The snowmobile trails in Muskoka likely won’t be open until the second or third week of January, according to Nunzio Iacobellis.
“It all really depends on what mother nature throws at us,” says Iacobellis, the President of Gravenhurst’s Snowcrest Riders.
He explains that most of the clubs in the area have gotten the work they needed to do on the trails done and are now playing the waiting game. “The biggest challenge I think the clubs are running into right now is that we just don’t have the frost on the ground,” he explains. The snow, Iacobellis continues, is great but colder weather and frost are needed before the trails can be opened.
He points out that the snow is acting as an insulator and causing them to not freeze as quickly as needed.
New this year is a trail that will connect Muskoka’s trails directly to the ones in the Minden area. Iacobellis says thanks to the cooperation of sledding clubs in Muskoka and the surrounding area, the connecting trail will be open this season.
“Please, please stay off the trails,” asks Iacobellis. He points out that no trails in Muskoka are open meaning anyone caught on them could be charged with trespassing. As well, he says there is a risk that private landowners revoke access to certain sections of trails if sledders go on them too early. “We all want to ride,” he says. “All the volunteers are sledders. We want to get on the trails, too, but only when it’s safe.”
Iacobellis says to keep a close eye on the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs’ interactive trail guide. When trails are open, the guide will be updated.