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Aubrey Falls - Black Creek Outfitters - 2021-2022 Season


Dan-Senior

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Does F ever git much traffic?

I've seldom heard of folks running it.

 

On the other hand, why on Earth would someone not want the skidoo trail running right through the lot of their gas/carry-out business?

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23 hours ago, AC+YA said:

 

The owners would not allow the trail to go through their property for maybe 3 seasons now and there was a chain up on the driveways so not open.  The bridge near the D106 needed work for the groomer to use it.  The trail has been run next to the road now for a few seasons instead but gets bad sometimes.  You now just turn North up Hwy 129 coming out of the trail at BlackCreek and ride the shoulder up to Ranger Lake Road if you don't know the old trail, but I have had to cut trees in there 2 seasons back to get through. 

 

BlackCreek has to stay open or the trails will be done just the same as Halfway is needed to keep the F trail alive. 

Might be better for black creek since they are only way to get fuel now as you know. They could charge 4 bucks a liter now and I be happy to pay it. Beautiful area but trail heading north from black creek not best. Be better to go up road like you do sometimes. 

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2 hours ago, Ox said:

Does F ever git much traffic?

I've seldom heard of folks running it.

 

On the other hand, why on Earth would someone not want the skidoo trail running right through the lot of their gas/carry-out business?

Old F trail is closed. Which sucks. I wonder what happened to flame lodge lodge too. Closed after trail did I believe. 

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OH!

 

Apparently from 556 up to Chap?

 

I guess that's why (when?) they opened up that trail from Johnny's, up through the campground, and over to The Domtar eh?

 

We ran that for a few years many years ago, and then one day recently I see that they had that all opened up and groomed, and was running up the Domtar to Whitman Dam Rd.

 

But that is listed as a connector trail, not a Top trail. (F)

So they must be leaving the north end of the old F designation intact - hoping to one day open it aggin?

 

How's come did they close that?

(I never ran F more than a few clicks @ Johnny's)

Shirley not a gas thing - as the distance from Black/Aubrey to Chap kan't be much different (and I would guess closer) than Halfway, so ???

And going the other way, yuh're gunna have a low tank by the time that you would reach Searchmont, making getting all the way to Heyden (Soo) risky business as well.

 

???

 

 

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it is a pretty good poke by sled from Aubrey Falls, Black Creek, "Johnnie's" area to chapleau fuel. it is 55 or 60 miles to flame lake lodge (still open), then another 50 or 60 miles (yes miles), to Chapleau's fuel pumps. that is why Chapleau fought to close the F trail. too long of a trail, too much difficult terrain, water issues, for a single groomer operator to deal with. now they run the F trail from Elliot Lake to Black Creek, then "connectors to the D Trail, to halfway haven, then D, F connector trail from Halfway to Chapleau, then the C, F connector over to Folyette, and Timmins. 

 

the old F trail was and is still one of my favorites to ever ride. leaving from Echo Bay, and hitting up the d106a, to Aubrey falls/Black Creek, then up to flame lake to see, stay, with Karen, Gary, and Maureen, and or on to Chapleau, then back the next day, was a great weekend ride.

 

when the F trail from Chapleau to Missanabi was still open, that was a great 3 day loop for trail pounder's. leave the soo/echo bay, searchmont. hit flame lake or chapleau (day one), then onto dub, or wawa, or even halfway (day 2), then back to the trucks, on the last day.  oh, the memories. sad it changed for the worse. Ski

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I bet it's all of 100 smiles from Black Crick to Halfway.

 

Actually - I bet it's better'n that.

Maybe 115.

 

Not saving anything gas wise even if Flame Lake's not there.

 

 

Now I understand that keeping The Domtar open is likely less work/cost than a bush trail, and it seems that most trail riders prefer the roads as they are faster.

I prefer a slow ride through the bush.

I would rather ride the 2 track as I-75/401, but that's me...

 

I remember one night in the mid 90's we come in O'Dark:30 and crashed on a buddies couch in the UP, and we both could see trees flying by on both sides when we shut our eyes. LOL!

 

Not gunna see that riding Ranger North!

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9 minutes ago, Ox said:

I bet it's all of 100 smiles from Black Crick to Halfway.

 

Actually - I bet it's better'n that.

Maybe 115.

 

Not saving anything gas wise even if Flame Lake's not there.

It's about 115 from Goulias River to Black Creek and about 105 from Halfway to Black Creek if you do the trail all the way.  We usually short cut it down Domitar to Ranger Lake and over to the bridge just before Hwy 129 and then follow the old trail all the way to Aubrey Falls Trading Post and jump out of the trail just before the parking lot and then follow the Hwy down to the F Trail / Black Creek.  If conditions are good we run straight to Chapleau from Black Creek by jumping off the trail and running the logging roads.  They were keeping them plowed a couple seasons back, so we took the trail all the way and had to hit Halfway for fuel and backtrack to go to Chapleau.  Wondering if they are still using that area as much?   

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If they are hauling out of The Domtar - like they had been the last few yrs, then Ranger Lake Rd can be kind'a sketchy from there out to 129 as they will sand the hills for the trucks.

 

BUT - I'm thinkin' that they already shortcut-ed it maybe?

I guess IDK when this was, but I remember chasing a groomer down Ranger South some years ago.

I think that he came out of The Domtar, but then went east on Ranger South, and then ducked into the bush on the S side just past the next bridge east.

 

So that would likely head out to Black Crick Lodge?

(again - never been)

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Well, after looking at Google Maps, I'm guessing that he just skipped a few clicks of F trail.

 

Or rather, since I didn't see anything going N there, then maybe they were detouring that section of F and just puting it on the road?

I doubt that they were logging up the Domtar at that time, but I can't say fer sure.

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2 hours ago, Ox said:

OH!

 

 

 

How's come did they close that?

(I never ran F more than a few clicks @ Johnny's)

Shirley not a gas thing - as the distance from Black/Aubrey to Chap kan't be much different (and I would guess closer) than Halfway, so ???

And going the other way, yuh're gunna have a low tank by the time that you would reach Searchmont, making getting all the way to Heyden (Soo) risky business as well.

 

???

 

 

 

From what I can remember, there was a year or 2 that the Chap Club had a hard time getting any trails open. They took a bunch of flack for it. The club was talking about a collapse.  There was a change over in the executive and new people came in. Volunteers started prepping the F to reopen but it had sat idol for 2-3 years by this time and the bush had reclaimed it. They kept saying "yep, its going to reopen" but by January they said "no way to get this done" and its never come back since.

 

 

 

I have only ridden from Black Creek to Chap once but all I can remember is a ton of bush, tight and twisty, through swamps with just the odd road section thrown in. A lot of it ran the ditch just off the highway. On that trip we ran from Dunlop Lake Lodge to Chap. Stopping at Black Creek and Flame Lake for fuel. 2 brothers in our group decided not to buy fuel at Flame Lake because it was "expensive" but they never told the rest of us that they had skipped the fuel. They were on 2002ish ZRT 600 Triples. When we hit Chap they dove into the first gas station they saw to fill up. They made but were on fumes.

2 days later they both ran out of fuel 5 miles from Cochrane coming from Hearst, 9 at night,  because they skipped fuel at Smooth Rock.....:rolleyes:

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Boy, and it don't take long for the bush to reclaim either!

 

A few yrs ago ... hmmm .... well maybe 4 or 5... anyhow - we was running up the Domtar, only to hit the hydro line WAY too soon.

I knew that this was not right, but they had been clear cutting that area, and so nothing looked right anyhow...

 

"New Road!"

 

Backtracked a few klicks, and found where  this new road split off from The Domtar at a turn and just went straight.

It took quite a while to actually decide that THAT was The Domtar! :o

It had been a few years since we were there last - for whatever reasons...

Well, I guess mostly b/c Halfway was closed... DUH!

 

What should be a 35' wide hole in the bush, was nearly rubbing elbows with saplings!

They did not have the trail on The Domtar yet at that time.

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Ranger Lake Road / Domtar Road / D201F Updates

 

Chad and I ran the Ranger Lake road a few weeks back from the Domtar to highway 129.  There was a good base of snow and ice and no issues with carbides.  It appears the plow operators are aware sledders are running it.  Once at the hwy 129 bridge, we took the new logging road down towards Aubrey Falls Trading post, then jumped onto highway 129 right at the Trading Post.  Again, the plow operators left ample snow on the west side of the highway (129) to allow riders to get down to Black Creek Outfitters.  The east side of the highway was down to pavement.  This makes it tricky for a return trip, when you head back north.  Either you wear your carbides or break the law and run the left side of the highway.  We did not try the trail from Black Creek to Aubrey Falls Trading Post.

 

The Domtar is not being logged this winter, not as of yet anyways and haven't heard otherwise.  

 

This past summer, I attempted some bush trails along the Ranger Lake road to see if a shortcut from highway 129 to the Domtar road was possible.  I was only able to get part way in as it just got narrower and needed a complete chainsaw workout. (map attached shortcut in green)  The road from the Ranger Lake road to Mashagama via the Horseshoe Lake road is in an amazing shape.  You can drive a vehicle through that section without an issue.

 

Chad and I also did the D201F Mashagama loop via Johnny's Truckstop.  It just drags on, but we did it.

 

The last time I was on the Chapleau F was in early February 2012.  We went from Aubrey Falls Trading Post to the Hinkler and still had another 20 miles to make it to Flame Lake Lodge.  We branched north-west and went up to the Aubinadong River via Mountain Ash road, then sledded down the Aubinadong River trails back down to the Domtar.

 

The groomer has just come all the way down from Chapleau that weekend and it was quite a trek.  Unfortunately, a tree branch blew a hole in the rad, so it was parked at the 129 bridge waiting for pickup and / or repairs.

 

D201F Shortcut.jpg

chapleau f - murray lake.jpg

groomer.jpg

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I really need to make the time, to come do one of these older loops with you Dan. you obviously know the area well, and could take us back to a "better time" in the southern Algoma area for riding. I am so envious, you cant even imagine.  would love to recreate the d106a loop from echo bay, up to Black creek, then north, and west to Searchmont, and back to Echo. the trails, Carpenter lake, the chain of lakes, and then what became the bypass trail around the lakes. oh man, the sights, and scenes up there. Huge granite faced walls. it was spectacular in the day. Ski

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It looks like - in your first pic, that you went straight accrost the road at the Domtar?

 

I sniffed around over there last (2 now) year. 

I guess I don't recall what I found for sure.

Apparently you was able to git through in the summer?

I think it looked tight, and git'n turned around back in there by myself didn't seem like a good idea?

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Dunlop Lake Lodge - February 11-12-13th

 

Chad and I are booked in at the Dunlop Lake Lodge for Feb 11th-12th-13th weekend.  We will be hanging around from Friday to Sunday and doing some nifty cross-country remote wilderness riding.  We always Look forward to our Dunlop Lodge visits as you never know who you will meet.

dunlop-lodge-5.jpg

dunlop-lodge-4.jpg

dunlop-lodge-3.jpg

dunlop-lodge-2.jpg

dunlop-lodge-1.jpg

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