NHTOM

If memory serves me, that section of trail is close to the 83 and is flat ,wide and very fast. Its also a rural area. Lets hope this doesnt become a new money maker for the police, because except for the groomers, no one on that trail is doing less than a hunderd klicks. this is also the 1st time Ive heard of radar way out in the boonies. Usually its near towns, Sat and Sundays.

Been sledding in Quebec for over 20 yrs and, knock on wood, weve never lost anything. Only once, a sled was stolen form a trailer at the Hotel Saguenne. Dude left trailer un-locked, and key fob/lanyard in it. Duh...Other sleds wernt touched. Ive heard lots of horror stories, and St Zenon and Thetford mines usually lead the list. We never ride either of these areas. True that Northern new england doesnt have secure parking, and virtually no theft. I think part of that is many Quebec areas are close to urban centers, and lets face it, the bigger the town the more crooks it has. Also, USA has bigger penalties for crime than Canada. We dont have the worlds highest incarceration rate for nothing!

Hi Skidoo- I believe it rained there today. I would call them and get conditions. River crossings to the east could be closed.....Chaudierre river was closed last weekend Also check trail conditions on FCMQ site. Very up to date. If it was me Id start from the universal in Riviere du loop. Only 1 and a half to 2 hrs farther, but I dont think there are any water crossings on trail 5 up that way. Plus its colder, trails will be better for sure.

Amen. Boy is that the truth. For the money they cost, I cant think of anything thats less reliable. Its almost like were in shock when we all make it back to the truck without an "event".

Thankyou for that tip on the Beauceville location. We have gone thru there before, but from NH we get to Levi faster than Beauceville. 75 vs 50 mph.......My buddy has a camp in Rangeley and we ride Coburn Gore or Jackman and in via sleds, then North and East. So for that area right above Jackman we usually ride in. We will def try out Our typical starting point when trailering is Shawinigan. 5hrs door to door. Because its North of the river its a little colder and its just a quick sled ride to the super stuff beyond La Tuque, St Raymond, etc. We typically get into Shawini at noon then ride to St raymond and stay at Auberge Alexis in town, right on 73. Used to stay at the Roquemont, but it slowly became a yuppie haven. the last straw was when they pulled the pool table out and replaced the bar stools with tree stumps! Alexis rooms are cheaper, beers are cheaper, pool tables,and the pizza is better than anything at the Roquemont. But if you ride with the ladies..., they will want the Roquemont. Its cute.

Left truck and trailer at Berniers tuesday noonish, and rode northeast. Yes the trailer area is smaller but still works. Rode to Montmagny for the nite. Weds rode mostly 5 East to Rimouski. Trail conditions tues and weds perfect. Then Thurs in rain to NB border and over to Cabano. !st time there, stayed at motel Royal. Cheap, right on the Lake and good rest and bar next door. I would stay there again for sure. Trails even thursday were near perfect despite 40F afternoon temps. Friday we rode 85 to 35West. For those that have never tryed it, 35 is a ridiculously fast rail bed that was still fairly flat the entire way back to 547 , where we turned North to pickup 5/75 into Berniers. But the last 50 miles trails were showing some serious wear, snirt and puddles. Then on 5/75 west, about 18 miles from Berniers the Chaudiere river was shut down, and we had to ride bare roads over a bridge for a couple of miles.. The water in the ditches along the trails is rising fast in this area. To top it off last nite they had an ice storm with 1/2 inch of ice on everything. Took us a while to chisel out the truck this morning. To me, they wil now need some cold and an inch or two of new snow, to get this area back in shape. They still have a deep base on most of it.

Unless Im reading this wrong it says, "Access to farmlands NOW prohibited". Sounds like the fields are shut down starting today Feb 1st........

Bernard charged the nites you were gone, if you were in the Safari for the nite, no charge. Plus the 1st Heck and Ringi Dang Doo were free.

Looks like the 2010 strike all over again. Lets hope this gets resolved...... From the Journal -Montreal 12/21 The Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) is still threatening to block snowmobile trails as a means of pressure, a move that could cost tens of thousands of dollars to tourism businesses. The UPA is considering asking its producers to refuse to give access to their land from 1 February in order to put pressure on the Couillard government in the matter of recalculating the reimbursement of property taxes to farmers. These measures would increase the tax bill of 80% of farmers. On 1 February, if the government did not agree to suspend the reform, the UPA promises to tighten the tone. This is not the first time that such a threat has been launched. The tourist industry was also taken hostage in 2010 on the issue of Farm Income Stabilization Insurance. "One understands (the anxiety), but when our only way to be heard is that (blocking) one has no choice," said in interview UPA general president Marcel Groleau . The news brought regional entrepreneurs who rely heavily on the economic benefits of the snowmobile industry. "If it happens, I'm going to have a big problem," exclaimed Sylvie St-Arneault, owner of Ferme la Bisonnière, in Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain, Mauricie, which receives nearly 12,000 visitors each year. She believes that blocking snowmobile trails would result in financial losses of nearly $ 50,000."If it closes, I can not open it." It's going to make a big hole in my budget and it's seven people who will not have a job this winter. It is working against rurality. It is not a good means of pressure, "she said. Up to 120% increase Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton has just endorsed the figures put forward by the UPA concerning changes to the Farm Property Tax Credit Program. "Almost 80% of producers will have an increase between 5% and 120% of their tax bill. It is aberrant, "said Marcel Groleau. According to him, the program will create inequity in addition to putting several small businesses in a precarious financial situation. The UPA is calling for a working table to negotiate changes to the plan. ,

For a good freeze up of the river and all the swamps around Shawinigan, this looks like the perfect forecast. Hope its not just a wishcast. https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/14-day-weather-trend/quebec/shawinigan

To GutZ's point, its often very thin near Derby. Ive crossed many times over the years and generally speaking, the farther east you can cross the better. If your riding from your yard in Derby, than by all means cross there. But if your already on a trailer to start, Id go farther east, like Stewertstown/Beecher Falls. Or drive 2hrs North to Berneires or Shawinigan and not have to worry about thin snow.

Rogers is back to normal. Re-opened 2 winters ago and its the same as the old days, near as I could tell. Iceman, can you suggest some 200 mile loops for Grassman?

We usually start in Shawinigan and head North East. Im going to defer to Iceman on this, since he lives and rides there. rSt.Raymond is about 85 miles out, 170 round trip. Take the 3 Est to Rogers for breakfast,

Also, since your a newbie, follow the red stakes. Red are for sleds, blue for ATV's. Around Shawinigan theres a lot of both. Trails are occasionally shared with ATV's at road crossings, bridges, and other short stretchs.Then youll see both colors. When the trail forks, follow the red stakes. When a trail dumps out onto a road, usually, but not always, there will be a few red stakes along the road to follow.until you come back onto the trail. Trail 23 heading east towards St Raymond has a lot of this. If its Red its for Sled. Registration- Make sure your sled is registered in the states, as well as having a current Qbec trail pass. A lot of Americans get bagged for this, not realizing that a Qbec trail pass is not the "registration". You need both. Youll have fun in that area. Twas my first Qbec riding area and we still hit it at least once a season.

Used to ride in from Colebrook NH several times each winter (weather permitting). 15yrs ago the trails were excellent. In the last 5 years the ATV crowd has really pushed out the sledders. Most trails are "shared" now, and the shared trails are groomed by the ATV clubs groomers. These groomers cut the trail depth down(actually plow away 1/2 the snow depth) and keep it super hard packed for ATV's. If you start in Maine- like Jackman- its good all the way. But getting to Jackman from Pa is worse.... I would side with Vt-blu and go st.george east, or Shawinigan north.

X2 Iceman, This looks horrible. No replacement for sledding.

And theres "The swamp" in the last photo. Looks perfect.!. Very jealous.

Hi Iceman- We stayed at the Safari for years and dropped by last month to happily see that its staying a Sno-mo destination. Yes theres no replacing Bernard(Ringy-dang-doo), but the Drakar is in a great location, esp since you dont have to access the river to get in and out. Im sure you let Redge know, but he needs to get on here(Quebec Rider) next fall/winter with pics and conditions. He'll fill the place. The other huge plus, its only an easy 5 hr drive from Concord NH. Im a huge fan of the Shawinigan trail system, and for flat out haul ass straight smooth trails I think it has no equal. This place is the salt flats for snowmobilers. Theres no one that hasnt hit their best top speed if theyre running the swamp into Shawinigan Sud. Have a Great Summer!

Triggerhappy, sounds like youve caught a bad case of the Quebec riding disease. Welcome to my world. Another possible option is St. Raymond. We start from there when Shawinigan area is marginal. http://www.motoneiges.ca/actions/showClubConditions?lg=fr&page=sen&cid=181 This web site is updated daily and conditions look pretty good .....their river crossing has a new high bridge on 23, so no swimming. If you stay on the 40 toward Quebec city, then take the St.Raymond/ Pont rouge exit , it ends up being about 50 min. to an hour longer than Shawinigan. You can stay at the Roquemont on 23 or, if your cheap like me the St. Alexis on 73.

Have been to the Chateau Roberval several times. But Im not remembering what the "enclosure" was. Is it just steel pipeframe and plastic like a greenhouse, with a locked door? And did these thieves bust open the enclosure then steal the sleds?

Clarkley, St. raymond club website. Its updated daily. Looks good to me. They got 4 inches in the last storm, then a little glazing. Today Im sure dryed it out. http://www.motoneiges.ca/actions/showClubConditions?lg=fr&page=sen&cid=181

And the picture was taken from a BRIDGE! Duh.

If I didnt know any better Id say that was New Hampshire. Typical riding down here.

Well at least it looks a little more encouraging up in the park on 23. http://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/qc-113_metric_e.html?unit=imperial

Jan 4 already taken