Living in Bas-Saint-Laurent gives me access to very beautiful snowmobile trails. Not far from here, other nice areas are worth discovering, like trails in New Brunswick at about 100 km from my home.
Tower in New Brunswick
Before crossing in another province, it is important to get a trail permit for the number of days we plan to ride there. Take information at clubs near Québec borders or at the New Brunswick Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (NBFSC); they will refer you to providers of trail permits. 40 $ for 1-day pass in New Brunswick is not expensive to ride with peace of mind.
Once our fuel tank is full and our trail permit is bought, we head for the Moose Valley Sporting Lodge, a place well known among local snowmobilers. Trails had all been groomed the day before, what more could we ask for our ride.
Before arriving to our destination for lunch, there were many snowmobiles stopped in the middle of the trail. Many pilots were wearing the NBFSC security patch. My first thought was : “Phew, good thing we got our daily trail permit”. But, as I got closer to the riders, one of them told me : “There is a moose on the trail and he is not happy to see us on his territory and his trail.”
Effectively, the moose expressed discontent, head down and ready to charge. The best we could do was to be patient and to wait for him to go back in forest by himself.
This unexpected halt gave me the time to talk with the snowmobilers. They told me that they were part of the annual NBFSC President’s Ride, a group of 56. Among the guides, I saw a colleague of motoneiges.ca/sledmagazine.com, Mr Yves Cormier; it has been a nice encounter. Finally, the moose moved a little and we could bypass him. He wanted to stay on the freshly groomed trail and I understand him!
We finally arrived at the Moose Valley Sporting Lodge for lunch. Employees are really friendly and atmosphere is warm. The place is powered by a generator, no power line is available here. And we can fill our gas tank.
Saint-Zénon-du-Lac-Humqui
With bellies full, we continue our tour to the new trail #155 in New Brunswick and the trail with no number because it is not federated between the border and Saint-Zénon-du-Lac-Humqui. On Québec side, this trail is maintained by private groomers and trail conditions were excellent. This trail mostly runs on logging roads and on roads closed for winter, which makes the maintenance easier. Traffic is still not heavy as it does not appear on any map. Some snowmobilers are discovering this new section and they really like it. During our ride, we met a group coming from Baie-des-Chaleurs. They were on a loop Pointe-à-la-Croix, Kedgwick and return via the Moose Valley Sporting Lodge and this new section. Everyone agreed that it is a very nice trail.
Thanks to all volunteers who made this new section possible between Québec and New Brunswick. It offers a new loop to plan this winter and for the next ones.
