Huron Meadows Metropark is the center of skiing in the Detroit Metro Area for the months of January and February.  This year the park has decided to restrict access to the trail with artificial snow, known as Buck's Run. This year it is only open after 12 noon, which means it is closed for half of the daylight hours (this time of year). The reasons provided by this tax-payer supported park include safety concerns during times of trail maintenance such as grooming.  Also, depending on the weather, there are days in which workers need several hours to spread artificial snow on this trail.

We, the undersigned, request increased access to the trail, by opening earlier when possible, for the following reasons:

1. This is a public park and the only reliable resource for access to skiing in the Detroit Metro area during an incredibly short season.  The park is supported by taxpayers for access to the beautiful scenery and for recreation.  By closing the trail until 12 noon, skiers are significantly restricted to access the trail.
2. By preventing skiers from the mornings hours, some people will have no choice but to ski after dark.  While this works for some, there are others that do not feel safe skiing alone after dark in the woods.  They have lost most of their ski season due to this restriction to access.
3. Grooming of Buck's run can take as few as 20 minutes, as it did after the Krazy Klassic ski race on January 15, 2023. There is no reason to close the trail for half of the day when it is groomed. All groomed ski areas in the world are able to conduct safe grooming without closing the trail for half of the day.  We don't see why Huron Meadows is so special that they need to close for so many hours.  Also, if this is necessary, why isn't the rest of the trail system closed?  If it takes 4 hours to groom 2km of Buck's run, then it will take many more hours to groom the rest of the trail system. Yet, the rest of the trails will not be closed during normal park hours.
4. The Huron Meadows staff frequently update trail conditions on their website. On days when snow is to be added to the trail, they could easily notify skiers that the trail will be closed for several hours in the morning by posting to their website which is already closely monitored by the local ski community.  It could be posted the afternoon before the closure, or even the morning of the closure.
5. We understand the budget and staffing needs that may keep the clubhouse closed in the morning hours, but we want the trail to be open, just like the rest of the park.

One-quarter of the season is already behind us, and we need to act now to make sure we allow access to this great public resource for the entire community!