slomo

Mike, 
My wife has a cousin that owns a cottage on Baker Lake. We stopped in there this summer for a visit on our way to Newfoundland.
First thing l asked was there any snowmobile trails nearby? Pulled up the NB App and the trail ran right in front of their cottage on the Lake. It appears the local club uses the marina on the lake for their Clubhouse/restaurant during the winter.
Scout it out for us, slight chance we may head RDL way in couple weeks.
Steve

Baker Lake is quite close to that loop, more of a village than town. There is a beautiful looking restaurant right on the lake where the trail passes, it wasn't open the couple times I have been by. The trail from there to Edmundston is actually very nice, and has been in excellent shape anytime I have been on it. It would appear that the majority head east towards Moose Valley and these trails seem quite a bit lower traffic. I thought the area was pretty neat and have looped through a few times now.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....😉 The advice of the saddle baggers above is good considering your type of trip. Here's a few pics from my day tour of the peninsula - I find it interesting to see how people live in the different areas in which we sled...

 



 
I know you've been planning this ride for quite some time so hope it all works out well! BTW those lobster rolls in Edmundston are prepared in the Maine style. There are differences.

good morning artsled !!!
 
yaaa......better this morning .....-6c .......grey sky with a bit of sunshine....lots of humidity !!!
another great day of riding !!!
 
jean-guy

Day 6 / Feb 19th
So....the guys are up at 5:30 to figure out a plan for the day. It's decided to call home for a retrieval truck and trailer as that Kitty is done for this trip. It is about a 5hr trip up, and the operator will not be able to be on the road until around 8am. The three of us guys decide to ride sleds back to Vermont and the girls will wait for the truck and trailer. It's my wifes birthday today, so she's more than happy to sleep in a little late, then hit the bar for mimosas with the girls! The three of us hit the trail at 7:30 hoping there are no more trees down in our path home. We take 75 south and for some reason, instead of paying attention to the trail signs, we are just hammering out the miles. Before you know it, I see a sign for Lac Megantic and I know we are further east than we need to be, whoops. We get onto 65 and start working back west to Weedon for a quick lunch, then backtrack 55 and take some of the green trails and cross thru customs in Norton. Trails were actually fantastic most of the way and we arrive back at camp at 3:30 with 250 miles for the day. All in all, a great trip with just under 1200 miles. Back at work for a few days, but looking forward to heading back up.

I did not expect a free pass. Just an opportunity  to purchase a trail pass, even at a punitive cost, vs. a  traffic violation. I hope some of the fine does indeed go to the trail system. I was wrong, the fine has been paid online, I had to search to get that accomplished, as the website on the ticket did not help. Lesson learned, this won't happen again, to me.

Those cops charge New Brunswick residents if they don't have permits. I don't think it would look good for them to be charging N.B. citizens and giving non resident tourists a free pass. That's likely why they weren't sitting at the border waiting for tourists. They were doing the job that many Ontario sledders wish the Ontario Provincial Police would do a whole lot more of. As mentioned you wouldn't think of trying that in Quebec as they have no tolerance and big fines. Sorry you got charged but I''m pretty certain that some of that money will find its way back to the trail system via government funding or grants..

Here is the 300 miles loop we did from home yesterday, Saturday February 15, 2020



It is one of our classics that we do every season, many miles but easy to do because there are many fast segments. Yesterday conditions were also ideal: cold to have beautiful solid trails that last all day (-22C at 8:15 when we started) and good visibility to be able to ride easily. In addition being able to do it directly from home: we are blessed!



We did it starting with the southside. As expected most of the trails were freshly groomed



Here in St-Barthelemy area, we even passed the dozer which was finishing his run





Its a good temperature indicator when you see the snow dust staying in the air like that...



When we make this ride, we always cut between  #3 and #63 near Louiseville on #350 trail , it's more direct.



As long as the little Rivière du Loup is good which was the case: solid and marked



The only problem at these temperatures is my gopro that I can't keep alive, it keep shutting off itself. I had to turn it back on maybe 12th time just to get there so I finally give up and left it off. Here St-Barnabé sector.





Here west of St-Etienne des Grès



after the stretch from the above pic, we had to turn left at the junction to follow #3 trail and  there is this clown face stuck to a tree ??? there are several of them in different places in this sector that have been there for years ... I had always wonder what was the meaning ???



After refueling, we cross the St-Maurice near the Gabelle dam. The last storm having left alot snow last week, the river is a bit bumpy but it's not bad



East of St-Maurice river, pleasant surprise: #3 trail was mint!





We got on the St-Maurice river in Grand-Mère (trail M19)



We then went straight at #23 trail junction to continue on the river



Be careful to follow the stake trail, it's a clear water spot on the left! The trail is well marked and it's impossible to miss it, just follow the safe route..



The river trail was a bit bumpy but is still rideable at a good pace. The scenery is as beautiful as ever





Here the little trail as we got out from the river and pass under the #155 car road bridge




Then back to perfects conditions







The conditions were so good that we arrived at Marineau at Rivière Mattawin for lunch at 12:10 with 130 miles on the dreammeter



We shared there a good lunch with Cobra from here on QR that was starting his vacation alone in the area. I was knowing him from the many messages we had exchange in the past about the conditions and more, and the timing was good so we hook up there for some riding together after our meal.


The #360 was nice and fast with his as always superb views.




Given the nice trail conditions, we chose to expand the ride a bit by looping on the M20 trail.



This trail had never deceived us and was even nicer this time. The picture do not do justice to how good it is to do this stretch



a beautiful large glacier on the mountainside, outstanding when the sun shine



Good luck for trying to respect this sign!!!





The last 20% of the length is a little slower but so beautiful



We took a break at the #345 junction and we then continued south





We took another break at the Taureau reservoir dam. It was just 3:45 pm and it was going so well that for a moment I had considered looping around the reservoir on the #360 and pass through St-Michel des Saints but by doing a quick calculation, we already had a 300 miles ride with the initial plan so I decided to be reasonable and keep it more relaxed. Big thank you to Cobra for one of the very few pic where we are both Kristine and me on it



And another one of Cobra and me



We then crossed the dam and continued south. This red renegade have a darn nice look!



We met a dozer who was starting his run very close to the Cabanon where I stopped to refuel.



We then continued on the #23 south of the Cabanon where we passed this other dozer which was doing his south loop



We arrived at Réal Massé around 5:15 pm to taste a good vegetable soup and have a last good chat with Cobra. With my bad frenglish and the limited Kristine's 4 english words vocabulary, he had a good challenge but when people sharing the same passion meet, it all go well and we had a very good time together (for us at least 😂). Beside being a gentleman, Cobra is a very good experimented rider and we consider ourself lucky to had the chance to share a ride with him.



We left around 6:15 pm in home direction. The trail conditions were still good even in the evening on this cold day and we've been home a little before 8:00 p.m. with  309 miles on the dreameter, the smile still from ear to ear from this very nice ride.
In summary, the conditions are at their top right now, can't ask for better. Hopefully mother nature cooperate and the winter conditions continue so that we can still enjoy it for a while!
For more details on the trails in the area and more: https://www.snowmobilecountry.ca/en/conditions/

Alain
 

Left Oliphant Ontario in a snow storm. Arrived in Mt Laurier just after 7 p.m., stayed at the Confort Inn. Woke up to lots of sledders and -31, still going to send it. Unloaded the trailer, Father and Son both with new suits mother got jealous and "my zipper is broken, I better get a new suit" After the visit to the wallet lighting dealership, did the tourists thing... Went to Mount Diablo, then for a swim at Windigo Chutes. On to St Anne du Lac for lunch. Them to Pourboirie Fer a Cheval for a great meal and great hospitality. Woke up to -29

*********** video added on the post #8**********************
Here is the trail path of our last Saturday ride 25 January 2020, before the last snowfall



We took advantage of the chance we have to be able to start our ride by sled directly from home and took #43 trail south from St-Thomas de Joliette in order to explore the south my area. Very mild temperature around -2C. Here along a windbreaker tree line near home



We then took the #3 east. Beautiful and fast trail with correct snowcover



The Chaloupe river in Berthierville is good and staked



We then continue on trail #3, here in the St-Barthélemy sector. There were some spots with  brownish snow but it was before the 6-8 inches of new snow we received in Saturday to Sunday night



I usually take the loop on the #63 east of St-Barthélemy which takes us a little further north, away from St-Laurence river(ie more snow) but this time I kept the #3 which was correct



Just before St-Ursule I wanted to take the 2nd loop of #63 but it has changed places (the interactive map is up to date) and it is only a dead end which leads to the Cascades pizzeria at the old location of the intersection.



We must continue a bit less than 1 mile further to get to the new junction of the #63 trail



This new trail path connect on the #350 trail path of past years in the power lines



We continued straight to keep #63 to see the Magnan falls in Charette




A little further, a big wild turkey crossed the trail in front of us



When you see one, there are more... the rest of the herd was right next to the trail, not shy at all



We then arrive on the site of the Magnan falls in Charette



The falls themselves are frozen hard



but this place is always nice , a good spot for taking a break.



Just downstream from the footbridge, the river forms a sort of large pot. One day I should walk to see the fall on the other side ...



And the view upstream from the bridge



We then continued towards Ste-Etienne. It was very mild and the trails were starting to get soft. Here in an atv shared section a side by side had swung in the ditch. They were already well installed with 2 other vehicles which were  pulling with winches to bring it back into the trail. Good for him because is a lot harder to unstuck than a snowmobile!



The trail being soft it was already starting to get bumpy



We refueled just before crossing the St-Maurice river near the Gabelle dam



On the other side, trail #3 was particularly worn. We got shaken  up to the junction for Lac à la Tortue that we took. We then took a dead end  before the St-Maurice river to go to the Pizzeria du Lac where we ate very well as usual



After lunch we continued and got on the St-Maurice river. The sky was geting more cloudy



We went up to the intersection with #23 trail and saw that the M19 trail (the one that ride on the river toward Marineau) was closed. The club closed it on Friday because of water accumulation. We for our part turned on #23 west



A few bumps but good condition. We feeling of passing through a tunnel here!



The snowcover is good and it was riding well.



We passed near the Vallée du Parc ski resort in Shawinigan



And then continued west


 
Here passing near the l'auberge du Trappeur



Here a small bridge with a beautiful view, we always stop when we pass there



We found ourselves in front of that at the #349 junction for St-Alexis des Monts



It bothered us a lot. I did not know if the detour was to go through the Koubec (#350 trail farther) which would have push me tight for the gaz, so we took a break there hoping that someone who would pass could inform us and that's what happened. About 10 minutes later, a group of 3 sledderss stopped and they were coming from St-Alexis and had just made the detour, so they explained to us what we needed to know. The reason for the detour is the repair of a bridge. The interactive map is up to date but not my GPS map ... I really need to install Imotoneige on my phone ... Here is a screenshot of the interactive map concerning this detour where I surrounded in yellow the closed intersection and green the new.



Just be careful because the signage coming in the direction like we did is not the best and you have to look backward to see the detour sign. This is before the Pin Rouge entrance of the Mastigouche reserve, so if you got up to the Pin Rouge entrance and didn't seen the junction, turn back. You can't miss it coming from the other side



So we easily reached St-Alexis des Monts village where I refueled full but it was already 5:00 pm and we were still far from home! It was late enough for the dozers to had start their runs so we rode on a freshly groomed trail up to the Pouvoirie du Lac Blanc. We did a short very rought segment, then got quite decent conditions in the Mandeville club where we crossed the dozer midway



We cut on Lac Maskinongé staked trail to reach St-Gabriel de Brandon where it started to snow hard very suddenly. It was not too windy so visibility remained acceptable on the low beams. So we came back under the snow and arrived home around 7:45 pm with 215 miles on the dreammeter



A other great ride for us but the mild weather did not help the trail condition and with the chosen path which was slower in the afternoon it gave us a big day. We discovered ourself new muscles sunday morning which we didn't know existed!!!

In summary, the snow cover is good everywhere and will be even better with the snow that we have just received. The snowmobile season is at his best and now is the time to enjoy it.

For details on the trail conditions here is the place to look: https://www.snowmobilecountry.ca/en/conditions/

Alain

Thank you very much. Merci beaucoup.

Here a pic of the machine you don’t see too often

So.......I gotta go eat some beaver......
stay tuned later as there is bound to be some more crazy s*&t in my day as it’s not even dark yet
i leave you with a picture of Kenny showing me the bear and moose meat cooking away

https://snowmobileinquebec.com/snowmobilers-guide/........you can order all the maps in paper as well as tourist guides to lodging, dining and attractions...for all the separate regions...for free, Happy holidays, Bob.

If you have a smart phone, in  my opinion the FCMQ map is the best option.  it shows you where you are, let's you map routes, stops, etc.  It's cheap and super easy to use, way easier than getting out a paper map 20 times a day.  Just my opinion.  I think from the FCMQ site you may be able to download and print maps. Also, just about every gas stop, snowmobile club, and hotel will also have either a posted paper map or one available to take for free.
 
Have a great ride!

Was able to get out on Saturday 12/7/2019 for a 1st ride.  Was able to get in 140 miles.  Still need some more snow.
 
Headed west on 25 to 580, 580 after ST. Robert was in good shape.  Made it out to ST Ludger before turning back.   Then headed back up 25, went to the local trail that connects 25 to 535 but it wasn't opened up yet.  25 was good till St Martin then thin and ruff after that.
 
Headed back to the St Theophile club house, then up 75 hoping to make it to 535, 545 back to 75 to finish the day.   Found St Theophile section of 75 to be near perfect, then after crossing the river the St Come section was ruff.  Lots of refrozen water issues.  After the club house it was much better going, stop and fueled up and then continued north on 75.  The section from the gas station to the short road section was freshly groomed and in great shape.  Had to turn back when I found the gate closed at the turn off at the end of the road section. Turn back and tried to take the local trail south of the club house out to 545 but found that to have just been broken open by the groomer without the drag,  Still lots of water issues and didn't feel like getting muddy,
All in all a good 1st ride.
 
Looking forward to the next ride, think snow
 
Pullinfront

Usually season start and finish here in Upper Laurentians for the area. Last spring April 20-21 we ride last 200 miles. 
I can only post this ...more to come with the new website 
 

Good day ! 
It looks like the snow will stay in Sainte Anne du lac.
6 to 8 inches on the ground pass tapani lake. and it still snowy.
Next week we expect the first snow storm and snowy a little each day.
1st December there will be a new administration replacing Relais du Touriste.
New name will be Relais Sport Aventure. I am the owner and if an admin see
this post I want to contribute as an advertiser. Contact me please.
Since 35 years i am in the snowmobile world ... Addict like You ! 
Welcome to Sainte Anne du lac. Free wifi and help !

juste pour le fun !!!
voyons voir si  you re a genius !!!
 
jean-guy
 
 

It sounds like you are hooked now on Quebec!
Jack & Sandi

We've stayed at the econo lodge many times next door ... no problem getting to the trail 

For the time it takes to drive across town I'd just stay at Hotel Signature.  Good trail access and free parking if you stay there for a night.  Still a few busy roads to cross to get out of town, but it's all groomed trail and decent running.  Strongly recommend going mid week.  Lots of traffic in this area on the weekends.

If they list it as Sled Friendly then it will most likely have access.
Now access may be down the side of the road a little and across a bridge over the tracks on a sidewalk.... but should be do-able ( I've ridden worse )
I would call them directly, not the national #, and ask. They may need to find the person who speaks English. If they dont speak american ( Proper English ) let us know and I'm sure we can find someone who can call and ask.
Later
GutZ