November Snowmobiling
East of Lake Superior - Northern Ontario
Where: Various locations along the Snow-Belt regions
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90% Chance
The probability of early-season snowmobiling in November, north of Sault Ste. Marie, is approximately 90% and usually occurs during the 3rd to 4th weeks of the month. Although, I have record-keeping dating back to the early 2000's, let me focus on the past 10 years. Of those, all were sledable in November except for one, November 2016. However, after a fresh storm from Lake Superior, we did make it to Halfway Haven on December 10th that year. Fast forward to the 2023-24 season (last year), riding started west of Searchmont on November 28th, 2023. The photo on the left was taken November 10th, 2019 in the snow-belt. Riders Include: Chad C. Ray C. Dan K.
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Where's the Snow
The section halfway between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa is typically the first snow-belt in the region to accumulate snow. This is of course inland off of Lake Superior, in higher elevations. The snow-belts are typically narrow during the start of the season as the ground in lower elevations is warmer, therefore, not able to accumulate snow. When travelling up and down highway 17 between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa, you will second-guess that snow actually exists in the bush during November. Highway 17, in many sections, is close to the lake, resulting in warmer temperatures and snow is not able to accumulate. When driving by Rabbit Blanket Lake in Lake Superior park, that's a more realistic visual of what lies in the interior. However, the interior still holds more.
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Don't use Sault Ste. Marie Forecast
Time and time again, friends message me indicating the Sault Ste. Marie weather forecast doesn't match with my call of saying we are heading sledding today. There can be green grass in the city and 18" of snow in the snow-belt. Although Sault Ste. Marie is known for its winter snow, the snow-belt north of the city is always considerably more.
Author: Dan Kachur - https://sled-x.ca