Large Circle Loop Around All Of New Brunswick…
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Our snowmobile New Brunswick zones tour had a brutal start. After chasing snow all winter across Canada on our snowmobile tours or snowmobile vacations, it finally found us. Almost two feet fell overnight as we dreamed of the groomed snowmobile trails to come at our launch hotel, the Quality Inn, Edmundston. Instead of delaying our take-off to let things settle, we spent the next 10 hours slogging a mere 100 kilometres.
With minimal signage and few stakes to follow, our sleds got buried more than 25 times as they broke through the deep powder trying to find and stay on the completely obliterated NB12. Fortunately, the temperature hovered just below 0˚C all day, so at least we weren’t freezing too! We ended up staying that first night at our intended lunch stop, the Quality Inn Pres du Lac, Grand Falls. We barely made it…
Snow a-plenty to Snowmobile New Brunswick. Photo © by Craig Nicholson.
Pathfinding in daylight was bad enough, but when darkness fell, we were still about six klicks out of Grand Falls. We came to a road and couldn’t find the trail on the other side. We shuttled around that road with our headlights pointed every which-way looking for any indication. We had pretty much decided to go to Plan B (yet to be developed), when we spotted truck headlights coming along the road. Some local sledders had seen our lights from their home down the way and come to investigate. Hearing our predicament, Nick Sénéchal promptly offered to get his sled and guide us to the hotel. Thank goodness he did, because otherwise we would have had to ride the Trans Canada Highway!
This snowstorm was the first of three that hit New Brunswick that week; the other two delivered just enough new snow that we mostly snowmobiled fresh powder on top of groomed trails – sweet! However, the storms also changed our intended New Brunswick snowmobile tour itinerary somewhat but I’ve listed our intended routes in the “Our Itinerary” section below.
Snowmobile New Brunswick – Who To Contact
Snowmobile New Brunswick – Our Tour Itinerary
2,244 kilometres in 8 days of riding. NB = New Brunswick Provincial Trail; LT = Local Trail.
DAY ONE: Trailer to Edmundston (drive time from Greater Toronto Area: approx. 11 hours). Where We Stayed: Grey Rock Quality Inn
DAY TWO: Ride 203 km Edmundston south to Woodstock via NB12. Option to add distance by exploring local trails in Woodstock area. Where We Stayed: Howard Johnson
DAY THREE: Ride 245 km southwestern route from Woodstock to Fredericton via NB12, NB32, LT729, NB44, NB15. Option to add distance by exploring local trails in Fredericton area. Where We Stayed: Ramada Inn
DAY FOUR: Ride 236 km east from Fredericton to Miramichi via NB15/LT703/NB52. Option to add distance by exploring local trails in Miramichi area. Where We Stayed: Travelodge
DAY FIVE: Ride 235 km from Miramichi to Moncton via NB52/NB21 east/LT535 south/LT530 southwest/LT690 south/NB52 south/LT646. Option to add distance by exploring local trails in Moncton area. Where We Stayed: Hampton Inn
2nd Half of Loop
DAY SIX: Ride 200 km from Moncton to Sussex area via LT 646 west/LT 660/NB34 south/LT873 south/NB31 west/ LT850/LT818/then LT819 to view Bay of Fundy at Martin head/then explore Fundy Highlands area/ to lodgings on NB31 north of intersection with LT 812. Where We Stayed: Adair’s Wilderness Lodge
DAY SEVEN: Ride 333 km from Sussex area to Miramichi via NB31 east/NB15 west/LT703 east/LT707 east/NB52 north. Shorter options available. Where We Stayed: Travelodge
DAY EIGHT: Ride 377 km from Miramichi to Bathurst via Acadian Peninsula via NB52 north/LT515 east/NB48 east/NB19 west/NB23/NB19. Shorter options available. Where We Stayed: Atlantic Host Hotel
DAY NINE: Ride 365 km from Bathurst to Edmundston via Moose Valley via NB19 west/NB28 north/NB17 west/NB12. Where We Stayed: Grey Rock Quality Inn
DAY TEN: Trailer home
For more on this New Brunswick snowmobile tour, read my New Brunswick snowmobiling article as published in Snow Goer Canada Magazine. Also, if you’re interested in sledding to New Brunswick from Quebec, check out my Snowmobile New Brunswick and Quebec article.
Riders should reconfirm the routes and services mentioned in this New Brunswick snowmobile tour article as they may have changed since publication.