Riding areas-North America Overview

WhiteDragon

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Sep 19, 2008
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Alberta
I have been snowmobiling for quite a few years, but it has been some time that I posted some comments. Here are some general comments that I like to make.
For my background,
I have snowmobiled in 8 of the 10 Canadian provinces (Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are the exceptions), and 12 different U.S. states. I know of very few other people who can make that statement.
I have found that the majority of snowmobilers that I have been in contact with rarely snowmobile out of their state or province of residence. This came home to me when I was doing a self directed snowmobile tour in Minnesota-and most people that I would talk to have no idea what I was doing. I have seen people from Michigan snowmobile in Ontario-but compared to the crowds that I see in Michigan-that is a very small number.
So my second point is that in most U.S. states, they charge a premium for out of state snowmobilers to ride in their state. And, I count having to get a local registration as charging a premium, as the person would already have a valid registration. The only states that I know of that do not do this are Pennsylvania, Michigan, South Dakota, Washington, and Oregon. Virtually all Canadian provinces charge a user fee for out of province riders to ride in their province (Saskatchewan is the only exception), but they charge the same price regardless of where you reside. It is for that reason that I do most of my snowmobiling in Canada.
In fact, some Canadian provinces offer a reduced price for visitors-for a temporary trail pass. Ones that I know of that do this are New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta.
Now for a final comment-my view of where the best riding can be found. There is no contest there-Ontario and Quebec are the best, with New Brunswick a close third. Saskatchewan has done a LOT of improvements, so I rate that province as a good place to go to. If I were to choose a U.S. state to go to, it would be Minnesota. Wisconsin, Michigan are reasonable. Generally, I would not choose to go to any other state.
 
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