Photo: Fox 21

By Alexandra Burnley from Fox 21 News - December 6, 2021

The freshly fallen snow is good for business and outdoor enthusiasts up on the North Shore.

The family-owned Maple Grove Bait Store & Lodging in Finland had its phone ringing off the hook on Monday as the area saw 16 inches of snow fall overnight.

One of the owners said that the ice started forming pretty well in the past couple of weeks, bringing out some iced fishers around Thanksgiving.

Now with the fresh powder, snowmobilers have been calling the motel all day, checking on the snow totals to plan quick getaways up there.

“People come from all over you know, Wisconsin, Michigan, other parts of Minnesota, so a lot of people really, really enjoy riding here and experienced riders that ride all over the place, all over the country,” Nicole Chumley, co-owner of the motel, said.

“It’s fun, you can do pretty much whatever you want with it,” Cory Treverson a snowmobiler from Baudette visiting the North Shore, said. “We’re just going to be putzing up and down ditches right now, but you can go ride the trails, check stuff out, there’s a whole lot you can do with it, get out to the lakes once they’re frozen. Just adrenaline, fun.”

If you’re interested in getting out there too, you can find a full list of snowmobile trails on the Minnesota DNR’s website, which features an interactive map.