Three months ago, we asked our readers to vote for their favourite snowmobiling areas in Western Canada. We started out with 64 destinations, 16 from each province. As the votes came in and the weeks went by, the original 64 were whittled down to four, one from each province.
And with that, we present to you (in no particular order), the top four sledding destinations in Western Canada:
Valemount, British Columbia
Big mountains, a variety of terrain and deep snow, this combination makes Valemount such a popular snowmobiling destination. It’s not the only reason, though. The Valemount and Area Recreation Development Association, which is viewed as the local snowmobile club, has done a bang-up job of developing access trails and promoting the main riding areas.
And then there’s the town itself. In the winter, everything in Valemount revolves around snowmobiling. Even people at the local businesses are in tune with what’s going on in the mountains and they often go out of their way to make sledders feel welcome. For more information about this destination, visit our snowmobiling in Valemount page.
Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan
Year after year, Hudson Bay is ranked No. 1 by our readers as the favourite overall snowmobiling area in Saskatchewan. It has also taken multiple awards for best groomed trails, best powder riding and best scenery. It comes as no surprise, then, that Hudson Bay made it to Round 5 of the SledTown ShowDown contest.
The Town of Hudson Bay does its part to promote the local trails, and the Hudson Bay Trail Riders is an active group that once hosted the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association’s Provincial Festival. For more information about this destination, visit our snowmobiling in Hudson Bay page.
Whitecourt, Alberta
Whitecourt has named itself the Snowmobile Capital of Alberta—pretty presumptuous if you think about it, but who’s going to dispute it when there’s 465 kilometres of trails and a snowmobile club that’s backed by about 550 members.
The Whitecourt Trailblazers is one of the largest snowmobile clubs in Alberta, and it has a good working relationship with the Town of Whitecourt as well as Woodlands County and Travel Alberta.
The Whitecourt Trailblazers is also one of the most publicized clubs in the province, having hosted MPs, MLAs, municipal councillors and various TV personalities at its events. For more information about this destination, visit our snowmobiling in Whitecourt page.
Swan Valley/Swan River, Manitoba
The Swan Valley attracts snowmobilers with its extensive trail system, abundant wildlife and superb scenery. Add in sled-friendly communities and trail-side accommodations and you’ve got one of Manitoba’s most popular snowmobiling destinations.
The town of Swan River is the hub of it all, and it serves as a base of operations for the third largest snowmobile club in the province, the Swan Valley Snowmobile Association (SVSA). This club maintains 375 kilometres of the 800-plus kilometres of snowmobile trails that exist in the Swan Valley.
The SVSA is one of the most active clubs in the province, and it has even received an outstanding club of the year award from Snoman Inc. (Snowmobilers of Manitoba). For more information about this destination, visit our snowmobiling in Swan River page.
Which town is No. 1?
By January 1, 2015, three of these destinations will have been eliminated and only one will be left standing to be crowned the SledTown ShowDown Champion of Western Canada. If you would like for it to be your town, then cast your vote on the SledTown ShowDown contest page.
