If city life has you feeling claustrophobic this winter, hide away in the woods. “Hudson Bay is blessed to be in the centre of five million acres of provincial forest,” said Rick Dolezsar, trail committee chair for the Hudson Bay Trail Riders. He’s one of the founding members that started the group back in 1989 and has served in all executive positions over the years, so he knows the area as well as anyone. “The two most popular destinations involve climbing in elevation from town to either the Pasquia Hills to the north, trails 210F and 210P, or Porcupine Hills Trail 210A to the southeast.”
What’s there to see?
As you climb upwards you’ll take in scenic views along the winding, heavily forested trails. Keep your eyes open for spots to stop or dip off the trails to find lookouts. From certain viewpoints you’ll be able to see back to town and the farmland in the valley below. There’s always an abundance of snow and lots of wildlife making their way through the winter wonderland. The north trails have a series of four different warm-up shelters to break up the day and there are three shelters along the 130-kilometre trip to Moose Range Lodge to the southeast.
Highlights
Meadows and marshes dot the landscape and are available for you to play in as you make your way through Hudson Bay. Dolezsar recalls some of the special moments he’s had in his years riding through the trails: “Several memories include riding through big snowstorms, being the first one to break through and clean the trails before they are groomed and being able to do some boondocking in the bays of some remote lakes and hills that you can search out off trail with the help of GPS or local knowledge.”
How to access it
All trails can be accessed right from the door of your motel or bed and breakfast at Hudson Bay, but you can also find staging areas along the way if you want to save your energy and fuel for the more remote locations.
Click here to view our Hudson Bay trail map
