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Travel
An off-grid snowmobile adventure in Central Ontario
Speed up, tune out and escape the city on an unforgettable snowmobile safari near Algonquin Provincial Park
- Mar 13, 2025
- 1,491 words
- 6 minutes
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Too much of anything can be unhealthy — including information. The relentless stream of news, politics and a certain orange-hued president has been exhausting for many. Craving a break from the noise, I set my sights on an off-grid adventure in a remote yet accessible winter wilderness. In Ontario’s eastern Algonquin Park region, a snowmobile and eco-lodge tour operator wasn’t just calling my name; it was screaming for attention.
Call of the Wild, located three hours north of Toronto, offers multi-day snowmobile tours based out of the rustic, award-winning Algonquin Eco-Lodge. Appealing to both experienced and newbie sledders, their packages include accommodation, breakfasts and dinners, a powerful snowmobile, local guides and access to thousands of kilometres of trails. Five-day tours visit various communities, with riders carrying everything they might need, much like a multi-day bike trip. A three-day tour is based out of the lodge, which lets you unpack, unwind, and spend quiet evenings spinning yarns around the wood stove. With no cell service or WiFi, Algonquin Eco-Lodge offers a welcome escape from the headlines.
My adventure began when Thrifty Car Rental at Toronto Airport could not provide the all-wheel drive SUV I booked months in advance, offering a small car with all-season tires with tread as smooth as marble top. The car naturally got stuck in the snow while entering the eco-lodge’s access road. Fortunately, it was light enough for my new snowmobile pals to help push it up a hill. Thrifty provided a frustrating, albeit nifty, way to bond with my new companions, six Ontario men of a certain vintage, drawn to the same promise of escape and powersport adventure.
Awaiting us are a half-dozen Ski-Doo snowmobiles (pros call them sleds), some 2-stroke, others 4-stroke, all capable of tearing across an icy lake at speeds in excess of 140 km/hr. Snowmobiles are a uniquely Canadian invention. Quebec’s Joseph-Armand Bombardier patented the track drive system in 1937, an innovation that soon powered ambulances, school buses, mail and military vehicles.
In 1960, Bombardier patented the Ski-Doo, the first mass-produced recreational snowmobiles designed to explore remote winter landscapes. Today, with a reinvigorated sense of national pride, it feels right to explore the iconic Canadian wilderness with an iconic Canadian mode of transport. In the 1920s, the wild splendour of Algonquin’s lakes and forest inspired the Group of Seven art movement. A century later, my Group of Seven snowmobilers are eager to paint our own priceless memories.
After a brief introduction to the machine, we sign the pre-requisite waivers, making silent promises to avoid smashing into trees, riding across open bodies of water (locals call this madness “puddle jumping”) or crashing into property or people. More than 30,000 kilometres of snowmobile trails thread the small communities of southern and northern Ontario. Fuel efficient with heated handlebars and comfortable seats for long hours of riding, modern sleds are built for this kind of terrain. Our caterpillar tracks could bite into icebergs, and our durable sled skis can safely handle snow, ice, mud and even occasional asphalt. Full-face helmets, provided with the rental, have heated visors to melt snow and prevent fogging up. Local clubs are responsible for grooming their sections of the trails, and riders must purchase permits for legal access. There are speed limits, sign posts, trail restaurants and accommodations, even sled police patrolling for speeders and drinkers. But it’s not just fun and games. According to a 2023 report by the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, snowmobilers contribute an estimated $3 billion of annual economic activity for Ontario.
To give you an idea of the province’s extensive trail network, consider that my Ski-Doo MXZ Sport 600 rental is only a couple of years old but already has more than 33,000 kilometres on the odometer. Turning the ignition, the engine growl sounds intimidating, but I quickly learn the machine is forgiving and responsive. On our first run that afternoon, I’m skittish with the thumb-throttle, rounding corners cautiously and wondering how anyone could reach the 50 km/hr speed limit. A few days later, I’m whooping across a frozen lake – where there’s no speed limit – at 120 km/hr, my nerves pumping with adrenaline.
“On the snowmobile, I’m at peace,” says Jerry Morrow from Windsor, one cold night around the woodstove, the stars outside putting on a show. “You focus on the one thing going on, and you don’t worry about anything else,” he says.
Outdoor activities like skiing, mountain biking, motorcycling, snowmobiling and sailing can’t help but anchor one in the moment. The faster the speed, the higher the risk, and the more you have to concentrate. I personally found the riding meditative, a tonic for the busy mind, and echoing Morrow, a break from everyday stress. We discuss such things in the lodge, sitting around the dinner table after having feasted on chef Amanda McKenzie’s home-cooked Greek chicken, stacked salads and sumptuous hors d’oeuvres. The fire crackles, brothers Chris and Cliff are cracking wise, I narrowly win a competitive game of cribbage, and Call of the Wild’s Robin Banerjee regales two decades of tales from the lodge.
Banerjee bought the lodge, along with 10 acres and a large lake, after years of guiding canoe, dogsled and snowshoe trips. Taking advantage of a nearby waterfall, he invested in one of Ontario’s first micro-hydroelectric systems to generate ample electric needs for the lodge, even powering a carbon-neutral hot tub. Modern bathrooms, hot water, beds, meals and activities like cross-country skiing, horseback riding, canoeing, lake swims and stargazing make the lodge popular with group bookings throughout the year. Banerjee is particularly fond of the snowmobile season. “It’s like that meme,” he says. “If you don’t take joy in winter, you’ll have less joy but the same amount of snow.”
Joy is an apt word to describe the feeling after a few days on the sled. You get comfortable with the weight and power, the roly-poly moguls of trails that need grooming, the exhilaration of speeding across a frozen lake. You’re in complete control throughout, and the adrenalin edge can be as sharp as you want it to be. The trail network does get busy on weekends, and it’s not uncommon for cowboys (as Banerjee refers to them) to arrive from the city, screaming around corners. “There’s a reason I only run my trips during the week,” he explains, during a stop at yet another gorgeous lakeside clearing. During out-and-back excursions over the three days, we only pass about a dozen sleds, greeting each other with universal hand signals that indicate how many riders lie ahead or behind. In Lake St. Peter, we stop for a lunch of smoked brisket sandwiches, exchanging trail trips with a couple from Wilberforce. They suggest we skip our planned trail and head to Big Mink Lake, where I finally feel confident to unleash the Ski-Doo’s raw power. Blast off! “I cannot believe they let us do this,” I tell my other riders when I catch up to them. It feels like we’re little kids, cheekily escaping the concerned eyes of cautious parents. Only we are the parents, and the grandparents too. On the trails of central Ontario, you need a driver’s license to operate a snowmobile, but nobody needs a license to have fun.
After a final, memorable morning of lake sprints and trail runs, we return to the Algonquin Eco-Lodge to pack up, bid farewell, and drive back to reality. It’s late in the season, and a warm spell has melted enough snow for my dinky rental to get back on County Road #10. I’m hesitant to check the news. Which scandal rocked Facebook? What celebrity deaths did I miss? What stupid thing came out of “you-know-who’s” mouth, dominating the headlines? I decide it can wait until I get back to Toronto. After a few days of winter adventure in the elements, what does it matter anyway? It’s better to soak in the buzz of another bucket list adventure, for a few more hours at least, allowing memories to brace me for whatever lies ahead.
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