SNOWMOBILING HIGHLIGHTS
New York ’ s Better Side
Where To Find The Best Riding In The Empire State
BY DAVID WELLS & JOHN T . PRUSAK PHOTOS BY BILL REYNOLDS , JOHN BURTON , JEREMY CLARKE , KEVIN MORGAN & JIM ROLF
Somewhat sadly , when many people around the world think of New York , they envision the big city and all of its trappings . But people who love the outdoors know there ’ s a lot more to the Empire State than the 102-story Empire State Building ! If you ’ re more excited to see the northern lights than the Broadway lights , if you ’ d rather connect with nature in Letchworth State Park than Central Park , and if you ’ d enjoy the grandeur of riding on the Tug Hill Plateau more than watching the tugboats in New York Harbor , you ’ re definitely one of us .
Far from the Big Apple , big storms pick up Great Lakes moisture and bless the mostly rural northern half of the New York with copious amounts of snowfall . Other passing weather fronts fill in the rest . But it takes more than falling white stuff to create snowmobiling bliss , and this state has it all .
Dramatic landscapes feature towering hills , countless lakes , flowing rivers and occasional canyons , while snowmobile-friendly small towns offer a variety of lodging and food options . Connecting it all is an incredibly vast trail network that totals more than 10,000 miles , all created and maintained by dedicated snowmobile club members .
To highlight the many places to ride in New York , we ’ ve broken the state into five regions . The division draws on snowfall and temperature data , elevation of the land above specific Great Lakes , physical boundaries like rivers , political boundaries and existing snowmobile trails systems .
Note that New York State snowmobile registration is required . It costs $ 100 , but it ’ s discounted down to $ 45 for members of organized New York snowmobile clubs .
14 / FEBRUARY 2025 / SNOWGOER . COM