MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Most communities in Muskegon County received between eight to 12 inches of snow between Wednesday and Friday morning. With all that fresh snow creating extra work for county residents during the week, many are now ready to play in the snow.
"I think it will be a great weekend," said Bob Lukens with Visit Muskegon. "We are a four-seasons destination and winter is a big part of our offering here. The thing that makes it pop is snow. And it's great to have that snow to capitalize on winter outdoor recreation."
The snow that blanketed the county this week was enough for a number of winter activates to begin. Friday snowmobilers were finally able to travel north and south on the Hart-Montague Trail.
"Going up to Country Dairy for a burger and ice cream," said Becky Weaver.
Friday Weaver and her husband John were taking their first extended snowmobile trip of the winter from their home in Whitehall. If the county continues to get fresh snow all winter, they'll put between 500 and 2,000 miles on their sleds.
"Hopefully this will be a great year," Becky said.
"We're going to ride as much as we can," John added.
The return of snowmobiles to the Hart-Montague Trail is good for business at the McCormick gas station in Montague.
"Sometimes it can be non-stop," said station manager Cody McCormick.
According to McCormick, her gas station is a popular fueling location because she offers non-ethanol gas.
"It's 100% gas and they like to use that in their sleds," she said.
Besides, fuel riders spend money on supplies like candy bars, oil for their sleds and hand warmers.
The Muskegon Luge Adventure Park Sports Park is a big winter attraction in Muskegon County. This week the cross-country and snowshoe trails opened. Crews are working hard to get the luge track and ice skating rink open as soon as possible.
"We got a ton of snow to work with which is great at this time of year because we can build a super strong ski base, super strong ice base on our rink," said Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park Manager Bill Bailey.
Muskegon County is also a big ice fishing destination, but so far this winter, the weather hasn't been cold enough to result in good ice coverage on area lakes.
Related video:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.