Northern Ontario Snowmobiling: Parry Sound

When winter squalls blow in off Georgian Bay, they pound lake effect snow throughout the regions of Ontario known as Parry Sound in OFSC District 10 and Muskoka in OFSC District 7. That makes the Town of Parry Sound an ideal staging location for snowmobile tours and one of its most popular destinations is The Quality Inn & Conference Centre

The Hotel is located south of town, by car along Highway 400 off exit 217, and by sled on TOP Trail C at the intersection with the Club Trail through town.  A long-time haunt for riders, the Quality Inn offers an onsite restaurant and bar, indoor pool, hot tub and sauna, plus plenty of parking for both tow rigs and sleds. Fuel is available just south of the hotel at the Georgian Bay Travel Centre at the junction of TOP C and TOP C103D, the Seguin Trail.

Parry Sound is the home of Bobby Orr and the legendary Tim West. With a population of about 15,000, it provides the services and amenities snowmobilers need, plus shopping, a variety of restaurants and performing arts at the Charles W. Stockey Centre.

From the Quality Inn, you can day-ride south on TOP C to do a short loop via TOP C102D, C114 and C101D to Bala and back, or ride longer into Gravenhurst, for lunch at Boston Pizza before catching Club Trails 17 & 10 to TOP B105 back to TOP C north.  Another great ride is TOP C south to TOP C103D east to C1012 north to C104D west to Dunchurch for lunch at the Duck Rock Restaurant or the Twist Bar & Grill. Then it’s west again on C104D to TOP C south.  Shorter excursions include the loop around Parry Sound itself and a side trip to explore the club trails north of Nobel, or a trip south to discover the club trails at the north end of the Muskoka Lakes, into Rosseau for lunch at the Crossroads Pub & Grill, then north on TOP C102 to C103D west back to TOP C.

The Quality Inn is also a great staging location for a saddlebag tour, such as the 800-km/500 mi Do the Loop Northern Tour, which includes Sudbury and North Bay. Suggested lodgings include the Sportsman’s Wilderness Lodge located at the junction of TOP Trails C105 and C206D on Kukagami Lake just north of Sudbury in OFSC District 12; and in North Bay, at the Clarion Resort Pinewood Park. This tour rides around Lake Nipissing and also takes in the spectacular snowmobile bridges at the French and Pickerel Rivers. Touring this part of Rainbow Country is Canadian Shield riding at its best, only a few hours north of the Greater Toronto Area. So be sure to visit Parry Sound this winter!

Snowmobiling Tourism Contacts:

Go Ride Ontario!

Muskoka, Parry Sound and Algonquin Park Region

Georgian Bay Country

OFSC District 10

OFSC

Contributing partners for this Ontario snowmobiling site about great Ontario snowmobile trails and snowmobile conditions include: Intrepid Snowmobiler, Murphy Insurance, Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, Ontario Tourism, Snow Goer Media, Supertrax Media

About Craig Nicholson—The Intrepid Snowmobiler

Popularly known as The Intrepid Snowmobiler, Craig Nicholson is an International Snowmobile Hall of Fame journalist who specializes in recreational snowmobiling activities. Craig has snowmobiled in every region of Canada and many states. His one-of-a-kind tour book, “Canada’s Best Snowmobiling – The Ultimate Ride Guide”, chronicles his adventures, as does his website and Facebook page.

Recommended Articles

Search Snowmobiling