L & A Ridge Runners

04/23/2026

That was definitely a snowmobile season for the books!

Just a few hours ago, the last kilometer of OFSC Prescribed Snowmobile Trails was turned unavailable marking the end of the 2025-26 Ontario Snowmobile Season.
And what a season it was! 🤩🤩🤩 Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved in making winter dreams come true across Ontario.
To wrap up the season a message from OFSC CEO, Ryan Eickmeier.

04/19/2026

The trails may be quiet, but the work never really stops.

A big shoutout to our crew of Trail Gremlins who were back at it yesterday, removing the protective matting from the bridges along E114E. It’s the kind of work that doesn’t always get noticed, but it’s what keeps our trail system strong, safe, and ready for seasons to come.

What makes this effort even more meaningful is something you can’t always see. Every task, every repair, every lesson shared on the trail is part of a long-standing tradition. Skills are passed along, knowledge is shared, and before we even realize it, we’re building something bigger than ourselves.

We’re not just maintaining trails—we’re carrying forward a way of doing things that ensures the next generation can pick up where we left off.

That’s the real legacy of the Trail Gremlins.

04/17/2026

District Position on Alto High Speed Rail Project

Whereas, the Upper Canada Snowmobile Region (UCSR) is District 1 within the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) and is comprised of 16 OFSC snowmobile clubs covering the area west to Napanee, north to Arnprior, east to the Ontario-Quebec border and south to the New York- Ontario border, maintaining 3391 km of OFSC Prescribed trails supported by nearly 1000 volunteers and servicing just over 10,000 snowmobilers and their families;

Whereas, this 3391 km trail network is made possible with the gracious support and cooperation of more than 2100 landowners, providing over 6,600 parcels of land of which over 80% are privately owned;

Whereas, the UCSR’s trail network generates an estimated $112,299,570 in economic impact (2022-2023 data) within the region, including $71,817,239 in GDP, supporting 604 jobs and generating $16,772,462 in federal taxes, $19,289,781 in provincial taxes and $2,078,838 in municipal taxes;

Whereas, the proposed Alto High Speed Train corridor would pass directly through the UCSR network effectively dividing the system and crossing rural communities, active agricultural lands, and environmentally sensitive areas;

Whereas, the UCSR Board of Directors is concerned about the potential long-term economic consequences for rural landowners, including impacts on agricultural operations, future land use, property value with limited direct local benefits;

Whereas, the UCSR is concerned that the project planning has not adequately considered the impact on recreational trail infrastructure, including:

• Maintaining safe and continuous trail connectivity across the rail corridor;
• Providing sufficient clearance and width (approximately 25 feet) within proposed underpasses or overpasses to safely accommodate recreational trail use, including snowmobiles; and
• With landowner support, allowing for the potential development of parallel recreational trail corridors (approximately 25 feet), including snowmobiles, outside of the railway safety fencing.

Whereas, the UCSR Board of Directors has significant concerns regarding the current Alto high-speed rail proposal and the expropriation-related provisions contained in Bill C-15;

Be It Resolved That, the UCSR formally opposes the Alto High-Speed Rail Project as currently proposed, due to its potentially significant negative impacts on the regional snowmobile trail network, participating landowners, and the broader rural tourism economy.

Be It Further Resolved That, the UCSR call upon the Government of Canada and project proponents to fully assess and mitigate impacts to recreational trail infrastructure, landowners, and rural communities, including the provision of appropriate trail crossings and connectivity measures.

04/12/2026

It’s funny how fast a season can fade once the snow is gone. Not long ago the trails were in prime shape and the miles were adding up, and now it’s already a distant memory for most.

But behind the scenes things haven’t slowed down one bit.

On Friday, Rick and Ed spent the day giving the groomers a proper wash, putting in the kind of care that most people never see. Getting equipment cleaned, inspected, and tucked away properly isn’t just busy work, it’s what makes sure everything is ready to roll when December comes back around.

That’s the part of the season that doesn’t get talked about much. The quiet work after the riding is done. The dedication that carries on long after the last sled is parked.

The trails might be done for now, but the work that makes them happen never really stops.

04/07/2026

As part of the public consultation process, the OFSC has shared its perspective on the proposed ALTO high-speed rail network and the importance of maintaining trail connectivity, respecting private landowners, and protecting the up to $6B in economic activity generated each season. Without coordination and consultation to retain snowmobile trail connectivity, the proposed high-speed train network would critically damage organized snowmobiling in Ontario.
Read the full submission here: https://ofsc.on.ca/news/impact-proposed-alto-high-speed-rail-network-ontario-prescribed-snowmobile-trails

03/15/2026

Tomorrow evening we get together again!

The Lennox and Addington Ridge Runners will be holding our meeting on Monday, March 16, and it’s a great time to look back on what has been a fantastic season. Thanks to a lot of hard work from our volunteers, partners, and of course our Trail Gremlins, we had a year we can all be proud of.

Even though the riding season is winding down, there is still plenty to do. Trails need to be wrapped up, equipment needs attention, and a few more jobs have to be checked off the list so that when fall rolls around we’re ready to hit the ground running for another great season.

If you’ve been part of the effort this year, thinking about getting more involved, or just want to see what goes on behind the scenes, come on out and join us. It’s always a good evening with good people who care about keeping our trail system strong.

See you tomorrow evening!

03/13/2026

Folks, please keep an eye out for these two dogs missing in our community.

03/11/2026

The snowmobile season may be winding down, but it feels important to recognize some of the people who quietly made a big difference behind the scenes this year.

As part of the UCSR Groomer Plan, our club took on additional responsibility this season, grooming further east than ever before — all the way to Delta. For our Trail Gremlins, who are all volunteers, that would have meant a 12 to 13 hour shift on the John Deere groomer. That’s a long day for anyone, especially volunteers who are giving their time to keep the trails in great shape.

To make things more manageable, we looked at staging the John Deere in Harrowsmith. Doing that would shorten the shift by about two hours. It sounded like a great plan — except for one big question: where do you park a groomer?

This is where the strength of the snowmobile community really showed itself.

Terry Redden stepped up and offered a spot at his farm on Wilton Road with direct access to the trail system. Not only that, he allowed us to use his diesel fuel tank and pump to keep the groomer running when it was needed. That alone made a huge difference.

Emily Dowker from Rosebush then donated a new fuel meter for Terry’s pump so we could properly monitor the fuel used.

And when we realized the John Deere would be stored outside, Brent Barker Electric generously donated the installation of a new electrical service so we could plug in the block heater and keep the groomer ready to go.

It’s this kind of behind-the-scenes support that most riders never see, but it’s exactly what makes those beautiful, well-groomed trails possible.

To Terry, Emily, and Brent — thank you for stepping up and helping make this season a success. Our Trail Gremlins and the entire riding community truly appreciate it.

03/10/2026

Yesterday our Trail Gremlins were back at it again, this time doing the not-so-fun job that comes at the end of every season — closing things down.

They were safely able to remove the ice markers from Beaver Lake, Camden Lake and Varty Lake, along with closing many of the gates on our side trails and taking down the seasonal signage. With that work completed, those trails are now officially closed for the season.

It really is crazy what a difference a week can make. Just last week we were still in full trail grooming mode and getting out to enjoy some fantastic spring riding. Now the shift has happened and it’s time to start wrapping things up.

There is still plenty of work left to be done over the coming weeks as we continue closing sections and putting equipment away for the year.

A big thank you to our gremlins who once again step up and quietly get the job done. Your efforts keep things safe and set us up for next season.

03/06/2026

Sharing a great end of season message from our UCSR President. Thank you to all who have helped make the 2025/2026 snowmobiling season one to remember!