Heading to Wawa this Thursday, will be our first time ever riding in Canada. Looking to ride in the bush for the majority of the trip. Anyone have any tips of things we should look out for? I have heard to bring. Extra gas as the gas stations
Are few and far between. Thanks in advance I hope there is as much snow as they say.
You won't regret it. We went up around President's Day weekend - first trip to that area. It's absolutely incredible, and we didn't even scratch the surface of it because our time was limited by extreme cold. They still have tons of snow, and the temps are great now too. We intend to go back next year - I'd go back this week for sure if I could get away. It's ridiculous how great the riding is and how little traffic there is. Gas is more, permits are more, but with the US dollar up right now, it's not a bad deal. It's hard to believe how good the trails are and how well they are maintained and then you see so few sleds, and that was on a busy mid-Feb weekend.
We stayed at the Bristol Motel - it was priced right and the owner used to help maintain the trail system, so he knew where to go or don't go. You can walk to breakfast or dinner from there also.
Look up "the groomer guy" on facebook - you don't need to have a facebook acct to see his posts. He is a good source of info about riding in the area. He is the club President for the area just north of there. PM me if you can't reach him.
I was told to stop in Jones Power Sports (Polaris dealer) in town, and they will point you to the best powderspots. We didn't get a chance to do that but we will next time we are there.
Here's a site with some info on the area (it was put together for an event that had earlier in the year, and includes some suggested off trail spots):
You can pretty much do any kind of riding out there you want. Towns are generally far apart, so gas isn't necessary for most trail routes but might be needed if you plan to burn a bunch of gas playing off trail. One caveat: I was told that because the economy has been rough up there the past decade or so, the trail system isn't what it used to be. By that I mean there are fewer maintained trails than there once were - some of the clubs have simply folded and the trails are no longer maintained. They lost a big one that went from the Soo up to Wawa this year, but it's supposed to be back again next year. We rode some of these non-maintained trails and had an absolute riot playing in the powder.
They don't use ethanol so you might want to carry a little isopropol - I had a carb freeze but again it was -20 that night, so maybe it was my own fault.
Let me know if you have any other questions. If gas prices and the exchange rates stay close to what they are now, we'll be going back every year. You can trail ride without nearly as much fear of the guy coming around the next corner on your side. Off trail places are all over the place - it's not Wyoming, but there are good hills and steep spots and it's easier to breathe when you have to dig out a sled!
