Snowmobiling in the North Country
Lake of the Woods is known for its superb walleye fishery, however, many other sports take place in our northernmost area. Snowmobiling has become a great sport for many people and Lake of the Woods is a land with great options. Trails are continuously groomed by experienced groomers across land, through forests and even across the big expanse of the water of Lake of the Woods. Ice fishing is in full swing on the lake and with that comes the announcement that a trail has now been groomed from the south at Pine Island all the way to Oak Island to the north. What a great experience to start out on the south shore of the lake and sled your way to Oak or Flag Islands and have a great day of food and fun and fish and then head back across the lake to enjoy a great evening at your favorite resort.
There are two snowmobile clubs who take care of the grooming responsibilities. The Lake of the Woods Drifters Snowmobile Club can be found on the web at www.lowdrifters.com. The Drifters proudly support the maintenance and grooming of over 400 miles of land and lake trails in LOW and Koochiching counties along with the 90 mile John Beckel Northern Connection Trail to Big Falls; the longest uninterrupted wilderness trail in Minnesota. They are a non-profit organization which provides and maintains seven fully equipped trail shelters with light, heat, maps and first aid kits. Along with the shelters the Drifters collaborate with both Law Enforcement and Emergency Responders, promote safe riding campaigns and have a DNR certified Drifter member provide the 12 hour DNR Safety Certificate training annually to more than 35 area youth riders.
The other club is the Edge Riders Snowmobile Club of the Northwest Angle area. You can find them on the web at www.nwaedgeriders.org. The snowmobile trails in the Northwest Angle area are among the best anywhere, from a grooming aspect, for being well marked as well as marked early in the season and for connecting to trails that take you anywhere you want to go – south to the Baudette Sno-Drifters’ trails and the Roseau Trailblazers’ trails as well as north to the Ontario and Manitoba trails. They are also a non-profit organization focusing to help support the trail efforts, both physically and monetarily. Activities throughout the year include a few workdays to clean/mark/repair/build trails as well as fund-raisers with activities for the entire family. It’s all about enjoying the beauty of winter and family fun. Come north soon!!!
