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District 8 Trails still green in April ? ?


Blake G

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Is the OFSC Interactive Trail Guide accurate?

 

Are the District 8 trails in the area between Barrie and Elmvale actually in "green" condition?

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 Blake,There is lots of snow up in medonte and the trails look to be good although I packed it in a week ago the railline out of Orillia thru hawkstone and up into medonte still had lots of base.Not far from hillsdale and elmvale so I expect they are probably as stated.Little rain tonight might make them go yellow.Many of those areas around the simcoe county forests hold the snow well.I think the Orillia club mentioned on its page they may be pulling stakes this past weekend while travel is still good.

  Kerry

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 Blake,There is lots of snow up in medonte and the trails look to be good although I packed it in a week ago the railline out of Orillia thru hawkstone and up into medonte still had lots of base.Not far from hillsdale and elmvale so I expect they are probably as stated.Little rain tonight might make them go yellow.Many of those areas around the simcoe county forests hold the snow well.I think the Orillia club mentioned on its page they may be pulling stakes this past weekend while travel is still good.

  Kerry

That is amazing.  What a year for everyone.  We are done, but man it was a great one.  Will remember this year for a long time!!  Thanks again everyone

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Rode them late last week and did 200 kms in 5 hours. Trails were mint and that section has trees on both sides of the railway line for shade. Actually got to thinking (always dangerous) and realized that proper tree canopy can extend a season considerably.

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Thank you Kerry, Canuck and WildBill for the information. And Extreme600, thank you for the moral support.

 

Seems a little odd to think about going south for late season sledding, but maybe I'll give it a shot tomorrow morning. 

 

If sledding conditions are already bad, it would be nice to know about it. Unless I hear otherwise, I might give it a try. Midhurst is less than an hour's truck ride from my house.

 

I'm not very familiar with the area, so maybe someone can correct my errors, or let me know if this makes any sense:

 

I would park at the SnoVoyagers Club House at 1539 Snow Valley Road, and sled on the route shown in baby blue on the map. It's only about 85 kilometres, so I might extend a bit. (I could also consider parking in Orillia and going down the B112B rail trail.)

 

Where are a couple of good options for fuel and food?

 

If someone familiar with the area feels like going for a ride, just let me know.

 

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Thank you Kerry and Canuck for the information. And Extreme600, thank you for the moral support.

 

Seems a little odd to think about going south for late season sledding, but maybe I'll give it a shot tomorrow morning. 

 

If sledding conditions are already bad, it would be nice to know about it. Unless I hear otherwise, I might give it a try. Midhurst is less than an hour's truck ride from my house.

 

I'm not very familiar with the area, so maybe someone can correct my errors, or let me know if this makes any sense:

 

I would park at the SnoVoyagers Club House at 1539 Snow Valley Road, and sled on the route shown in baby blue on the map. It's only about 85 kilometres, so I might extend a bit. (I could also consider parking in Orillia and going down the B112B rail trail.)

 

Where are a couple of good options for fuel and food?

 

If someone familiar with the area feels like going for a ride, just let me know.

 

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you might want to watch the weather radar it was raining in Midland pretty good tonight 

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I hear ya. I just looked at the Environment Canada 3 hour history. I don't know how accurate it is, but it showed Midland getting heavier rain than areas immediately south of Midland. Maybe I'm wearing my rose coloured glasses?

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I hear ya. I just looked at the Environment Canada 3 hour history. I don't know how accurate it is, but it showed Midland getting heavier rain than areas immediately south of Midland. Maybe I'm wearing my rose coloured glasses?

that could be true just looked at this http://weather.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=WKR 

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My info is from last Thursday.  So it's like telling you that last weeks Lotto numbers were ..... and hoping that info. assists you in this week's draw.

 

For what it's worth, we made fresh tracks on Trail 416. Lots of base, pine forest. If 416 was a Bo Derek (if you need to ask, why are we having this conversation?) then Trail 415 was an 8/10. Same terrain, but different groomer frequency. It was groomed earlier that week.

 

We only did parts of C because Wasaga 601 ) was open and we love those fields. When we connected to C, it was 7/10 (gentle moguls).

 

If north Barrie didn't have rain, I'd do it. That area is so different 'weather wise' from other regions that it's tough to judge. Being a snow region, it has lots of base.

 

Don't forget that there's fuel and coffee in Apto (take Rainbow Road). They're not a map advertiser, but the Shell station has allowed us to park a 4 place trailer and go our merry way. You're plan is to park at clubhouse and stick to it because it doesn't involve roads. But be aware of the Shell if you need a coffee break/anything else. Road rash from eastern side of B is easier than from western side (if Hwy 27 is the middle point). You'll see a handmade 'gas/food' sign as you head south (for 85 km trip, don't need it. Just fyi).

 

Edit: as for B112B- For Sure! It's a railway line, as you know. I recall seeing one of your trip maps where you bypassed this by taking Lake Simcoe. So if it's truly "Limited" and you know the lake, pick up the trail towards Hwy 11 at Shanty Bay and away you go. The road running over Hwy 11 is brutal any time of the year, but it's only 200 meters. Hwy 400 crossing is less intense. Recall many fields and few roads otherwise.

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Thank you, Canuck.

 

I didn't need to look up Bo Derek, as I have done that research before, but I did have to check online to learn more about Apto. Good to file stuff like that in the back of the brain for future reference.

 

If I do drive to Midhurst, it won't be the end of the world if I have to cut short the sledding. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Maybe I will drive the route in my truck with the windows open. Not that different from the Arctic Tank, after all. LOL

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There still was a ton of snow in my yard this morning. I will tell you any trail next to a road will not be in a "green" condition, I would not even call it "yellow". Once you are away from the roads the trail should be OK. I have not looked at the trails since Thursday. Here is a screen grab from the last 24 hr no rain and no rain forecasted for tomorrow.

 

My guess is the trails would be changed to yellow before they are closed so I assume they are still rideable.

 

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I just took a look at the b103 from the roadside. From what I good see with a flash light walking the trails look rideable. I would have a full tank of gas and unload at the club house. The trail beside the road on Snow Valley rd looks hard but the other trail crossings look aright. If I had.my sled and was free tomorrow I would go for a ride.

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Reved your detailed information and advice are very helpful. This site is fantastic for sharing conditions. It looks as though I'll be landing at the clubhouse around 930 to check out the trails.

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How did you make out today? I drove by the railline the C, and gave the trail a scuff with a shoe and it seemed a little hard for an early morning ride. In the warmer afternoon sun it should provide enough lube. Some of the road crossing looked brutal (417 crossing 27). I see the trails are now listed as yellow.


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Arrived at Sno Voyageurs for 930. Backed the sled off truck and let it warm up a bit while I put on my helmet and coat. When I pressed the throttle to take off, the engine quit. This happened multiple times - -   the sled would only idle, not accepting any throttle. I thought my ride was over before it even started, but I called WildBill to see what he thought. He knew exactly what to do, and I was underway in two minutes. Good to have connections with a man of his stature.

 

Trails online were green when I left the club house, but turned yellow while I was snowmobiling.  I had no serious issues, but I was seeing very late season conditions. Snow was in short supply, with grass showing many places. Some water on top of the trail here and there. I half expected problems due to lack of lube, but the issue did not materialize. I didn't need to deploy the scratchers. I guess a studded track on an eight hundred pound machine with a 250 pound rider must have been chewing up enough ice. There were instances of gravel running that were longer than I would have liked.

 

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The C Trail rail line was icy south of B, but had plenty of snow north of B to Elmvale. I was thinking that conditions were likely better all the way up to Midland, but I didn't go that far. 416 and then 415 were fine through the fields and bush, but there were a few hundred yards of painful gravel road at the very south tip of 415, just before meeting B.

 

I am glad I did the trip, and really look forward to covering the exact same ground next winter when we have enough snow! Having said that, even one or two inches of fresh snow would have made today's running great. By the way, I drove by the Uhthoff Rail Trail a couple of places on the way back to Gravenhurst, and it looks pretty good right now.

 

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Good post Blake.  That run is usually an awesome run.  There is a lot of great running on the Sno Voyageur trails.  I would say that this year we probably ran mainly south of Gravenhurst due to the great conditions and a lot less traffic.  Oh and the police in that area seem a lot nicer and more enjoyable to be around.  The signage in the Barrie area is awesome also.  Love the emergency signs at all road crossing.   Glad you tried it out as obviously we were all curious as to what you would find out today.   Nice pic of the deer also.  The last pic was that plowed to there?

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The last pic is the loading ramp located at the club house for pickups

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The C Trail rail line was icy south of B, but had plenty of snow north of B to Elmvale. I was thinking that conditions were likely better all the way up to Midland, but I didn't go that far. 416 and then 415 were fine through the fields and bush, but there were a few hundred yards of painful gravel road at the very south tip of 415, just before meeting B.

 

 

Usually the used section of used between the closed rd allowance is groomed next to the cemetery. 

 

 

Would you recommend people ride on last time or is it done?

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Usually the used section of used between the closed rd allowance is groomed next to the cemetery. 

 

 

Would you recommend people ride on last time or is it done?

If you know the area well enough to avoid the road runs, it might be worth one more trip.

 

I started at the club house (green square) and went clockwise.

 

I don't remember everything because it was my first trip in the area.

 

The red circles are places where I remember the gravel or pavement exceeded 100 metres. I would not want to run past those places again this year.

 

The small black squares are stretches that I would run again tomorrow.

 

I "would" run C from the bottom up to where the small black squares start, but that whole rail line is rather icy, plus the bare road crossings extend ten or twenty metres into the trail from the road in most of the crossings, as I recall. So from the first red circle on B103 all the way to Phelpston is passable if you don't mind that. I guess another way of saying it would be that C presents the stretch with the least amount of road rash. The base is thin but passable today, but it won't last long.

 

Having said that, north of Phelpston had more snow, though there were some moguls. And, as I mentioned earlier, the Uhthoff rail line looks ok at Division Road and also where it crosses Burnside. This suggests that from Phelpston up toward Midland might be a better bet than around Barrie. The problem with the Orillia to Midland run would be the road through Coldwater, the Waubashene gas station and the road after crossing Highway 12, and the streets as you pass through the south part of Midland.

 

Not sure if you do trailering, but the trails are better near Parry Sound. They would also be better in the area shown as green in the Almaguin Highlands, although their trails with road running would not be good.

 

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A little late but this is the road running and groomed ditches I could think of

 

 

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Reved, that map is a great idea. Maybe late for this season, but still useful for next season and beyond, assuming the trails don't change too much. For someone trying to plan a route in an unfamiliar area, it is certainly beneficial to have some idea about the amount of road running or even potential road running. I would like to see more maps like this for different areas.

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Reved, that map is a great idea. Maybe late for this season, but still useful for next season and beyond, assuming the trails don't change too much. For someone trying to plan a route in an unfamiliar area, it is certainly beneficial to have some idea about the amount of road running or even potential road running. I would like to see more maps like this for different areas.

X2

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A wonderful tool.

Some of us miss the information that was once available (i.e. "Trail is limited due to logging on..for 15 kms).

I suspect IAFG will evolve in Reved's manner.

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Reved, that map is a great idea. Maybe late for this season, but still useful for next season and beyond, assuming the trails don't change too much. For someone trying to plan a route in an unfamiliar area, it is certainly beneficial to have some idea about the amount of road running or even potential road running. I would like to see more maps like this for different areas.

 

Actually this is something I have gotten challenged on by some parents when out on Trail Patrol. They have their 12 to 15 year old kids who are not legally allowed to ride on the road or cross the road. They want to set the right example and are out on a ride and come to a stretch where the sign says follow road to trail and dad riding down the road then walking back to drive juniors sled down the road is not a viable option due to distance etc. So now their choice is beak the law, take a chance or turn around. The district maps all show in the legend trail on road however it is seldom if ever used. I have made a number of requests through the district for the clubs in our district to update their trails for our district map but it doesn't seem to happen. It would actually be nice if the district maps actually show the trail on road like it should.

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