There is a generation just coming of age now who will only read about the Cold War in history books. They won’t do “duck and cover” drills in school, and they won’t have to listen to the world’s scientists annually announce that the “doomsday” clock now stands at five minutes to midnight (never heard of that? Look it up). These things died with the collapse of the old Soviet Union – but you can still experience a piece of those uncertain times if you go riding in Elliot Lake, Ontario. That’s because many of the nuclear bombs that threatened man’s existence, had uranium sourced from local mines.

During its early mining days, Elliot Lake produced most of the world’s uranium. Thankfully, that threat has now passed, but this legacy has left a great centre for year-round recreation, because at one time it was home to as many as 30,000 people. Today, the ‘Cold War’ here is fought with good riding gear and the hot food and drink that is readily found along the well-groomed trails that are promoted and maintained by some very active local snowmobile and ATV clubs.
Elliot Lake is a city that’s just a five and a half hour drive north of Toronto, with a winter trail system that is at once excellent and uncrowded. It can be used as a hub for daytrips, (there are several good one-day loop rides in the area) or as a stopover while touring the north shore of Lake Huron.   

This is the eastern most part of Algoma, and also the most populated – of course, being Northern Ontario that still means you’re by yourself most of the time. Our ride took place during the last week of February, and we never saw more than three or four sleds during any one day of riding.

The sleds we pulled together for this ride were a 600 Polaris IQ Shift, 800 Polaris Dragon SP, Yamaha RS Venture TF (featuring the 120 FI motor) and a Ski-Doo MXZ X 50th anniversary edition. All four are 2009's. A few notes on the sleds that are worth noting. At minus 30C everyone fought over the Venture because it was the only sled with a high windshield – also pull starting an 800 at that temperature is a torment. On the flip-side, it’s surprising how well the batteries on the other sleds handled that temperature. The four-strokes of course got better mileage than the two-strokes, but for a change that wasn’t a concern because gas is easy to find at regular intervals in a half-a-dozen towns along the shore.

Our first stop was the Fireside Inn, in Elliot Lake. Pulling in, the first thing I noticed was a signed photo of “Mantracker” on the lobby fireplace mantle. Seems he’s stayed there twice while filming episodes for the OLN show where he hunts down human prey on horseback. Strangely, the staff never asked for my photo – maybe next year. With ample parking, trail access and restaurant, it was easy to call this place home for several days.

One drawback of riding in a populated area is the number of side trails that lead to locals’ favourite ice fishing sites. Even with good signage we found ourselves visiting with guys fishing for walleye. After a while though, I figured out the difference between a club trail and a local offshoot. Club members trim branches, locals don’t. So, if you find yourself on a trail where you have to duck brush, turn around it’s the wrong one. Mind you, even though the clubs do a great job on the trails, these guys do have an active sense of humour. At least that’s my explanation for finding myself in powder up to my waist after blowing a corner; which, judging by the number of other bogged track marks in the field, is a common occurrence.

So, here and now, I’m going to reveal this little local secret: Heading down to Thessalon, the “D” trail follows a hydro line for many kilometres. The trial is wide and clean – with sweeping corners and great visibility – right till you see the small turn sign at the top of an innocent looking hill. Then the trial suddenly dives and turns hard right. If you haven’t braked before the crest of the hill, you’re done. My gut feeling was that this was designed by a local prankster. I mean it’s natural that after an hour of grand prix-like riding, you’ll be carrying some decent speed, and once over that hill you’re headed for a powder bath. Digging out, I could swear I heard laughter in the trees.

After two days of local trips to and through scenic towns like Blind River, Spragge and Iron Bridge, we decided to head to the beach; Hilton Beach to be specific, on St. Joseph Island. This is an area that is obviously popular in the summer, and it’s surprisingly active during our season too. And while we kept grinning about visiting “the islands,” we were able to do something those summer tourists couldn’t – run the lake. 

From Thessalon, there is a great 45-minute run across the ice of the North Channel that is well marked and fast. Fuelling up before the crossing, I asked the gas guy about the ice. “What about it?” he replied. “Is it good?” I pressed. In response he stared out across the lake, looked back at me and started laughing hysterically as he walked away. I took that to be a yes.

Midday and early afternoon is a great time to cross as the sun highlights the drifts – small ones that can be ploughed through and the bigger ones that act as launch ramps. I remember thinking that in flat light conditions, you could look forward to some surprise jumps unless you slowed down. But, with miles of ice on either side, that’s hard. How hard? Well at one point we stopped so that Matthew could beat some heat back into his hands – seems even with the heaters on high, he’d still lost feeling at speed after 20 minutes pinned to the bar. Meanwhile Stephen, who wears a modular helmet, picked the ice off his jacket front (from the condensed breath vapour that leaks out of the mouth piece) that looked surprisingly like what his bib used to catch as a baby.
While not everything is open at the beach, enough places are available for easy booking of overnight accommodations. We even found some local talent playing in a bar next to the Hilton Beach Inn where we stayed, which overlooks the lake. The Island can be used as a stopover, or even a base as there are at least two good loops that start and end there.

During this last week of February, the trail conditions were typically well groomed. Even sections we found (close to town) that were rough, were all re-groomed within 24 hours. Signage was good with the lake crossing well marked with posts or standing tree branches. But, as mentioned, the best thing about the area is the amount of services available; not only gas, food and lodging, but things like stores where my son could buy decent goggles (he forgot his) and duct tape for his open face helmet vents.

After five days of riding in this area two things appealed to me; trail choices with great services, and how few riders there were. So, while it’s peculiar to say you are headed to a “city” to ride, Elliot Lake and Huron’s north shore is easily accessible for a week or weekend. J