KENORA, ONTARIO Friendly snowmobile trails This town is everyone’s friend when it comes to snowmobiling
TAKING IT EASY AT THE LAKE: Kenora is home to more than 1,200 kilometres of groomed trails and half of this system provides ideal lake riding.
Snowmobiling in Kenora, Ontario, is a lot like walking into a pub where everybody knows your name, as it offers a friendly atmosphere for every snowmobiler.
Kenora’s Sunset Trail Riders snowmobile club, as well as the local businesses, are always excited about hosting sledders from out of town.
“My favourite part about sledding in Kenora has to be the people that I sled with,” said Randy Nickle, a member of the Sunset Trail Riders. “The camaraderie and fellowship that goes along with snowmobiling is my favourite part.”
Not only is the area friendly, but it is also very beautiful, according to Nickle. The Kenora area offers a lot of trails that are ideal for scenic day trips along beautiful lakes.
Lake sledding
The local snowmobile club usually waits until January to get its groomers out, which is typically later than most clubs—and for good reason. The club takes care of 600 kilometres of lake trails and January is the safest time to groom them. The lake trails make up half the total distance of trails that the club maintains each season.
“With the adjoining OFSC trails, there are a lot of trails to choose from,” said Nickle. “The trip to Sioux Lookout, Dryden or Atikokan are nice one-day rides if you have the time.”
Just a typical day
A typical day of riding for Nickle means getting together with some friends and heading in one direction or another. With a destination in mind, they often head east and across the Lake of the Woods to a warm-up shack where everyone stops for a visit.
“We would take off after 15 minutes and head down the trail to the little falls at Dryberry Lake,” said Nickle, “then continue on down the lake and trail to Sioux Narrows and Crystal Harbour Resort.”
Everybody’s friend
After a brief stop for gas and food and a chat with some fellow sledders, Nickle and his crew usually head back home taking a different trail through some beautiful scenery.
“Kenora is everyone’s friend, and we found that out when a bunch of us came across a couple of guys stuck in some slush,” said Nickle. “After helping them out for an hour, they invited us to their cabin where we had a couple of hot chocolates and a few good laughs.”
