Jump to content

Superior Snow Challenge


signfan

Recommended Posts

I've been following this. That's my home town. I would be all over it if I still lived there. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i applaud them, and would love to help but, we are a long way from them, too. best we can do is support them, and promise to come to ride, if it happens.

 

there are big hurdles to jump, re-linking hornepayne to mani (90 MILES), for the superior loop challenge to re-open. also fuel will be an issue trying to run from longlac to hornepayne (and vise versa), if there is no fuel at hillsport. you would have to run into mani, fuel up, then back track to hillsport, hornepayne. they mention caramat but, i dont believe there is fuel there. (i could be wrong).

 

hooking to marathon is the first baby step but, again, you are making a one way trail, and not a loop. the nice thing is, there are  A LOT of new logging roads in place to make trails, IF THEY ARE NOT HAULING on them in the winter. first step will be getting the locals on board, then the volunteer staff, then the touring riders. 

 

love the area, love the people, hoping this takes off and resurrects the region. Ski  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Claire Voyant said:

They've seen what fun we've had in District 15 adopting Hornepayne and Greenstone. Is District 16 rising from the ashes?

 

I would love to see this happen.  Accommodations are near zilch in Manitouwadge, no motels left. Turner's is s hunting camp that might possibly fit the bill for maybe a dozen riders. Could be a bonus income for them.

 

As for fuel it's simple. Running up in this area, pack your fuel and be prepared. It'll become habit for those who choose to explore the old D16.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

they have the motel open again, last i heard.

 

turner's is open, and sled north vacation home rentals (dan and carole) have two houses for rent as well. good people! Ski 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, skidooboy said:

they have the motel open again, last i heard.

 

turner's is open, and sled north vacation home rentals (dan and carole) have two houses for rent as well. good people! Ski 

 

Manitouwadge motor hotel was torn down several years ago, I don't remember there being another one. Something to be researched. And necessary if the town wants to have touring riders do more than gas and go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I used to travel there for business, there were 2 hotels in town: Manitouwadge Motor Inn and the Zero 100 (also a Zero 100 in Marathon).

From the Google search pictures I just viewed, looks like Zero 100 Manitouwadge is now known as Select Inn.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

the motel is across from where the motor lodge was. i remember when the motor lodge owner (Rob i believe) just locked the doors and left town, no warning. i also remember when town wasnt paying attention to how the auger plowed the street, and the current motel building, and an apartment building, lost most (or all) of it's windows, when the subsequent roost from the blower, blew out all that was glass, on the roadside of the building. Ski

Edited by skidooboy
  • Haha 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember staying in town one week and got the last room between both motels (both owned by same people at that time) and then the next time - had the whole place to ourselves. 

 

Gotta love the traveling hockey teams! LOL!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, skidooboy said:

i applaud them, and would love to help but, we are a long way from them, too. best we can do is support them, and promise to come to ride, if it happens.

 

there are big hurdles to jump, re-linking hornepayne to mani (90 MILES), for the superior loop challenge to re-open. also fuel will be an issue trying to run from longlac to hornepayne (and vise versa), if there is no fuel at hillsport. you would have to run into mani, fuel up, then back track to hillsport, hornepayne. they mention caramat but, i dont believe there is fuel there. (i could be wrong).

 

hooking to marathon is the first baby step but, again, you are making a one way trail, and not a loop. the nice thing is, there are  A LOT of new logging roads in place to make trails, IF THEY ARE NOT HAULING on them in the winter. first step will be getting the locals on board, then the volunteer staff, then the touring riders. 

 

love the area, love the people, hoping this takes off and resurrects the region. Ski  

Why bother with Hornepayne? Just get a link from Marathon through Manitouwadge to Longlac and maybe a local loop in the Manitouwadge area for locals.  That should be enough.  If one lesson from the past should be learned it's not to overdo it.  What gets put in place needs to be sustainable.

 

Curious to see if there is any local support.  Will the help and the sale of 50 trail permits occur in Manitouwadge.  The town has to actually want this to ever make it a success.

Edited by signfan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, hooking up to Hornepayne would be much more value than the second leg to Dunc Lake.

Edited by Ox
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, signfan said:

Why bother with Hornepayne? Just get a link from Marathon through Manitouwadge to Longlac and maybe a local loop in the Manitouwadge area for locals.  That should be enough.  If one lesson from the past should be learned it's not to overdo it.  What gets put in place needs to be sustainable.

 

Curious to see if there is any local support.  Will the help and the sale of 50 trail permits occur in Manitouwadge.  The town has to actually want this to ever make it a success.

Your first paragraph is why there will likely be little local support from individual local snowmobilers. As a touring snowmobiler, I get it, you want to get somewhere.  However, most locals just want to ride, well, locally, do some day loops.  We ran into this problem in Nipigon.  As the permit price went up, and the local loops were closed, to concentrate resources on the TOP trails, folks lost interest. How many times can you ride the same trail out and back again?   Gets pretty boring.  Also, since there have been no formal trails in years, everybody who rides has moved to off trail sleds. I wish these folks nothing but well, but as mentioned before, they’re pushing uphill. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The single story portion of the motel has been reopened.

 

When we rode down from the Greenstone Loop to Ma'wadge, Qwissy's (gas) in Caramat had been closed for a long time.

 

I remember reading about Qwissy's on the olllllllld TrailConditions.com message board LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, signfan said:

Why bother with Hornepayne? Just get a link from Marathon through Manitouwadge to Longlac and maybe a local loop in the Manitouwadge area for locals.  That should be enough.  If one lesson from the past should be learned it's not to overdo it.  What gets put in place needs to be sustainable.

 

Curious to see if there is any local support.  Will the help and the sale of 50 trail permits occur in Manitouwadge.  The town has to actually want this to ever make it a success.

thread title, says it all... with no link to Hornepayne, you do not have the original Superior, Snow Challenge Loop.... wawa, dubreuilville, hornepayne, manitouwadge, marathon, white river, back to wawa. Ski

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apparently they are talking about them opening for THIS season?

 

But when the new buyers bought Halfway, they were "too late" in the year to open the D from Searchmont to Wawa. 

Likely doo to maps being already approved and whatnot is my guess?

 

But the short stretch from Marathon down the hydro is OK I guess?

 

Is there any reason they couldn't "Wilderness Trail" the stretch to Hornepayne by signing it, and clearing it, but not grooming it? (yet)

Like the Wakamatta route to Aubrey mentioned the other day?

Half the way to Hornepayne could be ridden on the plowed road if need be....

Or - the trail runs within eyesight of it anyhow....

(or used to anyhow - they could have moved it in the last umpteen years for all I know)

Edited by Ox
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Signfan, Hornepayne is a necessary part of the equation. It's the only fuel for miles. No fuel in Caramat or Hillsport. I applaud their efforts. Manitouwadge has very little in the way of tourism to offer. If they get a groomed trail in and out of town, it'll be a major step in the right direction. 

 

Ox, I understood the same, this season. I don't know what they have for equipment and volunteers, but they must want a trail pretty badly to be that optimistic. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Just looked at the OFSC map, and Manitouwadge isn't on the map at all.

 

Prolly be a good place to go to for off-trail and not have to buy tags.

 

Could ride out of there in a few different directions each day.

The terrain aint all that extreme to the north, but we spent a cpl hours trying to git up a big hill that came straight off the N side of a small lake (swamp?) one day - only to meet the groomer once we hit the top. I'm not sure that the groomer would have gone down that hill tho anyhow. (onto the ice)

 

We are in agreeance that there IS still at least one motel in town eh?

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes the motel reopened a few years ago. A portion of the old motel. Check the link in my signature Ox.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ox, call Dan Kelly at sled north vacation home rental, in Mani... better off staying there, than the hotel. he will have the skinny on what is available to ride or not (he maintains the road system up there. the hydro corridors to marathon, and hornepayne will be tracked close to town but, most stay REALLY CLOSE TO TOWN, AND NEVER VENTURE OUT.  there is A LOT of logging going on so, most roads are plowed but, i have some honey holes up there that are awesome. some bush wackin to be had for shizzy. miss riding over there, since we bought our place in dub. Ski

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's one of the reasons that I don't want "a place" somewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AH BUT, you REALLY get to explore an area and find some really nice honey holes close to home, too. from dub to mani is less than 90 minutes... we can still go over an ride there, no rule saying you cant just because you own a place somewhere's else. ;) one thing we have going for us... no more hauling gear, sleds trailer up weekend, and week out. so much quicker for trips. made it home last night in 7 hours. the last 200 miles in a snow event. hard to do that hauling a trailer. Ski

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

saw on FB, marathon sno kickers made it to Manitouwadge with the groomer. now we need people to use this trail to grow interest to expand grooming, and trail access. step in the right direction. thanks to ALL that made this possible.   Ski

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...