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Circle Lake Superior


wanderer

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We are looking at circling lake Superior next week. Looks like some issues in the trails on the OFSC site around Nipigon. Anyone been through there? Is it passable and can we find the trails? Any info would be appreciated.

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We are looking at circling lake Superior next week. Looks like some issues in the trails on the OFSC site around Nipigon. Anyone been through there? Is it passable and can we find the trails? Any info would be appreciated.

I would call the district16 office 800-526-7522

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We are looking at circling lake Superior next week. Looks like some issues in the trails on the OFSC site around Nipigon. Anyone been through there? Is it passable and can we find the trails? Any info would be appreciated.

There has been no grooming here period. If you have ridden the trails before, or had a GPS track, you might be able to find your way, but I'd suggest an axe or a small buck saw as a minimum, as I don't think anything's been brushed. There are signs, but they are somewhat sporadic. You will also need a long track sled, as we have been blessed with an amazing amount of snow. If you try this, your best bet would be to haul you sleds from Thunder Bay, (PM me for the number of a guy with a big flatbed trailer who can do this for you) then head north from Nipigon along either the gas pipeline or the old railway bed (couple of gnarly bridges), hook up with the trails to Geraldton & Longlac, and see if you can go by way of Caramat and Hillsport to hook up with the Dubreville trails.

Hope this helps!

BP

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There has been no grooming here period. If you have ridden the trails before, or had a GPS track, you might be able to find your way, but I'd suggest an axe or a small buck saw as a minimum, as I don't think anything's been brushed. There are signs, but they are somewhat sporadic. You will also need a long track sled, as we have been blessed with an amazing amount of snow. If you try this, your best bet would be to haul you sleds from Thunder Bay, (PM me for the number of a guy with a big flatbed trailer who can do this for you) then head north from Nipigon along either the gas pipeline or the old railway bed (couple of gnarly bridges), hook up with the trails to Geraldton & Longlac, and see if you can go by way of Caramat and Hillsport to hook up with the Dubreville trails.

Hope this helps!

BP

went that way years back, why do they not groom any more, it is a great trail west of white river all the way to longlac

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went that way years back, why do they not groom any more, it is a great trail west of white river all the way to longlac

Too many KM of trail, not enough people with jobs to buy permits = No more club. See the thread aout District 16 in this forum

BP

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Too many KM of trail, not enough people with jobs to buy permits = No more club. See the thread aout District 16 in this forum

BP

I guess my advice of calling the district office is not good then. When I called them a few weeks ago they said the loop would be open ot the west and only a few trails around manitouwage and hearst to Longlac would be closed?

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An email from the District on Jan 21st:

Hello,

The only trails that are closed permanently this year are D109A, D110A and A107A. These trails are not even shown on the interactive trail guide.

As for the trails that you state are in red, that means that at this moment they are not open but will be soon, sometimes they show green (open) and yellow (limited). The trails are updated every Monday and Thursday, so please check them often.

Have a great weekend and safe snowmobiling.

Danielle

District 16 Administrator

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I guess my advice of calling the district office is not good then. When I called them a few weeks ago they said the loop would be open ot the west and only a few trails around manitouwage and hearst to Longlac would be closed?

No, it's probably good advice, as I certainly don't know what plans they've got. I just know that the Nipigon Club no longer exists and, as of this past Sunday, Feb 6, there has been no trails groomed in our area, nor around the Beardmore area. There was talk of having the trails groomed by the Thunder Bay club, but we've got a ton of snow, and no sign of a groomer. Also, I was talking to the MTO about another matter, and they informed me that there are no "legal" snowmobile trail highway crossings in the former Nipigon Club's area. They let the permits expire and nobody has renewed them. The MTO told me that the club would not likely be able to get them back in their current form as a result of the planned 4 lane expansion of the highway. We could be looking at the end of the trail system in these parts, I'm afraid.

BP

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No, it's probably good advice, as I certainly don't know what plans they've got. I just know that the Nipigon Club no longer exists and, as of this past Sunday, Feb 6, there has been no trails groomed in our area, nor around the Beardmore area. There was talk of having the trails groomed by the Thunder Bay club, but we've got a ton of snow, and no sign of a groomer. Also, I was talking to the MTO about another matter, and they informed me that there are no "legal" snowmobile trail highway crossings in the former Nipigon Club's area. They let the permits expire and nobody has renewed them. The MTO told me that the club would not likely be able to get them back in their current form as a result of the planned 4 lane expansion of the highway. We could be looking at the end of the trail system in these parts, I'm afraid.

BP

If that's the case I wonder why the district is saying all is well?? The above email is exactly what they told me on the phone also. Strange

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BP, have the rails & ties of CN's former Kinghorn Subdivision (Longlac - Thunder Bay via Nipigon) been pulled up? I read somewhere that there was the possibility that it could be used as a recreation trail in the future.

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BP, have the rails & ties of CN's former Kinghorn Subdivision (Longlac - Thunder Bay via Nipigon) been pulled up? I read somewhere that there was the possibility that it could be used as a recreation trail in the future.

Rails are gone, but the ties are still down. The town of Nipigon and others are working to get the rail line as a all season trail, but I think that it'll be a few years. We've lots of snow, so the ties are no issue right now. We ran part of it a coupe of weeks ago and it was fast! There are a few bridges that are nerve wracking as there is not much in the way of railings, but it'll be a good run if they can make it into a trail.

BP

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There are a few bridges that are nerve wracking as there is not much in the way of railings,

:-o

but it'll be a good run if they can make it into a trail.

BP

Well it wouldn't be as difficult to groom as a cross country trail in that area.

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:-o

Well it wouldn't be as difficult to groom as a cross country trail in that area.

Absolutely! :right_on: I guess the limiting factor is the bridges (unknown condition = unknown liability) and the question of just who will take on the leadership roll for the thing. In addition to the bridges, there are many culverts and other water crossings that somebody must be responsible for. It's a pretty big liability that no one thus far has been willing to take on. :unsure:

BP

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Liability _ liability.....

I was talking to a fella in Ont about redooing some software on a machine for me. He was almost ready to doo it, and then had a realazation that I was in The States and we are "sue happy". (should someone get injured, the changes made could be in question as a cause)

And here you can't put a club together w/o all kinds of paperwerk. I recall an issue many yrs ago where one club up that way just went in and tossed a mobile home frame over a crick and called it good. Then some greenie cought wind of it and made a big stink that they did it w/o permits, and wouldn't'cha know it - there were speckled trout in that crick! (When you figger out what one thing hasta doo with the other - you'll let me know eh?) They hadta pull the "bridge" and fix all the groundwerk in the area, and then file all the forms and such. I'm not sure if there was a new bridge went back up eventually or not? If so - I bet it cost some-one a WHOLE lot more loonies than the old one did. And either one got you to the other side...

Life must have been so much less stressfull back in the day.... :icon_doh:

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I was told the district was going to keep the top trail open through Nipigon, but at the point I was being told this, it was unclear who would actually be doing the grooming. Kind of a big undertaking if you ask me, lotsa work needs to be done there, ya cant just cruise through there in a groomer on a whim just cause there is snow. Someone also has to be responsible for signage. Like BP says, this doesn't look good and could defiantly be a black eye for the federation. I'm glad I got to ride this section of trail before it folded up.

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Absolutely! :right_on: I guess the limiting factor is the bridges (unknown condition = unknown liability) and the question of just who will take on the leadership roll for the thing. In addition to the bridges, there are many culverts and other water crossings that somebody must be responsible for. It's a pretty big liability that no one thus far has been willing to take on. :unsure:

BP

I probably would be correct in saying that the majority of the railway bridges would've been steel (as opposed to wooden trestles) since this was a main line. They would've been rated for "X" number of tons when used for trains. I don't think the rating would be nearly as high to support a groomer.

That all being said when TOP A used to stay "above" Hwy. 11 between Calstock & Bambino's, the trail crossed 2 former railway bridges which crossed the Shekak & Skunk rivers. The bridge over the Skunk River was being used for logging trucks. Just to the west of this area, A107A crossed the Nagagami River on a railway bridge as well. This stretch of the CNR was abandoned in the early 80s. If this abandoned railway was used as a snowmobile trail up until last year, I can't see why the Kighorn can't be.

The 1st 2 pics are of the bridge over the Shekak River. The 3rd pic is over the Nagagami.

post-19781-0-98762400-1297312241_thumb.jpg

post-19781-0-03887700-1297312280_thumb.jpg

post-19781-0-77211500-1297312411_thumb.jpg

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  • 7 years later...

Just an update to this old thought:

 

https://www.facebook.com/KinghornRailTrail/

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