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SHUSWAP, B.C.
Family-friendly fun
Sorrento is central to sensational Shuswap sledding
by TANYA LAING MOORE
ADVENTURE AWAITS: Cozy cabins and inviting trails are part of what make the Sorrento area a popular snowmobiling destination. —photos by Don Mitchell
The small community of Sorrento in the Shuswap region of B.C. offers enormous fun and almost endless options for trail riding.
“In 25 minutes, you can be at four different hills,” said Don Mitchell, president of the Salmon Arm Snow Blazers snowmobile club and a resident of Sorrento. “You’ve got Fly Hills, Crowfoot, Lichen, Adams—any way you want to go.”
Mitchell recommends the China Loop or Chalet Loop South Trail in Fly Hills, a trail that is groomed all the way to the cabin near the summit. It’s a family-friendly area that provides gorgeous scenery; from the peak, the town of Sicamous can be seen, as well as the Salmon River and Silver Valley.
Seldom-used trails take off from here traversing the area, offering fabulous sledding to the Falkland/Spa Hills trails; one has the feeling of being the first to follow the trail in weeks.
“It’s a family-friendly place where you can go without having to worry about anything,” said Mitchell. “There are no avalanche areas—not a lot of highmarking places. It’s a lot safer for families.
“You can still get stuck, though; you can have fun doing that.”
There are plenty of warm-up cabins along the trails, and maps of the area are readily available at www.csrd.bc.ca.
Bob Shaw, president of the Spa Hills Snowmobile Club in Falkland, agrees that the area offers something for sledders of all ages and levels of experience.
Shaw recommended Spa Hills as being an exceptional destination. The trail, which connects with the Salmon Arm trails, features a cabin in a spot that overlooks Spa Lake and Tut Mountain.
“The area we have here is just phenomenal,” said Shaw. “It’s an all-around family hill.”
