On behalf of SledMagazine.com , it was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation of Mr Percy Mallet, New Brunswick Department of Tourism and Parks representative, to join a three day media tour in the northern part of the province in early March 2010. We will be spending our first day of riding between “L’Auberge Les Jardins Inn”, located in St-Jacques, a suburbs of Edmundston, and the famous “Moose Valley Sporting Lodge”, about 90 km to the north-east. This area, which is the entrance to New Brunswick as you drive or ride from Rivière-du-Loup and is also known as the “Madawaska” region.
For our three day tour, the group will include the shooting crew of the TV show “Randonnée Québec en Motoneige” that can be seen on the french RDS network, Mr Percy Mallet and myself. Our guide, for the first day, will be Mr Valmont Martin, co-owner of “L’Auberge Les Jardins Inn” where we are staying for the first two nights as well.www.lesjardinsinn.com/home
As we get on our way, we find that snow is rather scarce on Trail # 12, which is rather unusual for this time of year. But as soon as we reach the mountains of the Appalachian Range on Trail # 17, the snow conditions improve greatly. Our first stop will be at the “Club des Motoneigistes du Nord” refuge, located in St-Joseph-de-Madawaska.
The snowmobile trails of this region are maintained by experimented volunteers and are among the nicest ones that I had the opportunity to ride on for many years. We mostly ride on roads that were built years ago for regional resources exploitation and that are close to all traffic in the winter months. Many bridges make it possible to cross safely over rivers, either very early or very late into the snowmobiling season.
During an average winter, up to 400 cm of snow usually fall on this region. The trails are wide, landscapes are characterized by the Appalachian mountains with many panoramic views and places where one can see breathtaking sceneries making it an unforgettable journey.
Since we had to stop many times for shooting and taking pictures, we reached the “Moose Valley Sporting Lodge” just in time for lunch. This very popular place offers lodging, gas and a very nice restaurant featuring the “Moose Burger”. It is located on Provincial Trail # 17 between Edmundston and Kedgwick, at the intersection of Regional Trail # 135, which connects you to lake Biencourt in Quebec. www.moosevalleysportinglodge.com/en/index.php
Please note that, at the time of writing of this article, there is still very little snow on the ground in Edmundston once again this year but the Moose Valley area has already been operating for many weeks.
All afternoon long, on our way back, beautiful sceneries and landscapes unfold under a blue sky and an ideal temperature. As we meet some local snowmobilers, we realise that this part of New Brunswick is truly bilingual and extremely welcoming. Thanks to one conversation, we discover the “Tall Pine” point of view, from where one can see for miles and miles over hills and valleys.
In conclusion, I would like to leave you with a picture taken on our way back in the St-Joseph-de-Madawaska region. This wonderful scenery is even more outstanding on a snowmobile, so, it is yours to discover. Everyone in the group really enjoyed riding on these beautiful trails and discovering this snowmobiling paradise.
Should you wish more information about this ride, it is available on the NBFSC trail maps for Zone 1 and 2.Their bilingual website will also give you all the details on permits, maps and trail conditions.https://nbfsc.com/index.php?lang=en
Finally, Tourism New Brunswick web site also has many useful informations for you.www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/Home/Odyssey.aspx
In my next article to be published in a few weeks, I will be bringing you to the Bathurst / Sormany area. We will be hosted there by the “Chaleur Snowmobile Club” and will be visiting the famous “Piston Alley” and “Caribou Wind Park”. So, until next time, happy Trails !
