Ride the Kawarthas for the Best Cottage Country Snowmobiling

Make it a day or a weekend trip with 1,000 km of primo trails and two great snow tours.

Cottage country is always a popular Ontario destination and one of the most beautiful regions is the Kawarthas. Vacationers, boaters, anglers, and cottagers flock to the Kawartha Lakes every summer. But when the white stuff flies, this prime snow belt area transforms into a winter playground crisscrossed with Central Ontario’s best snowmobile trails. That’s when snowmobilers come to Ride The Kawarthas.

Located less than a two-hour drive northeast of the Greater Toronto Area, and just north of Lake Ontario and the 401 corridor, Ride The Kawarthas offers over 1,000 km of OFSC snowmobile trails accessed from 28 handy Park ‘n Ride staging areas, some less than an hour north of Highway 401. These are ideal for embarking on your day ride or weekend getaway. 

Along with many trail accessible services and amenities, snowmobile-friendly towns like Apsley, Coboconk, Buckhorn, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Havelock and Kinmount welcome snowmobilers. While in the area, check out these great eateries from my Top 50 Ontario Restaurants list: Pattie House Smoking BBQ, Swiss Bear Restaurant & Bakery.

And when you Ride The Kawarthas, there are also a variety of good places to stay overnight. What’s more, two OFSC Promoted Snow Tours are available in OFSC District 2 to make your visit even more enjoyable…

Located in Bobcaygeon-Fenelon Falls area, the Kawartha Highlands Tour is a comfortable 138-km family outing with a variety of different riding experiences, including woodland trails, forest access roads, municipal road allowances and an old rail bed. #ridekhtour

Located in Apsley area, the 242-km Hastings Highland Tour is a unique double loop configuration, including many old logging roads and rail beds that run through the snowy hinterlands of the beautiful eastern Kawarthas. #sledhhtour 

As a Kawartha Lakes cottager myself, it’s been my pleasure to Ride The Kawarthas from my own backyard for many years. There’s a vibrant and active group of local snowmobile clubs that make my sledding fun possible and enable everyone to Ride The Kawarthas each winter, including Buckhorn & District SC, Havelock & District SC, Kawartha Lakes SC, Paudash Trailblazers SC, Stoney Lake Sno Riders SC and Twin Mountains SC.

So while you’re visiting, be sure to drop into the Buckhorn Clubhouse (staging area at start of TOP Trail E211 just east of Buckhorn on Highway 36), the Twin Mountains Clubhouse (staging area on Club Trail 460 on Bass Lake Road north of Bobcaygeon) or the Paudash Trailblazers Clubhouse at the junction of TOP Trails E and E110 north near Dyno Estates off Highway 28). 

Whatever staging location you choose and whether you decide to ride for a day or stay for a weekend, you’ll be happy to Ride The Kawarthas!

#ridethekawarthas #ontariosnowtrails #gosnowmobilingontario #snowtourontario #ExperienceKN

About Craig Nicholson—The Intrepid Snowmobiler

Popularly known as The Intrepid Snowmobiler, Craig Nicholson is an International Snowmobile Hall of Fame journalist who specializes in recreational snowmobiling activities. Craig has snowmobiled in every region of Canada and many states. His one-of-a-kind tour book, “Canada’s Best Snowmobiling – The Ultimate Ride Guide”, chronicles his adventures, as does his website and Facebook page.

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