Horner Lake / Conacher Lake

Located west of Highway 129 in Northern Ontario, Canada

Jan. 5th. 2025 - A remote, scenic region in Northern Ontario approximately 50 kms north of Thessalon, Ontario

  • Backcountry Snowmobiling

    A Good Start

    It was a Sunday morning. Chad and I left Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario at 10 am, with 2 vehicles and sleds in tow. Our planned destination was Black Creek Outfitters via a starting point north-east of Bruce Mines. We drove down highway 17, then cut in behind Echo Bay through the back route then across to Rydal Bank, Ontario. From there it was a brief drive on East Line road, where we unloaded at the east end of the plowed section. Temperature was -12c and sunny, making for a good start to the day. There was one other truck and trailer already on-site. We ran East Line to the Shaw Road, then north. Ahead of us were fresh groomer tracks. It appears the groomer came out of the D134 and was heading up the Shaw Road. Soon we came upon the groomer, slowly passing on the left and giving the big hello and thank you to the operator for their tremendous dedication. We kept north and passed Cooper Lake, then Saunders Lake. The trail was in remarkably amazing shape. Someone has been grooming the Cooper Lake region.

  • Conacher Lake

    Remote Region / Scenic Beauty

    Once we reached beyond Saunders Lake, conditions changed quickly. Snow became almost non-existent as it was thinning out fast! We were down to 4" during the last several km stretch heading into Horner Lake (Video). Our speed was down to a crawl as we climbed over boulders and fought deep ruts. Slicing a track was not in our plan. For emergency purposes, the exit point to the nearest highway is 20 kms north-east, at the Rapid River Bridge on highway 129. Civilization is even further, Black Creek Outfitters (32 kms away) / Aubrey Falls Trading Post (33 kms away) to the north or Wharncliffe 42 kms to the south-east. However, there are a considerable number of cottages / camps at Cooper Lake just 23 kms to the south. Often, people are at their camps during winter months. Saunders Lake also has a few camps that might be occupied during winter weekends.

  • Horner Lake Conacher Lake

    Causeway Crossing

    We arrived at the south shoreline at Horner Lake, at the narrows. This is a man-made crossing that keeps you out of the water from the creek outflow of Conacher Lake, which is directly to the east. During winter, one of the regional snowmobile clubs prepares the causeway, making it a functional crossing. During off season, this causeway is partially in-tack, but not passable without getting wet. ATV's and Side-By-Sides drop down into the creek and run the shallow water crossing of approximately 50' long. During peak winter season, some sledders run both Horner and Conacher Lakes. Conacher is known for being a nasty lake infested with slush. In addition, several rocks are above water level along the lake making for dangerous ramps when you suddenly come upon them at high speed. In this trip, we knew Conacher had just froze over and not ready for any snowmobiling. However, during a typical peak season, you can jump onto Conacher from the causeway and run it east for 2.5 kms, then carve north into the large bay and jump back onto shore and the trail. Likewise, sledders can take the west route onto Horner Lake from the causeway and run it for 2.6 kilometers, then cut into the bush and run the trail west to Primeau Lake (1.1 kms), then cut across Primeau Lake and catch the snowmobile trail to Echo Bay, Bruce Mines and Sault Ste. Marie. In summary, we did not make it to Black Creek Outfitters as we ran out of snow. However, we will try again when more snow arrives.


    Author: Dan Kachur - https://sled-x.ca