Ontario, Canada ride

04rx-1

New member
Joined
Dec 4, 2006
Messages
3
Age
55
Location
Fenton, mi
My buddies and I were looking at going to Canada for the 1st time for about 5 days. Since never being there can anyone give us some advice about hotels, were we can get trail maps to plan a route from the Soo to Hearst. Then we thought we could ride the snow train back to the Soo. Also how strict are they about the 35mph trail speed? Any help appreciated.
 

I can tell you that there will be a few Ontario wide speed blitz on the trails this year. They will be looking for propper paper work and speeders.
 
thats why your better off in quebec.. in over 5 years of sledding been stopped once , just to check for proper registration..were alot less strict here but the police are getting severe this year with modified exhaust systems
 
Well, I've only been sledding for about 2 years now (got my sled in mid season) I've never been stopped, but in the 9000 kms i've put on in those years (5500 last season) i've only seen 2 cops on the trail, and they were riding together, and I accidently blasted past them at about 65mph... only when i came up close to them did I see the "police" on the front of the sled. They didn't bother me but I bet I got lucky. They really like to set up camp around the holidays and check for impared operators and stuff like that. Overall they are not too strict in my area of Ontario, and anywhere from Parry Sound up it's like a snowmobiler's dream... although I hear quebec is the place to go.
 
only time i got stopped last year was at yamafest and that was 5 min from the parking lot. they wanted the lead srx in our group cause he was movin but they got the gun up wayy too slow.
 
04rx1, here are some websites to check out for info.

www.ontarioconditions.com, www.wawasnoriders.com, www.nossa.ca, www.tata-bestsnowmobiling.com www.snowchallenge.ca, www.ofsc.on.ca

These should get you started. I am pretty familiar with the area you are thinking about. I would suggest riding the area for 5 days instead of sitting in a train on the way back. Feel free to pm me with questions you might have. You will LOVE riding the area. Don't let the speed limit get you down, just watch it around the towns. Dave
 
Thanks for the input, I will start looking up the webpages provided and will probably skip the snow train and just ride. Thanks.
 
Sinjin said:
04rx1, here are some websites to check out for info.

www.ontarioconditions.com, www.wawasnoriders.com, www.nossa.ca, www.tata-bestsnowmobiling.com www.snowchallenge.ca, www.ofsc.on.ca

These should get you started. I am pretty familiar with the area you are thinking about. I would suggest riding the area for 5 days instead of sitting in a train on the way back. Feel free to pm me with questions you might have. You will LOVE riding the area. Don't let the speed limit get you down, just watch it around the towns. Dave

This post from Ontarioconditions should give you an idea of the speed limitations on most Ontario trails. http://forum.ontarioconditions.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9459
 
The riding can be incredible up there. I have logged over 20000 miles north of the Soo.

Here is a survival page from one of our own . . . http://www.nlmotel.com/eric.htm

Police tend to stay close to towns and trail junctions where they can check the most riders.

Trail maps are very consistent and accurate, but they do cover a lot of ground so cannot be as detailed as you may be used to. Always be sure to check with OFSC and the locals for any changes or hazards, such as closures due to logging etc. You can find out too late when you do not have enough fuel to go back where you came from.

Some of my key tips are . . .
  1. Never pass a gas station unless you just came from another one in the same town.
  2. Always be prepared to spend the night in the "bush".
  3. Never go out alone.
  4. Only play off-trail if you know it is open to sleds and you are sure you have enough fuel.
  5. Plan your nightly stays ahead of time, but be prepared for change due to weather or other issues.
  6. Enjoy the best trail riding you will likely ever see.
 
Ding does Ontario pay you for your endorsement...
This has bees a public service message brought to you bt Ding the snowmobiler
We do have some incredible trails.
 
Good idea !!!

But no, I have just had great experiences up there. I have had some bad ones too but they were all self-inflicted.
 
www.ssmtrailblazers.com is another one you moght want to check out also.just in the algoma district there is 2,200 kms of trails.storming as of right now! i think its in tobermorey they had a sign at one time to give you an idea of the size of ontario,it stated that texas plus a list of 13 other states could fit in our borders.lots of room to play!were your thinking of going is a great area to spend time sledding,just remember its vast and sometimes you might be the only person for quite a while.personally i like to ride on the weekdays and avoid the nuts.enjoy your trip . email me also if you have any questions an if i can help i will,and if i cant i might be able to steer you in the right direction.does anybody know if the phazers will be racing at searchmont this weekend?
 
I was reading on the ofsc and they state you need to have insurance for your sled. Do they check this? I know my buddy doesn't carry it anymore on his 98 mountain max. Are they going to check at the border for this or if we do get stopped. I might have to leave him at home.
 
They will check for insurance when they stop you. Just have him get liability insurance on the sled and then ask to have the form (I forget the number) faxed to him. This is the same form that the bank wants to secure a loan on a sled. He should carry liability insurance if he rides in the US anyway.

The other thing he could do is simply take a copy of his auto insurance DEC along. This is all I had with me when I was stopped the first few times and it worked fine. I don't know if they are more picky now as I haven't been stopped in several years.
 
04rx1, another thing you should know is that if a person has been convicted of a alcohol driving offense such as a dwi/dui, they can deny you entry into Canada at the border. If it has been a while since the offense (I have heard 5 years) you can apply to the Canadian government for a pardon but I don't know what hoops you have to jump through to get this. This might make a difference on who you plan to bring on the trip. Dave
 
Hi I live in the Soo and have been to Wawa. The trails are great stay that the Water Tower Inn you can leave on your sleds from there. The speed limit is enforced but usually where the trail is going though private property as the club don't want to lose the privilege for the land use. Insurance I would say is a must If you have a US trail pass they might be more interested to look at your sled. The good thing about being caught speed from what I hear is it is one fine I don't think that the amount over matters and doesn't go against your drivers license. There is lots of signs for hotels along the way. Make sure that you fill up gas in SearchMont before you head up to Wawa there is a gas station along the way called Halfway Haven but be prepared to pay LOTS for you gas. In Wawa the Bristol Motel or the Wawa Motor Inn would be good. Past that I am not sure of hotels. I hope to get up that way this year.

If you have any questions I can try to find out more info for you
 
And if you are hungry, a burger at the halfway haven will cost you something like $10 (without fries), so bring lots of cash (no interac there). Also bring some gas line de-icer too, last time I was there the guy had the lid open on the tank and was knocking snow into it with the fill hose #$%&*. Next day three sleds ran into problems starting and fouling plugs.
 


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