As the largest urban centre in Northern Ontario, Greater Sudbury has a population of about 165,000 and covers a huge area of 3,228 km2. Within its boundaries, you’ll discover hundreds of kilometres of OFSC snowmobile trails, including access to four unique days of exploring their Snow Tours – Cartier Moose Loop (230 km), Chiniguchi Wolf Loop (228 km), Deer Loop (142 km) and Rainbow Elk Loop (169 km). Note: each of the distances indicated are for the loop only and do not include any additional kilometres you may have to ride to get it from your lodgings.
Combined with a great ride circling around the outer perimeter of city, that’s at least five days of epic adventure on recreational trails groomed by the clubs of the Sudbury Trail Plan (STP). How many destinations can offer this many different trail riding opportunities, plus big city services, amenities, shopping, nightlife and attractions?
To give you an appreciation of how big the actual city-centre is, the distance by perimeter trail from its west to east side is up to 45 km. From north to south, the trail distance is about 20 km. Either way, the trails go around, not through the city proper.
So, when planning your Greater Sudbury area ride, remember that as with most large metropolises, the city itself isn’t accessible by snowmobile. Instead, the STP trails surround the main urban core, spoking out far into the hinterlands. Keep this reality in mind when you choose a lodging option, because its location may be close to some snow tours, but much farther from others.
So where are you going to stay? Greater Sudbury offers three distinct types of accommodations. One is to stay and ride out of trail accessible motels scattered throughout the suburbs, but still close enough for vehicle or Uber visits into the city.
Two is to choose more remote lodgings even farther away from the city centre. And the third choice is to stay at a chain hotel within the city (no trail access) and trailer out for day rides staging from a Park ‘n’ Ride location with direct access to perimeter trails.
Each has its pros and cons, depending on your personal preferences. A family group or a couples’ ride may opt for an in-town, full-service hotel, especially if you’re interested in “apré-motoneige” use of hotel recreation facilities, or checking out city restaurants and social activities. Or, if your group includes casual riders or children who may want to sightsee or shop instead of hitting the trails every day. What’s more, these are more than enough other winter activities to keep any non-snowmobilers in your family or group happy and entertained if they want to do something else while you’re off riding!
Alternatively, avid groups more interested racking up the klicks may choose a good roadside motel in an outlying community. And some riders may simply want to escape any semblance of urbanicity, going for a more get-away-from-it-all wilderness experience. Let’s look at the various options for enjoying snowmobiling in Greater Sudbury!
Greater Sudbury has a handful of local roadside lodgings that cater to snowmobilers. Generally, they are family owned and operated, with trail access and other services in the area. Listed by town, here are the ones that support organized snowmobiling by advertising with the STP.
The City of Greater Sudbury offers a variety of hotels from the major chains. But as already stated, none are snowmobile accessible at this time, although I understand that overtures are underway from both STP and tourism agencies to work with municipal officials to improve access in the future. Meanwhile, if you choose to stay at an in-town hotel, double check that it has plenty of truck and trailer parking and the amenities you want, such as indoor pool, hot tub and fitness centre.
I’d also wouldn’t recommend staying right downtown, because it may not be as convenient to trailer out and back from that location for day rides. When you do head out, here are nearby Park ‘n’ Ride locations you can stage from:
North: Hanmer - Hanmer Centre, 5003 Highway 69 North. Trail Access: Club Trail 56. Staging for Cartier Moose Loop or Chiniguchi Wolf Loop.
East: Garson - Sudbury Trail Plan Yard, 3610 Falconbridge Hwy. Trail Access: Club Trail 74. Staging for Chiniguchi Wolf Loop.
South: Sudbury - Kivi Park, Regional Road 80s (Long Lake Road). Trail access: TOP C108D. Staging for Rainbow Elk Loop.
West: Lively - Regional Road 55. Trail Access: Club Trail 21. Staging for Deer Loop or Rainbow Elk Loop.
