The main draw
Hart Lake Trail 2A
In the Swan River Valley, a variety of groomed open hillsides, bush trails and lake crossings with valley views will be waiting at your doorstep.
Swan River’s local North Mountain Riders club offers 450 kilometres of groomed trails with connector trails in every direction, including connections (done in loops) with approximately 350 kilometres of additional trail groomed by the club to the south. If you do the math, that means 800 kilometres of groomed, interconnected trails are accessible from one trail-side town where you can leave directly from your hotel room door.
For starters, take the 25-kilometre run up to the Porcupine Mountains for a ride over the scenic CN Rail bridge and into open stretches on the rail bed—a great way to get loosened up for the day. After doing a few of the twisty trails you’ll find there, head north for the Hart Mountain Road. Clean the carbon out and cruise on its wide, smooth, tree-lined trail to come to the Hart Lake warm-up cabin, one of eight cabins in the area. All of the cabins are equipped with a woodstove and outhouse. At Hart Lake you’ll also find solar lights and wall-to-wall carpeting.
From Hart Lake continue on the 2A trail to Bellsite, a local favourite. Old growth of large spruce trees and windy trails will take you back down the side of the Porcupine Mountains with a must-stop midway viewing point of the valley below.
Sledders’ hangouts
The Westwood Inn offers an in-house family dining room and coffee shop, lounge and 161-foot pool with waterslide, hot tub and sauna. In the lounge riders will find large flat screen televisions and “the coldest suds in town.” For breakfast, hit the Timber Restaurant on the outskirts of Swan River. Midday, Masenking Hotel is a luncheon favourite.
Extended stay
- Faye’s Warm-up. Built in memory of aid sledder Faye Corbett, Faye’s Warm-up shelter offers sledders a place to take a break and enjoy a breathtaking view of the Swan River Valley towards Birch River. It is one of the larger shelters on the system, great for large groups travelling together.
- The Bin. One of the eight warm-up shelters you’ll find in the area, this old renovated grain storage shack is an interesting stop along the Porcupine Mountain trail system.
