GAYLORD — Since a Christmas snowstorm dumped over two feet of snow on Gaylord, it's been crickets.

The National Weather Service shows Gaylord has received 80.7 inches of snow for the season as of Jan. 17. That's slightly ahead of the 78.5 inches considered normal — but numbers can be deceiving.

Across the state, particularly in northern Michigan, winter activities have come to a grinding halt, with little or no snow on the ground. That includes snowmobiling, a mainstay of northern winter tourism.

And even if Gaylord sees the four to seven inches expected going into the weekend, it might not be enough to make the problem go away — especially if the snow doesn't stick.

"It's been very tough on the snowmobile industry here in Gaylord," said Paul Beachnau, executive director of the Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau. "We need about another 12-16 inches of snow to groom. While we have snow here in Gaylord, (the) surrounding communities have less and it limits how far snowmobilers can ride.

"We need much more snow in all of northern Michigan."

Mike Skowronski, owner of Snowbelt Motor Sports in Gaylord, said he hasn't been able to rent snowmobiles for over two weeks.

"December 29 was the last time," he said. "We were picking them up on trailers. Now, we're just waiting for the snow again."

While the winter tourism season in Gaylord lacks the impact of the summer season, it's become an important time for lodging, restaurants and the ancillary businesses that provide products and services to winter sports participants.

"We bill ourselves as the best winter vacation destination in Michigan," Beachnau said. "People that enjoy winter recreation typically spend more. We could really use some consistent snowfall, along with colder temperatures right now. It affects every part of our local economy."

Skowronski said snowmobiling is a major part of his business. If the lack of snow continues, he says, "it's going to hurt us all."

Beachnau said the tourism bureau has scheduled the annual Michigan Snowmobile Festival for Feb. 3-4.

"(It's) still another three weeks off and the weather can be fickle," he said. "We're planning on the festival right now and will make the decision about a week out."

But the Snowmobile Festival isn't the only Michigan event in question. Houghton Lake's 73rd Annual Tip-Up Town will go on as planned Jan. 21-22, continuing until Jan. 28. But there won't be ice flies or snow sculptures, and ice races will be postponed.

Further downstate, Zehnder's Snowfest in Frankenmuth had to adjust its plans — cancelling its snow sculpture carving competition during the event Jan. 25-29. Ice sculpture carving is still on the docket.

Perchville USA in East Tawas, also celebrating 73 years, will go on as planned the first weekend of February, with needed adjustments.

"We may have to do things a little differently, but all of the events will still take place," said organizer Shannone Bondie.

A drastic impact

The lackluster amounts of snowfall have also impacted Cheboygan, says Warren Chamberlain, a lifelong resident and member of the Cheboygan Trailblazers Snowmobile and Trail Grooming Club.

“Unfortunately, it’s having a drastic impact and not for the good,” he said. “A lot of these small towns are depending on carnivals, festivals, ice fishing tournaments, snowmobile shows, snowmobile rides, and unfortunately, a lot of them have canceled.”

He said that hotels, restaurants and bars are taking the brunt of the economic impacts. When tournaments and events are canceled, businesses miss out on customers.

“A lot of these towns, you can go through right now, and unfortunately, they’re starting to look like ghost towns because there’s nobody up here to enjoy those activities," he said.

“If we're not grooming snow, there's no people on the snowmobile trails — there's nobody stopping at the bars, restaurants. We know what the local communities are going through.”

Cancellations have been no stranger to Boyne Recreational Rentals’ owner Mark Lannen this winter season. Fortunately, Boyne has Boyne Mountain Resort, where skiers and snowboarders can take advantage of synthetic snow on the slopes.

It keeps people coming to the area, but that doesn't help Lannen when there's not enough snow on the trail for snowmobile renters to operate safely. Lannen said the last time someone was on the trails, prior to Jan. 19, was Jan. 2.

But he's feeling confident.

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“We're in the fun business and we've been fine,” he said. “I'm sure other businesses, like snow plowing, those guys probably are hurting a lot more than we are — (but it's) our 30th year and we know we can roll with the punches.”

— Contact reporters Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com and Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Michigan tourist towns alter plans, hope for the best as lack of snow drags on