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FIRST STOP: (Top)(Lto R) Henri Amyott, David Amyott, Laurier Dechaine, Maurice Dargis, St. Paul County Counsellor Alphonse Coribere and ‘Big Bernie’at Mallaig; (Bottom) Bob Mckinnon on the Ironhorse north of our starting point of Ashmont, AB. —photos by Dwayne Brandly

On March 18 my buddy Bob McKinnon and I travelled to Ashmont, AB, to complete our review of Alberta’s Iron Horse Trail. We had previously toured the trail from St. Paul toward Elk Point, AB, and had a wonderful relaxing time on our quads due to a lack of snow. Now there was lots of snow. When we left it had snowed over a foot the night before in Leduc.

In Ashmont we met Marianne Price, industry coordinator for Alberta’s Iron Horse Trail Tourism Product Club. She had kindly set up the trip by contacting representatives of several towns along the trail, to guide us to the next meeting point. She and her husband also volunteered to drivemy truck to our final destination—Cold Lake, AB.

We left around 10:30 a.m. and followed the old rail bed, 15 kilometres from Ashmont to Mallaig where we met our hosts, Henri Amyott, David Amyott, Laurier Dechaine, Maurice Dargis, Big Bernie and St. Paul County Counsellor Alphonse Corbiere. They had a warm fire and hot coffee ready for us in the newly completed staging area cabin that had been built to replicate an old train station. This building project and signage along the trail were partially funded by Alberta Snowmobile Association from trail pass fees and by the Riverland Recreational Trail Society.

On to Bonnyville
After a brief visit we continued 13 kilometres eastward, guided by Henri, David and Bernie, to the Village of Glendon, site of the worlds largest pyrogy. Henri showed us a time capsule he had welded shut and is to be opened in 2016. By the way the restaurant in Glendon serves up some of the best pyrogy dinners anywhere. We continued on the trail toward Bonnyville, 28 kilometres away. Thanks to the Mallaig group for your hospitality. At an old trestle that spans the Moose River, we met Steve Wojcik, president of the Bonnyville Snowdusters and a group of 13 riders.

The Snowdusters took us on a ride throughout their trail system north of Moose Lake to their north cabin where we had the traditional Kubie lunch cooked over an open fire.

For the next three hours we travelled along well maintained cutlines and forest trails to the Beaver River. The snow was great, but time was running short so we headed back. What a great trail system they have. A person could sled pretty much all day without using the same trail twice. After a couple of unplanned detours we found the right trails and arrived in Bonnyville where the Alberta’s Iron Horse Trail joins the Trans Canada Snowmobile Trail System. While we were getting fuel at the Esso Station on the edge of town, the riders from Cold Lake stopped in. They had been touring nearby looking for us. Thanks to the Bonnyville Snowdusters for your hospitality and for showing us your trails. We are looking forward to exploring the many more we have not yet seen.

Discovering Beaver River
Weldon (Stretch) Hill, Rick Beecroft and Nancy Betts from the Cold Lake Snowmobile Club guided us the next 31 kilometres to Cold Lake. The trail heads northeast and follows Highway 28 for a while, then turns north to the Beaver River crossing. Here is a breathtaking old wooden trestle that crosses the Beaver River. It is 450 meters long, rises 60 meters above the valley floor and is located about a mile south of the City of Cold Lake. There is a spectacular view of the valley in both directions, from atop the bridge. It is well fenced and very safe to cross on snowmobiles or quads. Stretch told us a bit of history about the bridge.

It seems that one evening, many years ago, a local individual wanted to declare ownership over the bridge and threatened to burn it down. The threat wasn’t taken seriously because he would have to walk about four miles from the centre of town to the bridge. He did just that, carrying five gallons of gasoline that he poured on the bridge and lit on fire. The resulting blaze could be seen from far away. By the time it was extinguished, the bridge had to be closed for repair. That closed the rail line, which existed at that time, and for several months the local Canadian Forces Base had to bring in fuel and supplies by truck. The individual spent two winters and one summer thinking about how to better assert himself.

The Cold Lake experience
Upon our arrival in Cold Lake we located my truck at the large staging area. The club is presently building a very big warming house. This will also be a replica of an old train station. As you can imagine, the railroad has played a large part in the opening and development of Alberta’s Lakeland region. After a great dinner of prime rib, at the Outrider Steakhouse, we headed for Cherry Grove and the Hamilton House Bed and Breakfast. What a place this. Our hostess Debbie Hamilton showed us to our individual rooms, each with it’s own bathroom and shower. Being a former hunter and a fisherman, I was amazed at the many antlers and different mounted fish in various scenes, which hung on the walls. This is a very outdoor family and the decor and wall hangings show this. Debbie’s husband Brian is a professional photographer, so there are many wonderful photos of the outdoors and animals of all kinds.

This quiet retreat, which is located on a large acreage, offers privacy, a very relaxed atmosphere, as well as a hot tub, which I thoroughly enjoyed after our long day of sledding. You really have to see this house to fully appreciate it and I highly recommend it for a place to stay while in the Cold Lake area. Check out the web site at www.hamiltonhouse.com.

Hitting Sask’s trails
The next morning after a hot breakfast of fruit, peach french toast, sausages, juice and coffee we gassed up the sleds and headed for the Cold Lake Marina where we met Stretch and Rick. Off to Saskatchewan we are going they said. So we travelled the 15 miles across Cold Lake. About midway we crossed the border into Saskatchewan and continued to the mouth of the Cold River. We left the lake and headed overland, southeast to Pierce Lake. Just before reaching the lake, we stopped on a ridge to look at the river. On one side of the ridge we saw four whitetail deer grazing and on the other side of the ridge, on the river ice, we watched two timber wolves playing as they made their way toward us. Finally they saw us and after much hesitation about which way to go—we were watching them from about 250 yards away on a high bank—they finally retreated the way they had come.

We continued on and crossed Pierce Lake, landing at the Pierce Lake fishing lodge.

The snow was fabulous with untouched deep powder. We followed trails, ditches and the TCSTS until we arrived at the Northern Meadows golf club. They serve meals and can accommodate up to 10 sledders overnight as a B&B, during the winter. There is great sledding and trails around all of the lakes immediately to the north and west of the clubhouse.

After coffee, we travelled the remaining 8 kilometres into Goodsoil where we gassed up and had lunch. This is a very friendly community. When we walked into the café, we were warmly greeted by the few patrons who had no hesitation in talking to us about our trip. I guess this is a common meeting spot for sledders.

After downing our very ample meal, we headed back to Cold Lake. I had been tinkering with my clutching and noticed the motor was revving higher than usual. So guess what? Part way across Cold Lake, I ran out of oil. It wasn’t quite to the top when we started out, but I figured I had enough to make the 178 kilometre trip. With the high revs I used more than I thought I would. So, there I sat, in the middle of Cold Lake, not able to see any shore because of the blowing snow. My buddy Bob came to the rescue and went to town and to get some oil for me. Stretch and I traded old war stories till he got back. While we waited I found an empty water bottle, so with our midnight credit card we siphoned a litre of oil from his sled and poured it into mine. We got moving and met Bob on his way back. He was glad to see us because visibility had gotten worse and he could hardly see the next stake in the snow, let alone follow any trail. Getting lost on Cold Lake is not an option. It is so big; one could drive around in circles for a day without finding shore, if the visibility was bad. Anyway we made it back to the marina and all ended well. We sure thank Stretch and Rick and the Cold Lake Snowmobile club for showing us part of their trail system. Next time we will take the north route for more adventure.

A friendly area
One thing I think is important to note about this part of the province is that Alberta’s Iron Horse Trail System and the Trans Canada Snowmobile Trail System is a very family friendly and a very touring friendly trail system. By that I mean you can tour as much or as little of the trail as you want in any given time frame. These trails were built for multi-use purposes and are used all year round by sledders, quadders, bikers, runners, horseback riders, hikers, etc. You can make use of these trails at any time in any season. The great part is, you can travel from town to town and explore the history of the area in museums etc, meet the local people at the café while enjoying some of the finest cooking rural Alberta has to offer and stay overnight. All of this won’t cost a fortune and you can travel with your family or a group of friends at your own pace. More information can be found on the following websites: www.ironhorsetrail.ca and www.albertaslakeland.com.

What a wonderful trip. Thanks Marianne.