Ontario Snowmobile Tour Destinations Top 5

Riders’ Rank Best Ontario Snowmobile Tour Destinations…

 

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Related: Ontario Snowmobiling Accommodations

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Ontario law requires a snowmobile entering an OFSC Prescribed Snowmobile Trail to display a valid Ontario Snowmobile Trail Permit.

So what are the most popular Ontario snowmobile tour destinations? From years of snowmobiling, I’ve found my own favourites. But I also wanted to touch base with other snowmobilers for their opinions. So I recently posed the question on my Facebook page as part of my weekly “Have Your Say Mondays” poll. Snowmobilers are always more than willing to share their thoughts. So believe me, there was no shortage of excellent feedback…

Criteria

By its very nature, the question assumed the recommended Ontario snowmobile tour destinations are likely to be places riders travel to for a special trail riding adventure. So each of these locations has a considerable number of OFSC trail options and loops. They all have good diversity of experiences and offer something special to make riding there memorable. Plus, they each offer plenty of snowmobile-friendly amenities, reliable snow and consistent grooming.

Trailering Distances

So in order of popularity, here are the top 5 Ontario snowmobile tour destinations as selected by you. Also, I should note that I’ve included the trailering distance to each destination from Toronto. Not because Toronto is the centre of the universe. But simply because Toronto’s the easiest reference point from which the most riders can estimate their own drive times.

Regional Ranking

And finally, here’s one more point. Typically, riders answered with a town name (e.g. Cochrane), not the broader region designation (e.g. Northern Corridor). Whenever this happened, I took it to mean the town they staged from to snowmobile throughout the surrounding area. So in compiling the results, I combined neighbouring town choices into their appropriate region and that’s what is listed below.

Top 5 Ontario Snowmobile Tour Destinations

#1 Northern Corridor

By far the most snowmobilers chose the Northern Corridor as their top pick among Ontario snowmobile tour destinations. Some voted for “Northern Corridor”. But most said Cochrane, Hearst or even Abitibi Canyon. But clearly, as anyone who has gone there knows, everyone rides TOP Trail A and its various loops at least as far as Kapuskasing if not all the way to Hearst and back.

• Location: Northeastern Ontario Region.
• Trailering Distance: Toronto to Cochrane – 728.5 km.
• Riding Days: 3 to 5 (day rides or saddle bagging).
• Trails: over 1,700 km.
• Loops & Rides: Abitibi Canyon Tour (303 km), Gateway To The North Tour (217 km), Lumberjack Loop (145 km), Missinaibi Expedition Tour (165 km), Northern Corridor Adventure (1,645 km).
• Named Towns in Ranked Order: Cochrane, Kapuskasing, Hearst.
• My Fav Lodgings: Thriftlodge (Cochrane), Comfort Inn (Kapuskasing), Companion Hotel (Hearst).
• My Tour Articles: Snowmobile Northern Corridor, Proving Ground.
• Contact Info: Northeastern Ontario Tourism, Northern Corridor.
• Adjacent Regions: Algoma Country (west), Abitibi-Témiscamnigue (east).

#2 Ottawa Valley

The Ottawa Valley extends along either side of the Ottawa River from Mattawa in the west to almost the City of Ottawa. On its southwest side, it abuts the Madawaska Highlands, which riders ranked as the #3 among Ontario snowmobile tour destinations. In actuality, many riders tour both these adjacent regions. They only distinguish between them by the names of the towns they typically stage from to ride.

• Location: Ontario’s Highlands Region.
• Trailering Distance: Toronto to Pembroke – 379.7 km.
• Riding Days: 3 to 5 (day rides or saddle bagging).
• Trails: over 1,000 km in Ottawa Valley proper.
• Loops: The Voyageur Route (350 km), RAP Tour (southeastern section).
• Named Towns in Ranked Order: Pembroke, Deep River.
• My Fav Lodgings: Best Western (Pembroke), Days Inn, (Renfrew).
• My Tour Articles: Ottawa Valley Itinerary.
• Contact Info: Ontario’s Highland Tourism, Ottawa Valley Tourism, Snow Country Snowmobile Region.
• Adjacent Regions: Madawaska Highlands (south), Outaouais (north).

#3 Madawaska Highlands

The Madawaska Highlands are immediately adjacent to, and for most of us inseparable from the Ottawa Valley (see #2 rank above). Together they comprise a huge swath of terrain that is ranked here as the premier Southern Ontario riding area among Ontario snowmobile tour destinations. But because the two are distinct areas at least in regional name and because snowmobilers answering my “Have Your Say Mondays” poll specifically named their favourite towns, I’ve listed them individually.

• Location: Ontario’s Highlands Region.
• Trailering Distance: Toronto to Bancroft – 241.3 km, Toronto to Barry’s Bay – 306.5 km.
• Riding Days: 3 to 5 (day rides or saddle bagging).
• Trails: over 1,000 km.
• Loops: Madawaska Highlands Loop 180 km), Round Bonnechere Loop (230 km), RAP Tour (south-eastern section).
• Named Towns in Ranked Order: Barry’s Bay, Bancroft, Whitney.
• My Fav Lodgings: Ashgrove Inn (Barry’s Bay), Bancroft Inn & Suites.
• My Tour Articles: Discover Barry’s Bay, Big Time in Bancroft.
• Contact Info: Ontario’s Highland Tourism, Snow Country Snowmobile Region.
• Adjacent Regions: Haliburton Highlands (west), Ottawa Valley (north & east).

#4 Algoma North

Snowmobilers answering my “Have Your Say Mondays” poll about Ontario snowmobile tour destinations picked the area from Searchmont north to Hearst as #4. This in the northern half of the region known as Algoma Country, located north of Lake Huron and east of Lake Superior. For many years, it’s been a popular destination for American snowmobilers visiting Ontario via Sault Ste. Marie.

• Location: Algoma Country.
• Trailering Distance: Toronto to Searchmont – 739.7 km.
• Riding Days: 3 to 5 (saddle bagging).
• Trails: about 700 km.
• Rides: Halfway There, ¾ of the Way There, All The Way There.
• Named Towns in Ranked Order: Wawa, Dubreuilville, Hearst.
• My Fav Lodgings: Driftwood Valley Chalets (Searchmont), Wawa Motor Inn (Wawa), Magpie Relais (Dubreuilville), Companion Hotel (Hearst).
• Tour Articles: Drop In To Dubreuilville, 10 Reasons to Visit Algoma.
• Contact Info: Algoma Country, Algoma Snow Plan Affiliation.
• Adjacent Regions: Northeastern Ontario (east).

#5 Greater Sudbury Area

For snowmobiling purposes, a 150-kilometre circle around the City of Sudbury defines the Greater Sudbury Area. It encompasses the original Sudbury Trail Plan, one of most established and well-developed trail systems among Ontario snowmobile tour destinations. Sudbury is the only central destination on this list with trails fanning out like spokes on a wheel in every direction of the compass.

• Location: Northeastern Ontario Region.
• Trailering Distance: Toronto to Sudbury – 410.2 km.
• Riding Days: 2 to 4 (day rides).
• Trails: over 1,100 km.
• Loops: Chiniguchi Wolf Loop (223 km), Cartier Moose Loop (253 km), Deer Loop (175 km), Rainbow Elk Loop (349 km).
• Named Towns in Ranked Order: Sudbury.
• My Fav Lodgings: Moonlight Suites (Sudbury).
• My Tour Articles: Staging From Sudbury.
• Contact Info: Northeastern Ontario Tourism, Sudbury Tourism, Sudbury Trail Plan.
• Adjacent Regions: Algoma Country (west), Near North (east).

With over 30,000 kilometres of OFSC trails across the province, these Ontario snowmobile tour destinations are just a few of the great trail riding options available. So when Mother Nature cooperates, be sure to discover and explore a few new ones of your own!

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The tips and advice in this blog are the opinions of the author, may not work in every situation and are intended only for the convenience and interest of the reader, who has the personal responsibility to confirm the validity, accuracy and relevancy of this information prior to putting it to their own use.