With reliably good snow conditions and trails that are virtually endless, Nipawin is an important centre for snowmobiling in northeast Saskatchewan. The town is sled-friendly and it even provides a snowmobile bypass route. Once in the surrounding area, riders can trace the trails through boreal forest, over hills and across fields. Those with a penchant for ice fishing may also want to pack their rod and reel when sledding in Nipawin as nearby Tobin Lake is one of Canada’s top fishing spots.
The trails around Nipawin are maintained by the Twin Lakes Trail Blazers. You can download a map of the club's trail system from the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association's website.
The Twin Lakes Trail Blazers look after more than 200 kilometres of trails right around Nipawin. It can be tricky deciding on the best route to take, especially if this is your first visit. With that in mind, here are the top recommended rides:
The Northern Loop via Trail No. 226F and TC 226A features a great mix of open fields and tree-lined trails with three warm-up shelters along the way. A highlight of this ride is the snowmobile crossing over the top of the Francois-Finlay hydro dam.
The Southwest Loop follows TC 226A from Nipawin to the Village of Aylsham and continues on to meet up with the Pasquia Snow Goers Club Inc.'s trails to Carrot River, Arborfield and Zenon Park.
With a reasonable dose of caution and attention to ice conditions, a ride across Tobin Lake via Trail 226E is a favourite for its scenery and rolling hills along the North Saskatchewan River. It’s only about half an hour to the lake, making for an easy afternoon ride.
If you want to put on the miles, start in Nipawin and follow the Trans-Canadian Snowmobile Trail southeast to Hudson Bay. At 177 kilometres one way, this ride is a great overnight option.
Saskatchewan snowmobilers have access to the trails as part of their annual provincial registration fee, which can be purchased at any Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) broker location. Riders coming from out of province need to have valid registration and insurance as per laws inside their home province or state.
You can follow the Twin Lakes Trail Blazers on Facebook. The Wapiti Valley Ski Resort also has updates on snow conditions on its Facebook page.
A hardworking club that was started in 1979, the Twin Lakes Trail Blazers groom well over 200 kilometres of trails and maintain six warmup shelters in the area. For more info, see SnoRiders’ club profile.
“I moved up here about 12 years ago. The area has some of the most diverse riding areas around and it is the gateway to awesome riding in the Northeast.” — Donavon Gurski, member of the Twin Lakes Trail Blazers
The laws governing snowmobile use differ by province and can be confusing. Here, we make it easier to understand what local and out of province snowmobilers will need in terms of insurance, registration and licensing to ride B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Trail maps, top snowmobile trails, club contacts and other useful information you can use before planning a snowmobile trip to Nipawin, SK
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