A Snowmobiler’s Paradise in New Brunswick

Whether we are talking about snow accumulation, fantastic trail conditions, outstanding snowmobile clubs and lodges, or the local joie de vivre, this region offers it all!

The Chaleur advantage

The Chaleur Region falls in a sweet spot for snowmobilers as it connects the FCMQ trail system to the one in New Brunswick.

And that’s only one part of the Chaleur advantage!

Indeed, some of New Brunswick’s highest snowfalls are found right here in the Chaleur Region! In Bathurst alone, the average snowfall per winter season is near 400 cm.

That’s a whole lot of white gold!

Our snowmobile season is also among the longest in North America, with our clubs running and delivering high-quality trail grooming from mid-December to mid April.

Be sure to get your permit early!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a snowmobile trip without the fresh air and the sights of pristine natural landscape.

You’ll discover places that are difficult to access any other time of the year and that offer the most magnificent views of all.

One thing is certain, a snowmobile trip in the Chaleur Region will be the highlight of your winter!

Trails that lead everywhere

In the Chaleur Region, snowmobiling is part of our identity. That’s right, everything is laid out for the hard-core snowmobiler.

Here, you’ll find over 600 km of snowmobile trails proudly maintained by passionate volunteers and staff members coordinated by our three local snowmobile clubs.

We also have snowmobile-accessible hotels, restaurants, lodges, and gas stations along the trails ready to welcome new and returning sledders.

Best of all?

Our trails lead to most areas of New Brunswick, making it easy to create the route of your choice! Yes, most of the trails are interconnected, giving snowmobilers the possibility to choose different loop options, vary their return paths, or travel longer distances.

Preparing for the journey

Before you can hop on our beautiful trails, there are few things that require your attention.

Here is what you’ll need to drive your snowmobile legally around our trails:

• Registration: You must carry a proof of registration and a valid piece of ID with you at all times while driving your snowmobile. Snowmobilers need to register their vehicle each year.
• Safety training certificate: All individuals under the age of 16 must complete a safety training course before they can access our trails. They must also carry their training certificate and be supervised by someone who is at least 19 years of age.
• Trail Permit: Snowmobilers must obtain a trail permit from the New Brunswick Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (NBFSC). (Click here to order your trail permit today.) The trail permit must be attached to the bottom centre of your snowmobile’s windshield at all times.
• Valid insurance: A proof of valid insurance is also mandatory while snowmobiling on the trails.

Once this is settled, your winter adventure in the Chaleur Region can begin!

The big 3

There are three snowmobile clubs in the Chaleur Region that all tie in together and cooperate with each other to keep the Chaleur trail system fun and safe to use for snowmobilers.

They also collaborate in the organization of the many regional snowmobile-related activities that take place throughout the season.

At these clubhouses, you’ll enjoy some comfort food, great live music, friendly service and a taste of the local hospitality.

Here’s the lowdown on each of “the big 3”.

Chaleur Snowmobile Club (Club no. 4)

The Chaleur Snowmobile Club can be found at about 20 km from Bathurst on Chemin Sormany and is now close to 600 members strong.

Photo of the Chaleur Snowmobile Club on Facebook

Located between our two other local clubs (Supervillage Trailblazers and Nepisiguit Sports Lodge), the Chaleur Snowmobile Club allows perfect connection of the trails and provides all services between the two adjacent clubs. Their trails allow you to visit communities located nearby, such as Belle-Baie (Petit-Rocher, Nigadoo, Beresford), and leads to hotels, such as Atlantic Host in Bathurst and Danny’s in Beresford.

The Club manages a total of 187 km of trails that are maintained using their two groomers.

They also offer evening entertainment every weekend. Stop at their lodge, greet old friends and make new sledding buddies!

Visit their website for more information.

Supervillage Trailblazers (Club no. 69)

The Supervillage Trailblazers snowmobile club is located on Archibald Road in Belledune. Its dedicated team of volunteers manages and grooms about 125 km of trails 40 hours a week during the snowmobile season and prepares all the trails in the fall to ensure proper signage and trail conditions.

Photo of the Supervillage Trailblazers snowmobile club on Facebook

The club also has a restaurant and a tavern. It organizes lively events throughout the season and also takes part in snowmobile rallies, such as the Tour de Chaleur.

Make sure to visit their lodge and taste their delicious homemade food!

Connect with them on Facebook for trail conditions and upcoming events.

Nepisiguit Sports Lodge (Club no. 1)

Located in Nepisiguit Falls just south of Bathurst, the Nepisiguit Sports Lodge is the largest club in the province of N. B. with 1348 annual members. The Club is responsible for 300 km of snowmobile trail which stretches from the Atlantic Host Hotel in West Bathurst to Serpentine Lodge adjacent to Serpentine Lake in the northwestern interior of the province.

Photo of the Nepisiguit Sports Lodge

The trail system requires constant grooming with heavy grooming equipment from December 15th to April 15th every winter. The club is also required to install and maintain information signs along the total trail system in both directions.

The club has become synonymous with the best trail system in Atlantic Canada and continues to draw hundreds of snowmobilers from outside our region.

You can have daily updates on trail conditions and other important information by going to their website. The website is updated every day at least once (and usually two and three times a day). It is loaded with trail suggestions, comments from visitors and a schedule of events.

Photo from the archives: the Nepisiguit Lodge has been around for a long time!

Dave <3 Snowmobiling

To help you get an idea of what the snowmobile experience is like in our region, we reached out to Dave Brewster, former Vice President of the Nepisiguit Sports Lodge, for a quick interview.

Here’s what our true trail veteran had to share with us:

Dave Brewster, former Vice President of the Nepisiguit Sports Lodge

About the club

C: Hi Dave, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Can you tell us more about your club’s grooming efforts on the trails?

D: Our club owns and operates three grooming units with large trail drags. These units cost $300,000 each and require heavy maintenance. 

We employ operators who run these units for four months during the winter. The three units will total an average of 2500 hours for the season. This is about double the hours of any other club in N. B.

The heavy traffic requires this level of grooming and this is key in attracting tourism. The Chaleur Region provided over 5000 room rentals for the snowmobile enthusiasts and their families during the 2019 winter season.

The snowmobiling experience

C: What are the tips you would like to share with someone preparing to go snowmobiling on the Chaleur Region’s trails this winter?

D: Layout the planned trip before you start and let people at home know where you are going. Verify where you can refill with fuel so you do not run out. Always travel with a group or at least one other sledder.

Be sure to travel at a speed where you have full comfortable control of your machine and drive on the right side of the trail to avoid oncoming traffic.

Alcohol and snowmobiling do not mix. It takes 100% concentration to handle a snowmobile so always save the alcoholic beverages for the end of the day when the sled is put away.

C: Can you tell us what winters are like in this region and what is so great about them for snowmobilers travelling to the Chaleur region?

D: The winters in Bathurst are fairly cool with a lot of snow. Bathurst will see around 4 meters of snow during the winter season and offers fantastic trail riding as well as a growing attraction of off-trail riding by experienced sledders. The most satisfying experience is the uninterrupted trail system. Sledders can travel miles without seeing a stop sign or a cross trail.

C: How would you describe the Chaleur Region snowmobile experience? What is special about snowmobiling in this region?

D: The great thing about the Chaleur Region Trail system is you can select a number of different loops depending on the distance and direction you would like to travel. You can also see beautiful mountain sides covered in pristine snow. There are several lodges to provide food, fuel and a chance to rest. Some of these lodges will even offer overnight accommodation.

C: Could you give us an idea of what an experienced snowmobiler can expect to discover when he or she will come snowmobiling around here?

D: Even an experienced sledder will find breathtaking views all along the Chaleur trail system. A number of trails run parallel to rivers and lakes with high mountains in the background.

There will be long stretches where you can open up your sled safely to make up time you may lose when travelling in wooded areas. These trails can reach widths of 40 feet to provide more safety.

You can easily travel across northern New Brunswick!  This can take anywhere from 2-4 days depending on how long you ride each day.

Snowmobilers will bring some basic clothing for overnight stays on their snowmobiles. Accommodation rates are very reasonable and are all designed to deal with snowmobilers in the winter. They all cater to your needs in providing the special type of service you require as well as high security for your equipment.

C: Is there anything you would like to tell a snowmobile newbie who might like to have a first experience in this region?

D: For Beginners it is recommended to keep your first experience short and sweet. Do not try and run 200 km for the day with experienced snowmobilers as this requires a lot of energy and talent that you need to develop.

Most beginners start out holding on for dear life to their snowmobile and tire out within 10 km. Driving any snowmobile requires you to relax and keep a light grip on the controls. You can learn this by starting with 100 km runs at the beginning.

Above all, drive slow and keep the speed of your sled within your comfort level at all times. Stay back 300-400 feet from the sled in front of you to give yourself plenty of time to stop. Never try to keep up with the sled in front of you if it requires you to go beyond your comfort level. You will always catch up with the group as they will stop periodically to check on everyone. Trying to keep up with a faster snowmobile in front of you is the biggest contributor to accidents.

C: Can you give me an impression of what it’s like to discover a new trail for you? What do you like about it? What are you looking for in a new trail? What makes it exciting or interesting to you?

D: We have several trails that run through the most remote areas of New Brunswick. There are times under the right conditions that the trees are covered with snow and tend to form a tunnel right over the trail. This can be an absolutely spectacular experience and one you will never forget. The best trails are the ones which are relatively straight with very few turns. Long twisting trails can be hard to navigate and require your full attention to avoid oncoming snowmobiles.

Awesome spots to discover

C: What are your favourite spots to eat while snowmobiling on the trails?

D: Any one of the lodges located throughout the Chaleur Trail System offers wonderful food. Supervillage Lodge has an excellent menu of homemade meals that will fill you up no matter how big the appetite as well as Nepisiguit Sports Lodge, Rogers Lake Lodge, Island Lake Lodge, Serpentine Lodge and Chaleur Club Lodge. All these facilities offer food and gas and very nice clubhouses for a rest while enjoying your meal.

C: Do you have a favourite landmark or trail in the region that you would like to share with us?

D: Nepisiguit is known throughout the snowmobile industry as the home of “Piston Alley”. This relatively straight section of trail runs 30 km from Rogers Lake to Governors Lodge. The trail runs parallel to the Nepisiguit River and is groomed very wide. For the experienced snowmobiler, it offers an opportunity to “try out your machine”.

Piston Alley is well named.

Also, at the end of Piston Alley, you will enter into breathtaking scenery as you climb up to some of the highest elevations in New Brunswick known as the “Big South” heading towards Serpentine Lodge.

To me, the most beautiful trail you will see in northern New Brunswick is in Mount Carleton Provincial Park and runs adjacent to the Bathurst Lakes. Mount Sagamook is in the background and there are nice areas to pull over and have a trail lunch while observing this beautiful scenery covered in a white sheet of snow with millions of trees all around.

Start planning your trip now

Go sledding in the beautiful Chaleur Region and have a one-of-a-kind experience discovering exciting new trails.

Up for the challenge?

The Chaleur Region is your playground.