Notable as being one of the top snowmobiling destinations in Western Canada, Sicamous has bragging rights for a reason. The epic snow conditions and extensive alpine trails make it a can't-miss location.
With staging right in the town limits of Sicamous, this is one of the most user-friendly locations for out-of-towners to access. Read more about the Owlhead snowmobiling zone.
About 15 minutes east of Sicamous and just half a kilometre east of the Skyline Truck Stop sits Eagle Pass staging area. Again manned by volunteers, this staging area is a gateway to yet another amazing ride zone in the Sicamous area. Read more about the Eagle Pass snowmobiling zone.
Excellent for intermediate riders, Queest Mountain near Sicamous (pronounced like “quest”) offers easy trail riding along a groomed forestry road to a warming cabin. Past the cabin, riders will find ample open meadow and large hills for meadow riding and boondocking. The trailhead for Queest is just a five-minute drive from downtown Sicamous. (Read our full description of Queest Mountain.)
Blue Lake near Sicamous is a groomed trail which boasts ample meadow, wide open slopes for tree riding and a small training hill for beginner riders and families. While novice riders can stay on the training hill, family members with more riding experience can slip away to the more challenging areas beyond the cabin before returning to the rest of the family. (Read our full description of the Blue Lake groomed trail.)
The Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club makes it incredibly easy for riders to join them on the trails. During the sledding season volunteers staff the trailhead at each of the four major routes managed by the club, and trail passes are available for $25 per machine. Please note that the trail fees are cash only.
Alternatively, get a season's pass to buy unlimited trail access and support trail maintenance. Passes are available in Sicamous at Extreme Power Sports, J.B. Marine, H20 Motorsports, Mac's Machine Works and Powder Lites. In Salmon Arm, buy your pass at Shuswap Extreme Recreation.
For trail maps to the four areas in Sicamous, stop by the Sicamous Visitor Centre, see the Sled Sicamous website or download the SnoRiders PDF version.
For updated snow conditions and grooming reports, visit the Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club website.
The club maintains, grooms and promotes the sledding in Sicamous. News, updates and a grooming report for each of their four riding areas are published on their website. You can read more about the history of this club in our article.
This event is actually open to everything and it attracts men and families as well. In the past, all proceeds from this event have been donated to a local charity. The Sicamous Ladies Ride will often take place in February.
The trails around Owlhead, Blue Lake and Queest are perfect for young sledders, as they have well-groomed trails that are safe and easy to ride. - Chris Block photo
“Being that Rachel and I ride over 100 days a year, we see a lot of new riders come out to the Sicamous area. There are hills and trails for everyone, from beginner to expert.”
- Wally Taylor, local sledder and owner of Rekkless Wraps in Sicamous
“The groomed trail we are doing from Owlhead over to Blue Lake is becoming pretty popular for trail riders and families. Some families are intimidated by some of our photos, but if you really look at that trail, it’s through a cutblock and it’s very safe. We've really grown. We were a dormant little town and we became a SledTown. We just had some folks from Sweden staying at the Best Western. They bought sleds and stayed for a month."
- Gord Bushell, general manager of the Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club
The laws governing snowmobile use differ by province and can be confusing. Here, we make it easier to understand what local and out of province snowmobilers will need in terms of insurance, registration and licensing to ride B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Trail maps, top snowmobile trails, club contacts and other useful information you can use before planning a snowmobile trip to Sicamous, B.C.
Kelsey Fay, snowmobile-specific avalanche educator and riding instructor at Elevated Backcountry in Bellingham, WA, USA, teaches through extreme experience
by Kyle Born
Carl Kuster, brand ambassador for Ski-Doo, loves guiding snowmobilers through CKMP in Sicamous, B.C.
by Kyle Born