A111C is no more???

[tricky]

Just decided to have a 3 day ride out of New Liskeard, part of which would go from Timmins to Iroquois Falls. Checked the ITG to find that the "A" half of the trail is missing, such that you can't get to the A trail at IF. Does anyone have any info on this closure. Permanent? What are the locals doing?  

[mpsrent]

Leaving Timmins, just take TOP Trail C north to A106C east to L103. You'll meet up with the A trail that you can take south back to Liskeard. I just did it last week and it was a great run. 

[Blackstar]

From what I read, it’s a land use agreement issue. It’s been resolved with a reroute but it won’t be in place until next year.

[tricky]

2 hours ago, mpsrent said:

Leaving Timmins, just take TOP Trail C north to A106C east to L103. You'll meet up with the A trail that you can take south back to Liskeard. I just did it last week and it was a great run. 

 

Thanks for the info. Hope we haven't left it too late to find good conditions. That was my plan, but if conditions are poor by Tuesday, I was looking for a quick bailout plan. Do you have any accommodation advice for Liskeard area or Timmins. Used the Econolodge and Bonaire for years, but not recently. I know its March Break and maybe the last decent sledding week, so won't be able to be too fussy where we stay. Since we are talking Monday thru Thursday, I am thinking that we should find something later this afternoon.

[mpsrent]

On 3/9/2025 at 3:00 PM, tricky said:

 

Thanks for the info. Hope we haven't left it too late to find good conditions. That was my plan, but if conditions are poor by Tuesday, I was looking for a quick bailout plan. Do you have any accommodation advice for Liskeard area or Timmins. Used the Econolodge and Bonaire for years, but not recently. I know its March Break and maybe the last decent sledding week, so won't be able to be too fussy where we stay. Since we are talking Monday thru Thursday, I am thinking that we should find something later this afternoon.

We used the Econolodge in Liskeard as it has a restuarant on site. In Timmin, the Super 8 next to Casey's restaurant. 

[Gadgetman]

On 3/10/2025 at 7:36 PM, mpsrent said:

We used the Econolodge in Liskeard as it has a restuarant on site. In Timmin, the Super 8 next to Casey's restaurant. 

Timmins - Casey's - Closed Sundays. Trail up to it (not signed - look for a mini ski-hill next to the trees) and Super 8 is GTG, coming off L27, just used it 2 weeks ago. Most of the old forest is removed, some construction around the back access.

[Strong Farmer]

7 hours ago, Gadgetman said:

Timmins - Casey's - Closed Sundays. Trail up to it (not signed - look for a mini ski-hill next to the trees) and Super 8 is GTG, coming off L27, just used it 2 weeks ago. Most of the old forest is removed, some construction around the back access.

Still easy access to Bonaire and mikes resturant? 

[Gadgetman]

19 hours ago, Strong Farmer said:

Still easy access to Bonaire and mikes resturant? 

Never gone to either.

[tricky]

On 3/12/2025 at 6:01 PM, Strong Farmer said:

Still easy access to Bonaire and mikes resturant? 

 

Good question - interesting answer. "A little knowledge is dangerous", they say, and a lot of non-current knowledge is, at best, useless. So, the answer to your question is that getting to the Bon Air and Mikes's restaurant is not as easy as it was 3 or 4 years ago. The old rail bridge over Algonquin Blvd (101) that used to be groomed trail to the motel, has been removed. A snowmobile crossing traffic light (new one on us) has been installed to allow crossing 101 east of the Bon Air. The new groomed trail takes you close to the Bon Air, but dumps you out at the Food Basics parking lot. Bon Air is just over the fence, but we had to use the grocery store parking lot and 10 m. of sidewalk to get into Mike's and Bon Air. The Bon Air no longer advertises or caters to sledders. It was the most expensive and most archaic place we stayed in 4 nights in the north, and Mike's restaurant was closed when we arrived at 7:30 PM on Tuesday. They were open the next morning with great breakfast offerings. There were nostalgic reasons that we decided to use the Bon Air. We have over 30 years of memories of great trips where we stayed there, but they are now off our accommodations list.

 

We also got shutout at Gilli's Truck Stop restaurant in Dymond. We staged out of Econo Lodge and had planned on having a couple of meals at Gilli's, but it was closed Monday afternoon when we arrived, so we ate at Ali's in the Econo Lodge. Ate there again Thursday night, and the meals and beer options were good. As we drove out of the Econo on Friday AM, we noticed the Gilli's was open and busy as usual. No idea what their hours are.

 

After Timmins, we spent the next night at Auberge McDonald in Iroquois Falls which is very easy to get to and is comfortable. We we very fortunate to fit the 3 day/4 night, 1000 km trip in before the big meltdown that started Thursday afternoon as we were heading back via Englehart and Earlton. On the trip we visited Elk Lake, Gowganda Lake, Shining Tree, Mattagami, Timmins, Cochrane, east side of the Abitibi Canyon, Iroquois Falls, and the Kirkland Lake area, all on mostly good to excellent conditions. By far, the Kirkland Lake area was the best groomed and best trails from A108, L101, A110Q to Larder Lake, L109 and back to A108 into Englehart. That is where the very warm temperature was destroying the road trails as we rode them, and we decided to get directly back to Dymond. Many other sledders also ended early, being back at Econo Lodge between 3 and 4 PM. Great way to end the season.

 

From New Liskeard to Hearst, trails were being closed for this weekend " to save the base" from warm temps and rain, with the hope of reopening when it gets colder. There is still plenty of snow in the woods and fields, but the roads and town streets will need a blast of snow to make trail sledding enjoyable again. I don't see that In the forecast, so I am calling quits for this season.

[Strong Farmer]

14 minutes ago, tricky said:

 

Good question - interesting answer. "A little knowledge is dangerous", they say, and a lot of non-current knowledge is, at best, useless. So, the answer to your question is that getting to the Bon Air and Mikes's restaurant is not as easy as it was 3 or 4 years ago. The old rail bridge over Algonquin Blvd (101) that used to be groomed trail to the motel, has been removed. A snowmobile crossing traffic light (new one on us) has been installed to allow crossing 101 east of the Bon Air. The new groomed trail takes you close to the Bon Air, but dumps you out at the Food Basics parking lot. Bon Air is just over the fence, but we had to use the grocery store parking lot and 10 m. of sidewalk to get into Mike's and Bon Air. The Bon Air no longer advertises or caters to sledders. It was the most expensive and most archaic place we stayed in 4 nights in the north, and Mike's restaurant was closed when we arrived at 7:30 PM on Tuesday. They were open the next morning with great breakfast offerings. There were nostalgic reasons that we decided to use the Bon Air. We have over 30 years of memories of great trips where we stayed there, but they are now off our accommodations list.

 

We also got shutout at Gilli's Truck Stop restaurant in Dymond. We staged out of Econo Lodge and had planned on having a couple of meals at Gilli's, but it was closed Monday afternoon when we arrived, so we ate at Ali's in the Econo Lodge. Ate there again Thursday night, and the meals and beer options were good. As we drove out of the Econo on Friday AM, we noticed the Gilli's was open and busy as usual. No idea what their hours are.

 

After Timmins, we spent the next night at Auberge McDonald in Iroquois Falls which is very easy to get to and is comfortable. We we very fortunate to fit the 3 day/4 night, 1000 km trip in before the big meltdown that started Thursday afternoon as we were heading back via Englehart and Earlton. On the trip we visited Elk Lake, Gowganda Lake, Shining Tree, Mattagami, Timmins, Cochrane, east side of the Abitibi Canyon, Iroquois Falls, and the Kirkland Lake area, all on mostly good to excellent conditions. By far, the Kirkland Lake area was the best groomed and best trails from A108, L101, A110Q to Larder Lake, L109 and back to A108 into Englehart. That is where the very warm temperature was destroying the road trails as we rode them, and we decided to get directly back to Dymond. Many other sledders also ended early, being back at Econo Lodge between 3 and 4 PM. Great way to end the season.

 

From New Liskeard to Hearst, trails were being closed for this weekend " to save the base" from warm temps and rain, with the hope of reopening when it gets colder. There is still plenty of snow in the woods and fields, but the roads and town streets will need a blast of snow to make trail sledding enjoyable again. I don't see that In the forecast, so I am calling quits for this season.

Thank-you. I was last in Timmins in 2018 so I cross Bonaire off my list too. It was just a good starting point because of big parking lot. They did charge me 10 dollars a day to park my rig when I wasn't staying there, but it was easy to park there compared to packed super 8.

Always told me they watched the stuff at desk 24 hours a day and truckers park in lot too.

So at times it was worth it to do big loop. I only stayed first and last night there. Trail use to go in a loo,  I remember coming out by fence you described and running side walk and parking lot if I come in from that side. Wasn't too bad, but parking lot was still iced up at time. Trail access highway is gone now so only one way out? How does super 8 get access to trail now too, if that loop is gone? 

[PISTON LAKE CRUISER]

4 minutes ago, Strong Farmer said:

How does super 8 get access to trail now too, if that loop is gone? 

You never got into Super 8 off "that loop" and still get into it off L27 like always.

[tricky]

24 minutes ago, Strong Farmer said:

Thank-you. I was last in Timmins in 2018 so I cross Bonaire off my list too. It was just a good starting point because of big parking lot. They did charge me 10 dollars a day to park my rig when I wasn't staying there, but it was easy to park there compared to packed super 8.

Always told me they watched the stuff at desk 24 hours a day and truckers park in lot too.

So at times it was worth it to do big loop. I only stayed first and last night there. Trail use to go in a loo,  I remember coming out by fence you described and running side walk and parking lot if I come in from that side. Wasn't too bad, but parking lot was still iced up at time. Trail access highway is gone now so only one way out? How does super 8 get access to trail now too, if that loop is gone? 

The only physical change to the local feeder trails is the removal of the old rail bridge that allowed the trail to come right to the Bon Air west side front lot. L24/L27 (think that is the correct #) comes right up to the back of the Super8. Access the L24 off the C trail around the north side of the city. That C trail has also been re-routed from the route that I recall. Not sure why? Agree with what you say about parking at Bon Air. Was a good sledding hub in the past.