Many people use the Bearskin trail between Tomahawk and Minocqua for all types of recreation. But a recent inspection of a trestle will alter the route for awhile.
The DNR has concerns about the structural safety of the Pinewood Trestle as spokesperson Paul Holtan explains...
"...We do routine inspections of all our bridges and trestles. A routine inspection of the Pinewood trestle, located near the Pinewood Country Club, showed significant failure of the structural elements of the trestle...."
He says inspectors determined it would not be able to support the grooming equipment. He says there will be a detour for awhile...
"Just in the last week we've worked with the Cross Country Cruisers(snowmobile club) and the Town of Cassian to re-route a short section of trail so it won't be a closure for snowmobiling this winter..."
Holtan says inspectors are also checking all of the trestles along the trail and will be evaluating those structures and coming up with a plan to address problems that they find. Holtan says the Bearskin remains open to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
He says it's likely the DNR will look at all the trestles along the trail when making plans for the future. He says if other trestles need fixing they're likely to roll all the repairs into one package. He says finding funding for those types of repairs is always the key.
