Christmas In New Brunswick
Day One : Recon
I always like to have one day with no plan , and this was that day . By no plan , I mean no specific destination ; just go out and ride , take in the area and see what the conditions bring .
Heading out the backside of Atlantic Host I decided to take Trail 19 west , hoping it would give us examples of both provincial trails and local paths . Plus , the GoSnowmobilingNB app showed it was most recently groomed .
I noticed immediately that the signage was amazing : clear , concise and clean , and not all busy . Talking with Ross Antworth , my New Brunswick contact for this trip , I learned that this region ’ s signage was a hybrid of other systems . New Brunswick created year-round , permanent structures that make it easier for volunteer club members to maintain . They used the Vermont style post combined with the Quebec signage , or “ tourism signage ” he called it . It lists what ’ s most important to riders , including the trail numbers plus the availability of gas , food and accommodations , and the distances to each .
The second surprise was the dual-use signs when utilizing select bridges . After crossing , the signs direct sleds onto one trail and ATVs onto another . Up here , ATVs are used yearround and have their own separate trail system , but riders of both vehicles share bridges , hence the double signs .
On a 10-point scale , I would rate the trail conditions this day an eight , but only due to limited snow depth so it had nothing to do with the grooming or lack of effort by the clubs . The trails took us up and down slight inclines , through sweeping turns and over nicely crafted bridges – the largest one right after we left the Atlantic Host . My evolving plan included making our first stop the local snowmobile clubhouse , but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police altered our schedule . A trailside safety check had both directions of the trail stopped . The authorities saw our trail passes affixed to the center of the windshields but had questions about our lack of license plates . Apparently Canadian provinces have a metal license plate , but we only had our Maine registration stickers . We produced our registration paperwork and soon continued on toward the clubhouse .
After picking up a paper map at the C . M . Chalaer clubhouse , we resumed the no-plan-day by continuing on 19 west for about 30 miles . After taking the next major right turn onto Trail 24 north in the general direction of the tiny town of Lorne , the landscape changed and I experienced riding in a birchwood forest for the first time . It ’ s quite the contrast of the usual evergreens . There was something visually alluring about the white-trunked trees against the white snow .
After venturing north , we doubled back on 24 and jumped back on 19 , taking it further to Trail 22 , which we took southeast and eventually to local club Trail 301 . The landscape was very rural , with few road crossings and a delightful feeling of escape . The local trails tended to get narrower in some sections as they twist through heavily forested areas , but they they open up again in the fields .
Back onto Trail 19 heading east , we completed a broken , semi figure eight before I ended up limping my sled back to the hotel with about an extra 150 miles on the odometer .
We stumbled across some friendly RCMP officers ( left ) but after our paperwork checked out we continued on our way .
38 / NOVEMBER 2024 / SNOWGOER . COM