A section of designated snowmobile trail 452 that runs through the Village of Lovells in Crawford County remains open as an unsigned and ungroomed portion of trail, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

In the past, this one-half mile section of trail has not been groomed. Recently, signage was installed along the south side of F-97 leading into Lovells, which encouraged two- way traffic along the south side of the county road. The DNR recently removed the signs in response to safety and liability concerns.

"Proper permission to allow snowmobiles to operate against the flow of traffic in this stretch was not obtained, and as a result we removed the signs," said Susan Thiel, DNR unit manager for the Grayling Forest Management Unit.

The Crawford County Road Commission also requested this stretch not be groomed due to damage being incurred on the county road, along with safety issues. As a result, snowmobile riders can continue to access Lovells along this one-half mile stretch of trail by riding with the flow of traffic along the county road right-of-way.

The DNR will continue to work toward finding an alternative route into Lovells, which will require the purchase of easements across private lands. Meanwhile, snowmobile riders can continue to access services offered by the Village of Lovells by riding with the flow of traffic along F-97 and County Road 612.

Questions may be directed to Susan Thiel, at the Grayling DNR Field Office at 989-348-6371, ext 7440.