A new reroute along Turtle River Road will finally enable snowmobilers to enjoy the loop around northwestern Ontario for much longer this winter.
For many years, snowmobilers could ride the 1000 kilometer wilderness loop for only around two weeks during the snowy season, due to a section of the trail that intersected with a road used to transport logged wood.
The road has been used extensively for logging over the past 15 years. When the section of trail was plowed, the entire trail would be shut down for snowmobilers.
“What happens is when the logging starts, the road is so narrow that you can’t groom and have a plowed road at the same time,” said Dave Goodman, snow groomer coordinator for Borderland Snowmobile Club, one of eight snowmobile clubs in District 17 of the Northwest Ontario Snow Trail Association (NWOSTA).
“So we’ve been looking at ways to try to get around that,” he said. “The only option was to basically put a trail beside the existing logging road.”
Now, around 25 kilometers of new trail winds along Turtle River Road, which opens the path from Fort Frances to Atikokan, Ontario.
“The Turtle River reroute will solve a major problem,” Goodman said.
Of the 25 kilometers of new trail, 15 kilometers have been completed and the remaining 10 kilometers will be completed over winter and next Spring.
“At the Christy Creek area, there is a short detour to get the trail off the road. Two kilometers detour around a gravel pit north of Emo. Nestor falls, Sioux narrows short reroute on the bush road,” he said.
Rather than only two weeks in the year, the new trail should allow snowmobilers to access the wilderness loop for around 10 to 12 weeks, as long as snow conditions permit, Goodman says.
The new trail is easy to access and obvious to new snowmobilers, located only a stone’s throw away from the existing trail.
“It’s right beside the road. So there’s really nothing changes other than you’re riding 30 feet off the side of where you were before,” he said.
As a three-year project, the part that took the most time pertained to getting work permits.
Part of the work was funded by NWOSTA and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.
Goodman noted that trail permit revenue allows the club to invest in local improvements. Permits can be purchased at OFSC.ca.
