Access, access, access! The Lakeland Snowmobile Club based out of Christopher Lake, Saskatchewan, maintains approximately 400 kilometres of pristine snowmobile trails connecting Prince Albert, Waskesiu, Elk Ridge, Candle Lake, Canwood, Paddockwood, Northside, Emma Lake, Christopher Lake, Anglin Lake and everything in between. The club was started in the early 1990s as the Trail Development Group before being incorporated in 1995 as the Lakeland Snowmobile Club, otherwise known as the Lakeland Tree Dodgers. The club has approximately 80 active members and 50 corporate members.
Included in the 400 kilometres of trails is a section of the Trans Canada Trail, which connects the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts. Aside from connecting numerous northern communities together, the club also has several loop trails starting from Emma and Christopher Lakes. We had a hard time getting any club member to determine the main trail in the region they consider all their trails to be equally as impressive.
“Our trails include everything from heavily treed trails to open fields, lakes and hills. The scenery and wildlife are spectacular,” said Terry Dow, director of sales and marketing at Waskesiu and Area Wilderness Region. “We have seven warm-up shelters that are stocked with wood and have solar lights, outhouses, axes and stoves.”
As for staging areas, the club has no need for them as snowmobilers can park at local businesses in the area and access the trails. “We don’t have any staging areas as most of the local businesses welcome sledders and will provide parking if they have the room,” said Dow. It’s easy to see how widely accepted snowmobiling is in the Lakeland area.
Some notable trails in the region are the Candle Lake loop trail providing beautiful scenery as it winds through boreal forest, as well as the trail from Emma Lake to Candle Lake via Paddockwood, which is approximately 100 kilometres of fantastic riding. Since the trails connect so many different communities in the Lakeland area, there is certainly no shortage of hangouts for snowmobilers looking to refuel after a long day of riding.
