Grey-bruce snowmobile trail availability 'increasing by the day'

Snowmobile season has arrived in Grey-bruce.

The combination of cold and snow is just what local snowmobile clubs were looking for after a mild start to 2023, and trails in the area are starting to open.

“The clubs have been out there since it started snowing finishing up their staking and signing, making sure no trees or debris have fallen over the trail, and we have managed to get a lot of groomers out as well,” Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs District 9 manager Karen Buratynski said Wednesday morning. “As a result we have had some trail availability, which is fantastic, and it is increasing by the day.”

As of Wednesday morning, several trails in the area had been opened for limited riding availability, including the main B110 trail that follows the CP rail trail running from Dundalk to Owen Sound. Additional trails have opened in areas including Owen Sound, Markdale, Durham, Neustadt and Hanover. Trails have also started to open to the east and south of Grey-bruce. “We are hoping to have more trails available by this weekend,” Buratynski said.

“We welcome the cold. The cold that is coming tomorrow and Friday will be fantastic to keep the trails in place and the base good.”

Everyone is encouraged to watch the OFSC interactive trail guide at ofsc.on.ca or the Go Snowmobiling app to get updated trail availability as trails open.

The majority of the trails that have opened in the area are in central and southern Grey-bruce, with trails remaining closed on the Bruce Peninsula as of Wednesday. Buratynski said preparing the trails on the peninsula is more challenging because of the rocky conditions there, requiring more snow coverage.

“I can tell you the clubs are out, the groomers are out and they are absolutely doing their best,” said Buratynski. “As soon as it becomes safe both for the riders and to protect our landowners' property underneath they will be made available.”

Groomer operators and club representatives are working around the clock and report updates into the District 9 office as soon as trails are available, seven days a week.

“As soon as we get the green light from our clubs we make those changes on the interactive trail guide,” Buratynski said.

OFSC District 9, which includes

I can tell you the clubs are out, the groomers are out and they are absolutely doing their best. As soon as it becomes safe both for the riders and to protect our landowners' property underneath they will be made available

all of Grey and Bruce counties, has about 2,900 km of trails that are maintained by 26 member clubs and associations. The region is known for its diverse trails across escarpment, through rolling farmland and woods, as well as its big snowfalls and proximity to major urban centres.

The snowmobile season got off to a slow start in Grey-bruce after the area experienced mild and wet conditions to end 2022 and start 2023. A couple of large dumpings of snow didn't last long enough to prepare the trails and open them.

But Buratynski said clubs were ready for the latest snowfall, taking the time following the blizzard at Christmas to ensure all signs and stakes were up, debris was cleared, and filling in any significant water holes that formed.

“There was definitely a lot of work to be done, but as soon as they could get out, they did,” she said. “We have had great progress in the last few days.”

And even after the lack of snow earlier in the year, the season isn't far off track from most years, when they typically open around the end of January. The upcoming forecast is favourable with daily highs below freezing and snow in the forecast over the next week.

“We are very pleased,” Buratynski said.

Permits, which are required to ride the province's some 30,000 kilometres of trails, are also available through the website at ofsc.on.ca.

Buratynski said trail permits have been selling well so far, but asked riders to please stay off the trails until they are open both out of respect for the landowners and for their own safety.