Winter Carnival in Kirkland Lake
Snowmobilers riding in Northeastern Ontario (OFSC District 14) between February 14 and March 3 should spend some time taking in the Kirkland Lake Winter Carnival. This three-week long event kicks off on the Thursday (Feb. 14) of Ontario’s Family Day Weekend with a Ron Sexsmith concert and goes on to include hockey tournaments, sleigh rides, tribute concerts, helicopter rides, fashion show, a fishing derby, a concert with Platinum Blonde and Toronto (Feb.23) and closes with a Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Night (Mar 2), after a poker run hosted by the Golden Corridor Snowdrifters Snowmobile Club that same day. The Snowmobile Family Poker Run on Saturday, March 2 starts from Hockey Heritage North (accessed by club trail L108) and you could win $1,000! Nothing like a little entertainment and partying to go with days of remarkable riding.
Home of the world’s largest hockey puck, the Town of Kirkland Lake, Ontario is located just east of Highway 11 on Highway 66.It’s also at the junction of TOP Trail A108 and A105Q, with TOP A positioned just to the west. The Golden Corridor Snowdrifters groom about 400 kilometres of TOP and club trails, so there’s plenty of superb sledding to be had out of Kirkland Lake.
One good day trip is the 200-kilometre + loop on south TOP Trails A and A108 to Temiskaming Shores and back. Another is to ride TOP A north to Iroquois Falls or Timmins, returning to Kirkland Lake via TOP A108Q. There is also some riding around town on a loop trail and various club trails.
While in Kirkland Lake, try The Federal Tavern or Pit Stop Bar & Grill for meals, while both the Comfort Inn and Kirkland Lake Inn are trail accessible lodging. But if there’s no room at those inns, give Cheminis Lodge in Kearns Lake a try. It’s a little ways east of town on TOP A110Q, but the home-cooked meals alone are worth the extra travel.
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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