Fred_LT

Just to let you know that the club in Parent - Alliance du Nord- officially closed the trails today. But, you can still ride at your own risks - no private land here! The conditions are good to great from Fer-à-Cheval all the way to Relais 22! Parts of the trail between Relais 22 and Rapide-Blanc have been plowed so it's getting hard to go all the way to La Tuque. Snow is coming our way and temperature will drop to -20°c at night this week-end!!!
 
Back-country is also great but will have to wait 'til next year to ride in powder!

Fer-à-Cheval to Parent was groomed last night and their dozer is coming back from Wemotaci today! Probably the last grooming of the season, enjoy!

Plenty of Gas in Parent right now! Clova is closed since they had to close 83 West of Parent because of logging.
We have about 20 cm of fresh snow and it was -18°C this morning in La Tuque area. Even if they stopped grooming a week ago, trails are still nice. But enjoy it this week-end, Hydro-Québec will most likely plow a section of the 73 next week, west of Rapide-Blanc. It's also getting hard to get through town, but plenty of snow left all the way to Parent.
Still lots of fun to have next week if you park at Relais 22.(90km north of La Tuque by the road).
Some pictures from this morning near Rapide-Blanc!

Plenty of Gas in Parent right now! Clova is closed since they had to close 83 West of Parent because of logging.
We have about 20 cm of fresh snow and it was -18°C this morning in La Tuque area. Even if they stopped grooming a week ago, trails are still nice. But enjoy it this week-end, Hydro-Québec will most likely plow a section of the 73 next week, west of Rapide-Blanc. It's also getting hard to get through town, but plenty of snow left all the way to Parent.
Still lots of fun to have next week if you park at Relais 22.(90km north of La Tuque by the road).
Some pictures from this morning near Rapide-Blanc!

Plenty of Gas in Parent right now! Clova is closed since they had to close 83 West of Parent because of logging.
We have about 20 cm of fresh snow and it was -18°C this morning in La Tuque area. Even if they stopped grooming a week ago, trails are still nice. But enjoy it this week-end, Hydro-Québec will most likely plow a section of the 73 next week, west of Rapide-Blanc. It's also getting hard to get through town, but plenty of snow left all the way to Parent.
Still lots of fun to have next week if you park at Relais 22.(90km north of La Tuque by the road).
Some pictures from this morning near Rapide-Blanc!

While there is no announcement on the site, it might be worth reading this and realize that, 50% of Quebec's trails are on private land and we as snowmobilers ride on those property's as a privilege not a assumed right. I can only assume that the fcmq is not sitting with it's head in the sand over this, but working behind the scenes in what capacity it can to minimize the impact should it occur and announcements on the fcmq at this point may be detrimental to their approach.
The landowners
Snowmobiling in Quebec distinguishes itself by its trail network which is the object of envy from snowmobilers everywhere. Totalling over 32,000 km of interconnected trails located in virtually every corner of the province, it stands as one of the most impressive recreational trail networks in the world. In fact, there are more kilometers of groomed trails in Quebec than there are of paved roads maintained by Quebec`s Ministry of Transport! While the latter are property of the state, the same cannot be said of snowmobile trails.
Tracks everywhere
The arrival of the snowmobile, and particularly the incredible popularity boom of the 1960s and early 1970s, changed Quebec`s rural landscape. In essence, it is not to overstate matters to proclaim that the snowmobile became, almost overnight, a “must have” for a significant number of Quebec families. The practically unbounded passion of the new enthusiasts resulted in the countryside becoming a huge playground, with snowmobile tracks appearing almost everywhere. While one could assume that farmers and landowners would have objected to this condition, the reality was that most got swept up in the fervour themselves, contributing to the situation.
The arrival of trails
At the beginning of the 1970s, some began working towards the establishment of a trail network that would link communities and permit travelling to take place in a safer and more consistent setting. The process of creating these trails started off slowly and rather informally, with (snowmobiling) landowners offering up access to their land for this fledgling network. Localized and formalized trail systems began developing in a simultaneous fashion across Quebec, and soon visionaries began contemplating and calling for the establishment of an interconnected, province-wide network.
Growing into a new reality
As the developing system grew over time, doing so at an ever-increasing pace, new concerns began to appear, namely getting land access from landowners who were not avid snowmobilers, as well as issues related to liability concerns. As is often the case, the solution to both issues laid in a single course of action, that is, the creation of proper land-use permission agreements. These simultaneously made it possible to establish precise terms and conditions for the use of land, while also creating a contractual basis for the issuance of critical liability insurance coverage for the landowners.
Land-use today
Land-use permission agreements continue to be the basis for the establishment of trails on private land (which account for 50% of the FCMQ`s 32,000 km of trails). Each fall, volunteers from each of the FCMQ`s 200 member clubs meet and negotiate tens of thousands of land-use agreements with landowners. These standardized agreements provide protection to landowners. It is important to note that landowners receive no payment or compensation for extending this privilege to the snowmobiling community. In the case of public lands, clubs must obtain permission from the land manager.
Loss of land use
Land use is a privilege, not a right. As such, the land-use agreement is an inherently fragile document that can be revoked at virtually any time by the landowner. As such, clubs often rely on signage or other means to raise awareness and ensure that snowmobilers respect the allocated corridors. Despite this, the issue remains contentious and snowmobilers are reminded that seemingly harmless off-trail excursions could potentially have a serious impact on the trail`s long-term sustainability.
FCMQ programs
The FCMQ, its clubs and volunteers are extremely grateful for the generosity of landowners, for without them, our trail system would cease to exist. 

From what I read on https://www.upa.qc.ca/en/  and CBC  radio-Canada http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1012401/agriculteur-upa-outaouais-gatineau-motoneige ,
It's only certain areas of quebec  that would be blocked and it would be from feb. 6th.  It's really important to do fact checking on this matter because  just talking about it scares tourists away.
The reality is that the governement officials have always until now sat down at the table with farmers and managed to keep the trails opened.
To be on the safe side of thing before heading up to Qc just google
''UPA and the name of the region where you are heading ''
and you'll get the news from the local farmer's union that way you'll have more details if the trails are blocked or not. Hell you'll even have the local union's phone number.
 
 

There's new owners this year at Relais 22...but rooms are the same! Windigo is nice and rustic, but you may want to book in advance! There's also a way to cut through the reservoir on the way to La Tuque and save about 90 km. Those photos are from a few years back, but it hasn't change that much!

We just got another 8-10 inches of great powder around La Tuque area and no rain at all ; only 3-4 inches up by Parent area! I rode TQ 83 in Wemotaci /Parent area yesterday and conditions were perfect...except for just around Wemotaci - have to go on the roadside for 1-2 km when you arrive because the trail was flooded at the beginning of the season - but the club will be working on it tomorrow!  Parent's Club will also receive their new Pistonbully 400 dozer on friday so trails will be even nicer!
20 ft Wide trail for half the way between Wemotaci and Parent

Now I'm getting ready to go ride backcountry in Barrage Gouin area next week! We're taking the trailers 130 km north of La Tuque (we'll stay at Relais 22) then we continue to Barrage Gouin (180 km from La Tuque) for the rest of the week! The main backroads are well plowed ! Can't wait!
 
 
 

La Tuque's a decent diversion too, but that 73's a RIPPER so you'll still be in early:  
 
http://www.viaexplora.com/snowmobile/index.html?unit=mi&lat=47.530573&lng=-72.708555&zoom=8&force=1&ewaypoints=4689930,-7292636,75396,69249,-75304,42177&cst=1.0,1.01,1.05&csts=1.0&cstr=1.01&spd=50000,50000,50000

You take 360 eastbound towards the 355 - than the 73 all the way to St-Raymond. It is a short day but you can go from Mattawin to lake Edouard on the 355 - stop for lunch/fuel and come down towards the 73 on local trail LT2 (nice trail) towards Rivière-à-Pierre and St-Raymond!

Here's some update for trail conditions in La Tuque / Parent area!
All trails are open for La Tuque,and in good to great conditions, since we didn't get rain in the area this week.(actually almost didn't get any this year)
There will be a little detour on the 355 next week between St-Joseph-de-Mékinac /Mattawin and La Tuque. And there is a detour on TQ 73 towards St-Raymond because of logging (extra 30 km).
TQ 83 Toward Wemotaci / Parent / Clova is in good condition as well!
TQ 13 towards the Fer-à-Cheval is great and the Bazin ice bridge is safe (they started to use it with the groomer before Christmas!)
Tons of snow in Barrage Gouin area (snowpack is 4-5 ft deep alrealdy). Fresh powder everywhere and all the sweet spots for backcountry are still untouched!!! Also the access trail is in very good condition from the TQ 83.
 
The 345 through Kanawata toward Lac-du-Repos is open and in good conditions: but: From Kanawata going  south, it uses the main road (not sanded and fast) toward the Repos.
 
Can it get any better ? The 345 between Kanawata and Casey, on Jan.18th!

The Manawan Club (Kanawata) have been working to open the official trail all week and it should be ready on Saturday (21st) through Lac Chateauvert.
 
Finally, the TQ 83 is open and in good conditions from Clova to Senneterre; but forget about the Woodrunner trail, for now, (going South from Clova). Some guys did it but it's very rough and hasn't been groomed and cleaned. They should be able to get on it next week!
 

Here's some update for trail conditions in La Tuque / Parent area!
All trails are open for La Tuque,and in good to great conditions, since we didn't get rain in the area this week.(actually almost didn't get any this year)
There will be a little detour on the 355 next week between St-Joseph-de-Mékinac /Mattawin and La Tuque. And there is a detour on TQ 73 towards St-Raymond because of logging (extra 30 km).
TQ 83 Toward Wemotaci / Parent / Clova is in good condition as well!
TQ 13 towards the Fer-à-Cheval is great and the Bazin ice bridge is safe (they started to use it with the groomer before Christmas!)
Tons of snow in Barrage Gouin area (snowpack is 4-5 ft deep alrealdy). Fresh powder everywhere and all the sweet spots for backcountry are still untouched!!! Also the access trail is in very good condition from the TQ 83.
 
The 345 through Kanawata toward Lac-du-Repos is open and in good conditions: but: From Kanawata going  south, it uses the main road (not sanded and fast) toward the Repos.
 
Can it get any better ? The 345 between Kanawata and Casey, on Jan.18th!

The Manawan Club (Kanawata) have been working to open the official trail all week and it should be ready on Saturday (21st) through Lac Chateauvert.
 
Finally, the TQ 83 is open and in good conditions from Clova to Senneterre; but forget about the Woodrunner trail, for now, (going South from Clova). Some guys did it but it's very rough and hasn't been groomed and cleaned. They should be able to get on it next week!