The main draw
Regina, like most major cities, has its share of enthusiastic snowmobilers. Unfortunately for them, the levels of snow they receive don’t always coincide with that enthusiasm. But when it does snow, there’s tons of fun to be had nearby.
Staging for Regina riders takes place at the city’s information centre located on the west portion of Highway 11 as you drive into Regina, or in the east along any grid road along the Trans Canada.
Riders can travel north up towards Regina Beach and hook up with the trails maintained by the Last Mountain Lake Drifters, the Regina Beach snowmobiling club.
The primary trail between Regina and Regina Beach will take you up through to Lumsden where fuel and supplies lie, and where you can then loop around to Craven and up further north to Bulyea, where you’ll meet up with trails maintained by the Cupar Snowmobile Club, or simply head back to Regina Beach for lunch and a quick trip home.
For those looking for a even shorter Sunday drive, a quick direction change west from Lumsden will take riders to Bethune, an easy scenic ride for those who just want to get out and enjoy the day.
East of Regina, riders also have an opportunity to unload along many of the grid roads where they can ride the ditch to Balgonie, grab fuel and hook up to another really good ride that leads up to Fort Qu’Appelle on trails maintained by the Calling Lake Cruisers snowmobiling club.
Sledders’ hangouts
While the majority of sledders heading out for a day from Regina will usually have themselves organized to hit the trails bright and early, single riders looking to hook up with locals can find them west of Regina in Regina Beach or east in Fort Qu’Appelle.
Regina Beach is also the home of the Saskatchewan Snowmobiling Association and International Snowmobile Hall of Famers Chris and Jeannie Brewer. Contact the SSC prior to heading out and they’ll help point you in the right direction.
The Country Squire Inn is a popular stopping point for riders in the Fort Qu’Appelle region, offering both good food and good accommodations with easy access.
Extended stay:
Riders in the Regina area who are looking for an extended ride can take advantage of the three area clubs to do a full loop.
Riders can head north from the west side of Regina off Highway 11, ride all of the trails maintained by the Last Mountain Lake Drifters, hook up with the Cupar trails at Bulyea and continue riding east till they hook up with the Calling Lake Cruisers’ trails.
Here riders will have the opportunity to ride through Dysart and take a rest at the Deer Creek Lodge shelter before heading south to Lipton and doing an overnight stay at any of the accommodations offered in Fort Qu’Appelle. Note that Fort Qu’Appelle is one of the only places in the area that offers overnight accommodation during the winter months.
In all there are over 400 kilometres of groomed trails in the beautiful Fort Qu’Appelle valley, which can give you days of enjoyment and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Saskatchewan offers riding that’s far from flat.
Heading further south to Indian Head and the trails maintained by the Trans Canada Trail Drifters will take you east to Wolsley and Grenfell before you loop back around and ride all the way back to Regina.
