Area 31

The Area 31 is a very unique and vibrant wilderness expanse consisting of 4,000 acres with five private lakes, miles of streams, an oval race track, drag strip and many miles of trails.

Please enjoy this brief history on the Area 31 property - - In the 1930’s, the Gilbertson family had owned the original 640 acres. Then in 1970, they sold the property to Mercury Marine to become a test center for racing snowmobiles. Mercury then built an oval race track (very similar to the Eagle River Derby track) to test their racing sleds. The Mercury Snow Twister and the Mercury Trail Twister, along with other prototype racing sleds were developed here as well. In the late 1970s Mercury decided to pull the plug on manufacturing snowmobiles altogether, and according to the manager, they left a treasure trove of snowmobiles buried on the property.

The property then sat dormant until the 1980’s when Yamaha® Motor Corporation purchased the property. For the next 42 years, this location became Yamaha’s “top secret snowmobile test facility”. Millions of dollars were spent on structures, the oval race strip was improved and a drag strip and bump course were added. The facility was ultimately closed to the public and Yamaha used it as a highly secretive research and development site for its snowmobiles. Work areas and certain trails were developed for the prototype sleds that could not be seen by the public. The early stages of the Phazer were tested on trails made specifically to keep the public away, and are still there today.

We hope you’ll take the time to tour our facility while enjoying the multitude of classic snowmobiles we plan to have on display for you on February 22nd.