The warm-up shelter built by the Battlefords Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club is now located along the extended trail to Turtleford. Notably, the Turtleford Co-op donated $10,000 to this project. (Facebook/ Battlefords Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club)

By Kenneth Cheung

NEW EXTENSION

Battlefords Trail Breakers expand snowmobile trails to Turtleford along with new warm-up shelter

Jan 29, 2025 | 5:02 PM

Snowmobile enthusiasts can now travel across the northern community more easily as the Battlefords Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club has added a 20-kilometer extension to its second-largest system in Saskatchewan.

Dale Woytiuk, the club’s assistant trail master for the northern area, explained that while a route from North Battleford to Turtle Lake has always existed, this new segment provides much-needed access for Turtleford riders.

“A group in Turtleford wanted access to our groomed and signed trails,” he said. “They volunteered to help, and we provided signs and guidance.”

Joining Turtleford, a key hub, to the existing trails system provides easier access for riders from Maidstone, Lloydminster, Neilburg, and surrounding areas to connect with Saskatchewan’s expansive provincial network, which spans over 11,000 kilometers.

The Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association is responsible for overseeing all the trail networks, he added.

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“We are linked with communities to the north, Meadow Lake,[and] to the East, Big River, and you can even snowmobile all the way from here to Yorkton if you want. Some trails link all the major centres across, particularly the North and East parts of the province,” he explained.

The Battlefords maintain about 485 kilometers of trails, while smaller areas generally have 200 to 250 kilometers. The largest trail system in the province is in Hudson Bay, covering around 600 kilometers, he added.

(Facebook/ Battlefords Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club)

The project also received support from Turtleford Co-op, which donated $10,000 to help build a new warm-up shelter along the trail.

With the other 15 shelters in place, he believes riders can now travel more comfortably through the areas, benefiting from groomed paths and well-maintained facilities.

“We currently have two grooming machines operating weekly to maintain the trails,” Woytiuk said. “Each groomer takes three to four days to complete its section, depending on weather conditions.”

He went on to note that each grooming machine can ride 15 kilometers per hour, and each day, the groomers do 80 to 100 kilometers.

Sask Snow’s app, Snowmobiling, helps riders stay on designated trails while protecting wildlife. (Facebook/ Sask Snow)

With the new extension trail and warm-up shelter in place, Woytiuk believes they will attract more riders, as he has seen more signatures in the shelters’ guestbooks.

“We’ve experienced an uptick in traffic through the area, and we’ve seen more and more riders coming from the West.”

Looking ahead, with an increasing number of people joining the sport, he mentioned the club’s plans to add another two to three shelters in the coming years to meet the anticipated demands. As for the rest of the winter, he noted that February and March are ideal for riding, as the weather is pleasantly mild — not too cold and not too warm.

“We’re just starting to get into our busier section of the season.”

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com