Snowmobile Trail Through Snow Road Open This Winter

Jeff Green | Dec 07, 2022

The Snow Road Snowmobile Club has been able to arrange for passage along the E trail to connect with the Ontario snowmobile trail network this winter.

Last year, the trail was closed from Sharbot Lake north, along the 4 season K&P trail, as there was no way to connect to the trail north of Snow Road to Lanark and Renfrew counties, and points north.

The trail was closed at Robertsville, near the border between Central and North Frontenac, because property owners were no longer willing to allow snow machines through their land, as they had done in the past.

“One of the concerns of landowners, which we share at the Snow Road Snowmobile Club, is snow machines going off the trail onto their property, risking the safety of the riders and property damage as well,” said Greg Crain, President of the Snow Road Snowmobile Club.

Two landowners, Bob and Jim Riddell, had concerns over trespassing by snow machines onto a quarry that is adjacent to the trail.

This fall, they made a deal with the Snow Road Snowmobile Club. If the club would fence off parts of the trail through their property, they would sign an agreement with the club and open gates they had put up blocking access to the trail.

The snowmobile club, with help from the Verona District ATV Club, put up the fence in November.

“Once the fence was up, we signed an agreement,” said Jim Riddell, “I signed on and so did my brother Bob.”

While this allows for passage to the Mississippi Bridge, the section from the bridge running north to the junction of Road 509 and the Elphin Maberly Road is still not open, and snowmobilers will have to use Road 509 for a few hundred metres.

“Once they get across the road, we have an agreement for access to our clubhouse,” said Greg Crain, “and we are using a trail, on the edge of some ditching, to get back onto our trails that connect to the rest of the trail system to the north of us,” said Crain. “It's not ideal but it is better than last year, when we were not connected at all.”

Crain said that it is not ideal for snowmobiles to ride over roads because the snow cools the bottom of the sleds.

“You can get away with it, but it is hard on the machines.”

The message that Crain wants to get out for snowmobilers, who can access the Ontario trail network by buying a pass from the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, is to remain on the trail and respect the rights and interests of landowners, who sign annual agreements with the Ontario Federation.

“People who see a snow-covered field next to a trail and decide to go for a ride on it, make things more difficult for all of us, and they are taking risks as well because they do not know what is under the snow on those fields,” he said.

Another issue for landowners has been a protracted dispute with Frontenac County over County's attempt to purchase parcels of land from the former K&P rail line from landowners in the area, in order to complete the 4 season K&P Trail.

Some landowners who traditionally signed agreements with the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, are reluctant to see the lands used for a year-round trail and ATV use, and are now blocking access to snowmobiles as well.

“The issues between landowners and Frontenac County are not our issues,” said Crain. “We hope they get resolved so we can improve the trail network in future years. But we are happy to be open this year, after last year. Now, all we need is snow.”