events  #safetyfirst #sleddingsafely 


Grooming Report January 27, 2024

We are sad to announce that all grooming operations will be suspended until at least Wednesday next week due to the atmospheric river delivering a tremendous amount of warm rain to the Pacific Northwest.  We ask that if you absolutely have to sled that you please tread lightly on the trails in order to keep as much of the pack as possible.  Long term weather models show a return to more normal cold winter conditions at the end of next week.  We are keeping our fingers crossed.  Keep in mind our best snow typically does not come till March so don't give up hope on this season yet!  #rainraingoaway #soggysledding #PNWraintrain 



Grooming Report January 21, 2024

Good Sunday morning sledders!  Last night groomer Ben cut the trail back up to the Sand Mountain Saddle for those who are more interested in touring rather than grabbing a fist full of throttle and heading straight up!  Always a great trip round the mountain to enjoy some amazing views. 300 trail (Old Santiam Wagon Road) also got groomed last night as well.  Parking lot is clear and temps are on the rise to hopefully soften up the ice layer off trail.  On trail things look great. The Mt Jefferson grooming crew was able to groom nightly these past two weeks to set a solid base that will lay the foundation for the coming season and keep the trails from getting bumped out so quickly.  Enjoy the sledding and stay safe! 


Grooming Report January 16, 2024

Sorry for the delay everyone!  Here is the grooming report for last night, January 16th.  Just the big Snocat went out last night due to inclement weather issues we where down one groomer.  That said upon inspection, the Westside trails are still in great shape from Monday nights grooming team.  Last night took the PB400 on one big loop to refresh trail 1 and 2.  Went on to do the first grooming on Suttle Lake Loop (Trails 10 and 14) getting them established.  Also headed down south on Trail 2 to cut Trail 2A and 2B for the first time this year to allow riders to complete the loop.  Tyler did a great job establishing Trail 2 last week and it is staying firm and smooth.  Trail 2 does have some thin spots.  Currently it is completely covered and smooth as can be but as temps warm up this coming week bare spots might start to appear.  One very important hazard to report.  On Trail 10 just east of junction 505 there is a water crossing.  Tried to push in enough snow to cover it however it is still warm enough that could not completely pack about a 15 foot section.  Water is roughly 2 feet deep at its deepest.   Experienced sledders will not have an issue less experienced sledders may want to use Trail 2 to navigate around this section.  This hazard is also identified on the map.  Parking lot update.  As of midnight last night half the lot was a mess and half was in decent shape.  Should be plenty of good places available to park mid week still.  Access road in is a mess.  Warm rains last night turned it into a thick mash potatoes consistency since it had packed snow on it before the rain started.  If you can make the access road in the parking lot will be a piece of cake!  Stay safe and enjoy the ride!  Groomer Chad



Report January 16, 2024

While this past weekend was not the greatest conditions due to a good crust layer developing thanks to a strong inversion. It was still great to finally see some coverage and even some sunshine along with incredible mountain views yesterday.  It is amazing how much snow fell last week. While off trail is less than stellar a huge thanks to all our volunteer groomers who braved blizzard conditions to make sure our trails are in top shape.  As of yesterday they looked amazing. The grooming team was able to get a firm base established which will help them solid for months to come!   We will be grooming every night this week to keep them on top shape. Enjoy the ride everyone!  #mtjeffersonsnowmobileclub #raybensonsnopark #santiampass #snowmobilelife #sleddingoregon #volunteersrock 





Grooming Report January 15, 2024

For those of you looking to get out on your sleds today, the Grooming team groomed Trail 3, 3A, 3B, and 3C last night.  Parking lot got plowed last night.  Potentially could be a busy day today at the Ray Benson so please be courteous and park comfortably close to one another and if you are in a truck or car only double up on the trailer parking stalls.  We are all in this together!  Have fun and safe sledding!




Report January 14, 2024

Parking lot got some much needed attention from ODOT.  They had the road grader and grinder in and got the outside perimeter of the lot cleaned up nicely. 





Grooming Report January 14, 2024


PB400 headed out towards the Rock House last night but was stopped at Windy Point with an avalanche that slid prior to us arriving in the PistenBully.


Check road conditions some of the roads that access Santiam Pass are currently closed or have chains mandatory it appears.
ODOT is currently plowing at least a portion of the Ray Benson Snowpark.





Grooming Report January 13, 2024

Quick update. We were down to just one Sno-cat last night so focused on 3A, 3B and 3C loops as well as the connector trails to the south and west of Ray Benson.  We were fortunate and ODOT was able to clear the parking lot yesterday at noon. We received far less snow than originally forecasted last night on Santiam Pass however with high winds and super cold snow expect good size drifts.  Speaking of cold ODOT is reporting -5 degrees up at the top of the pass with wind-chill driving temps to dangerously low levels. Dress appropriately.  Have fun and stay safe!





Grooming Report January 12, 2024

Huge thanks to Petey and Paul for braving terrible driving conditions to head up and groom last night.  Trails where insanely deep and expert only earlier in the day.  After a long night running both Sno-Cats they where able to get the bulk of the trails packed and groomed both east and west of Ray Benson Sno-Park.  They also groomed all the way out to Little Nash Sno-Park for anyone wanting to launch from there instead of coming up to Ray Benson.  Lots of super deep snow.  Make sure to pack everything you need for extreme riding conditions off trail and be prepared to do some digging.  Off the groom trails the snow has not had time to settle so there is no packed base and it is easy to bury your track 3-5 feet deep.  Finally as of 10:30 AM today the parking lot is officially a mess.  ODOT has not been able to to plow since Wednesday night.  A couple of folks are already stuck in it and it will get worse before getting better with high winds and more snow forecasted today and tomorrow.  Come prepared with chains, shovels, and traction boards or suffer the consequences!  Enjoy the sledding and stay safe everyone!


Grooming Report January 11, 2024

It is DEEP up at Ray Benson tonight.  We had to even plow out the grooming building to get out!  The light snow coupled with rapid accumulation has not given the snow pack time to settle.  That means for advanced riders bottomless powder.  For novice be prepared to do some digging if you go off trail. For everyone come prepared!  There is no easy walk back to the car if you screw up. Off track it is between waist deep to armpit deep for the average height man if you step off your sled. That is as of now. There is another 2-3 feet of even lighter snow expected in the next 48 hours. MJSC grooming team was heading out at 5:00 to set some track tonight.  Stay tuned for the grooming report tomorrow morning.  Now the parking lot update.  With a slow down last night in the snow fall ODOT was able to completely clear the parking lot.  HOWEVER as of 6PM tonight it was already starting to fill back in. If you plan to bring an RV or big trailer up also plan to bring chains and be self sufficient. If the forecast holds true, and we do get 24-36 inches in the next 48 hours it will be terrible and ODOT will not be able to plow it. We will post more updates tomorrow and as of now we are on for nightly grooming here forward. Enjoy the ride and stay safe everyone! 




Grooming Report January 10, 2024

Due to too much of a good thing (feet of snow falling this week) the club ride is canceled this Saturday January 13th. The sno-park has not been cleaned out and ODOT does not think they will get it done by this weekend with the expected snow and wind forecasted. Sorry ODOT is short drivers and the highway takes priority.  See you the next weekend.





Grooming Report January 9, 2024

GROOMING UPDATE:  We are planning to resume grooming operations starting tomorrow night (January 11th).  We will have crews running both Snowcats to maximize our efforts on covering all the major trails out of Ray Benson.  The snow is adding up quickly this week and coverage is going to be legit by this weekend.  This Facebook page is where our grooming team will post nightly updates and maps of the areas we groomed.  We will also plan to give updates on the conditions and the plowing of the parking lot.  Please like and follow this page to get updates as well as share with friends and family who are also passionate about sledding.  #mtjeffersonsnowmobileclub #raybensonsnopark #santiampass #powtime



Grooming Report January 8, 2024

Public Service Announcement: Due to incoming blizzard conditions predicted by forecasters, grooming operations will be temporarily suspended until Thursday in the interest of operator safety. Expect limited access to Ray Benson Snow Park since ODOT's first priority will be highways. More to follow. Thanks for understanding - Christian






Grooming Report January 7, 2024

MT Jefferson Snowmobile Club was out with 2 Groomers from Ray Benson .
Hoodoo is showing a 30" Base .
Mind you, the snowpack out of Ray Benson will have no "base" as the entire 30" basically came all at once , so its sharky.
Snow will continue to pile up this week.




Grooming Report January 7, 2024

Someone caught the emergence of the elusive (at least this season) Piston Bully from its hibernation at Ray Benson Sno-Park today.  After hibernating since April of last year this amazing beast came out of it den and stomped around (it’s called track packing).  Rumor has it we may be seeing a lot more of this amazing creature later this week.  Possibly even dropping its tail down and to make beautiful imprints in the snow (called corduroy).  All of us at Mt Jefferson Snowmobile Club are excited to get the 2024 season underway.  




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