Visiting the International Snowmobile Festival

After a seven-year hiatus, the Acadia of Lands and Forests region brought back the International Snowmobilers’ Festival, and I had the good fortune of attending the three-day event in Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada in January.

After a seven-hour drive from Nova Scotia, Canada, my husband Adam and I, along with four of our friends, arrived at the event, hosted by the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, along with the state of Maine. We could not have picked a better weekend for trail conditions and weather, as Northern Maine, Northern New Brunswick and Quebec are often known for bitterly cold winters.

Snowmobiling on the Trails

We started out in Edmundston, NB, crossing the US/Canadian border, and sledding across the bridge that connects the two countries. After we cleared customs on our snowmobiles, we continued on into Madawaska, Maine. While the conditions were excellent, I did mention that bitter cold. I was glad to be wearing my DSG Lace Collection bibs along with my DSG Tek Vest and DSG Gmax helmet with Triple 9 goggles.

Completing a ride like this has been on my bucket list, so I was glad to have the opportunity to enjoy the trails all over Maine. After having the trails almost to ourselves for all of Friday, we ended back at a restaurant that hosted a delicious supper for participants in the Festival. Finally, we checked into our hotel around 11 p.m. It was a long first day, and we put on over 200 miles, but we loved every minute of it, especially since I was dry and warm all day in my comfortable DSG gear!

Meeting a Past DSG Ambassador

I had reached out to Denise Duperre, a 2014-2015 DSG Brand Ambassador, before we left for our trip and she happened to be a volunteer at the Festival. She helped me with where to stay and what to enjoy while we sledded the groomed trails. It was nice to get to know her and her husband, as they made us feel welcome and helped out with anything we needed.

On Saturday morning, we started the day with a yummy breakfast at Dolly’s (recommended by Denise), then we hit the trails for Canada. We got to enjoy wonderful well-groomed trails traveling through Quebec. I could not get over how beautiful Quebec was dressed in white. It was absolutely stunning traveling along a 30-mile lake along the Trans Canada Trail with the mountains in the background and gorgeous little French villages where we stopped at various checkpoints. We enjoyed the twisty trails that connected us through the mountains where all of the maple sugar production is done— it was so beautiful. Eventually, we ended up at Moose Valley, New Brunswick. From Squatec to Moose Valley, the trails were really beat, so it made for a slow trip. We usually travel at speeds from 40-70, and 80 miles per hour on trails that allow us.

Once we got to Moose Valley, we knew we didn’t have far to go back to our hotel in Edmundston. Seeing the hundreds of snowmobiles parked outside the beautiful lodge definitely made me want to go back to Moose Valley to enjoy the trails. It was awesome and gave us a well-deserved rest before we suited up for the last leg of our trip. We got back to our hotel where our trucks and trailers were and crashed for the night in Edmundston, NB.

The Festival was certainly well worth the long drive to get there, as it allowed us to travel in two countries, two provinces and one state without having to buy a trail pass. We put on 840 km in three days, and we just had to show we were registered for the festival. Our group will certainly be going back again next year.

On Sunday, Adam, Steve and I sledded back to Maine to enjoy a day on the trails with Denise. It was so nice to get out sledding with her and Bob, and she showed us all the beautiful lookouts, lakes and well-maintained trails. We finished our day enjoying a nice supper together and stayed the night at her home. We left Monday morning to head back to our truck in New Brunswick. I have to say this awesome trip would not have been as great if I didn’t have my friendship connection that DSG has shared with each one of us. Thank you for building this wonderful group of ladies that love sledding as much as I do and are passionate enough to share it with others.