In the winter of 2024–25, the snow near the Bartlett Road trailhead averaged 8.37 inches. Out toward Timber Ridge, along the same pathway, it averaged 13.18 inches. TART Trails got those numbers by pushing yardsticks into the snow along the Vasa Pathway and reading them at least twice a month from December through March.
That roughly five-inch gap explains a lot about how the Vasa gets groomed. TART is now putting up a building to close it.
The Groomers Have Been Stored at the Thin End
TART's 2025 Vasa Pathway Snow Study says the pathway has distinct microclimates, and the yardsticks backed up what trail users had long suspected. Yard Stick 1 stood closest to the Bartlett trailhead. Yard Sticks 5 and 6 stood closest to the site of the future year-round maintenance facility. The difference between the two ends was statistically significant, with a p-value of 0.0031.
The study's next point matters most for anyone who skis here. The facility end picked up more snow over the season, and it also held that snow better during melting periods. Winter grooming equipment is currently stored at Bartlett, which the study calls the location least resilient to major melts. When patches of trail go bare, the equipment "can remain stranded."
So during a January thaw, the machines sit at the end of the trail that loses its cover first. Between the shed and the deeper snow out past it lies ground they can't safely cross. The study's conclusion is that moving the equipment to the new facility lets the grooming team keep working through warm spells.
| Bartlett Road trailhead | Timber Ridge facility site | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 average snow depth | 8.37 inches | 13.18 inches |
| Holding snow through melts | Least resilient on the pathway | Held snow more effectively |
| Role today | Where grooming equipment is stored and where the pathway is accessed | Where the Vasa TimBarn is going up |
What the TimBarn Is For
The building is called the Vasa TimBarn. It's going up at Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort as phase one of TART's Trailblazing Tomorrow campaign, run with the Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association. Northern Express reported that TART CEO Julie Clark described it in a press release as a "home base" offering "the ideal location to expand four-season trail care, strengthen winter grooming operations, and better support the volunteers and staff who steward these trails."
Crews broke ground on Thursday, May 14, 2026. A few days later, 9&10 News quoted TART's Brian Beauchamp, director of strategic engagement: "trails are never done. You know, once we build them, then they need to be maintained and cared for and that's really what this facility is going to provide."
The campaign's posted budget is $1.9 million. That includes $730,000 for the facility, $870,500 for design, engineering and construction at the Bartlett Road trailhead, and $145,000 set aside as a Vasa maintenance fund. In May 2026, Northern Express put the amount raised at $1.75 million.
Where the Build Stands Going Into Snow Season
The plan in May called for a fall 2026 opening and ribbon cutting. The NMMBA board minutes since then show steady volunteer-driven progress, with interior work still underway in mid-October:
- July 2026: NMMBA reported the barn's shell was up.
- September 9 meeting: Overhead garage doors, entry doors, and interior side wall and ceiling steel panels had been installed. Blown-in ceiling insulation was due soon, the septic system was scheduled for the following two weeks, and volunteers were set to start framing the tool crib partition, office, bathroom and locker room on September 14 and 15.
- October 14 meeting: Getting an electrician on site was the next phase. Flooring would be decided once other parts of the project were finished, and the board also discussed NMMBA's lease for the barn.
The NMMBA's October minutes were published November 4. They put the TimBarn in its finishing stretch as the 2026–27 season begins. TART's Vasa Pathway Improvements page lists construction on a 2026–2027 timeline.
The same October minutes say the club's snowmobiles were due for maintenance soon, ahead of the snow, with a trip to the service center in Gaylord.
How Grooming Runs Day to Day
None of the snow study changes the grooming goal. It changes how often weather gets in the way. TART says it aims to groom the Vasa at least four times a week when conditions allow, usually early in the morning, with actual frequency depending on snow and weather.
The main machine is the PistenBully 100, known as "Piper," which has been on the Vasa since the 2023–24 season. TART's grooming equipment page lists it with snowmobiles, the Ginzu, a Tidd Tech, rollers and a compaction drag.
TART maintains and grooms the Vasa Pathway under an agreement with the Michigan DNR and Grand Traverse County. It sends pathway users to Bartlett Road and singletrack users to Supply Road. The pathway stays a multi-use, year-round state forest trail, so the winter rules carry real weight.
Winter Rules for Sharing the Trail
TART's winter trail guidelines are specific, and the fatbike numbers trip people up most often:
- Bikes yield to skiers.
- Nobody crosses the classic tracks.
- Stay off trails when they're soft.
- Fatbike tires need to be at least 3.7 inches wide and run at 4 psi or less.
- Ride only when it's below 30°F.
- If your tires are leaving ruts deeper than an inch, get off the trail.
Fatbikers, snowshoers and classic skiers also have their own route. The 15K Winter Sports Singletrack is groomed separately by NMMBA from December through March, with access from Supply Road and Timber Ridge. The singletrack access at Timber Ridge puts it right next to the new barn.
The Badges That Pay for the Grooming
Grooming runs on donations, and TART lists this season's grooming badge levels as:
| Badge | Donation |
|---|---|
| Nordic skiing badge, covering the Vasa, Leelanau and Muncie | $125 |
| Partner badge | $225 |
| NMMBA fatbike badge | $60 |
| Youth | $50 |
| Day pass | $10 |
TART promoted the new badges in its October 23 newsletter. NMMBA's October minutes confirm the $60 fatbike badge is live on the club's website.
February's Race Starts at the Deep-Snow End
The 51st North American Vasa is set for February 13–14, 2027, at Timber Ridge Resort. That's the same end of the pathway where the yardsticks read deepest and where the new barn is going up.
Snow has been the race's ongoing worry. The Traverse City Ticker's preview of the 50th race reported that organizers had an artificial-snow backup at Hickory Hills after the 2024 race was canceled. Hickory Hills has its own season to work out this year, covered in our post on the city running Hickory Hills again this winter.
Current first-tier fees on the Vasa registration page, before service fees, are:
- $85 for either 27K
- $75 for the 15K
- $55 for the citizen 6K
- $20 for the high school 6K
- $5 for junior and adaptive events
- $40 for the untimed 6K tour
Several of those prices go up after 11:59 p.m. EST on November 30, 2026, which gives anyone reading this today a little under three weeks at the lower rate. Registration closes at 6 p.m. EST on February 10, 2027.
Bartlett Road Is Next
The barn is the first half of the plan. The second half sends money back to the thin-snow end. Trailblazing Tomorrow pairs the TimBarn with improvements to the Bartlett Road trailhead. 9&10 News reported that work there is scheduled to begin in 2027.
A March 2025 grant application gives a sense of what could change. The Ticker reported that Grand Traverse County committed $300,000 and TART committed $100,000 toward a $400,000 application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. The concept included 57 parking spaces, a redesigned driveway and lot, warming hut work, ADA spaces, signage and a second trail entry. That's a proposal, so until construction starts in 2027, the Bartlett lot this winter will look the way it always has.
Once both phases are done, the groomers will be stored where the snow lasts and the trailhead most people use will have more room. For this winter, the barn at Timber Ridge is getting its electrical work and floors, and the badges are already on sale.
Here at Craig Real Estate, we follow projects like the Vasa TimBarn closely because they shape daily life across Grand Traverse County, from the trailhead you start from to how soon after a thaw you can ski again. If you're curious which parts of the county put you closest to the Vasa, Hickory Hills or the TART network, schedule your free consultation and we'll walk through it with you, trail map in hand.
