The Beginning
  • While snowmobiling has been a popular sport in the Sudbury area for more than thirty years, the growth of organized trail systems really blossomed with the establishment of the Sudbury Trail Plan.
  • The story of the Sudbury Trail Plan is one of hard work, enthusiastic volunteer support, and the total commitment of the entire snowmobile community. At the outset, in 1986, Reg Horner from the Algoma Snow Plan came to Sudbury and put on a presentation for the three local clubs, the dealers, and the community leaders. He showed the Sudbury snowmobile community how successful the Sault Ste. Marie area had been through the formative processes of the Algoma Snow Plan, and from that point, the Sudbury Trail Plan was born. The three clubs and the regional development officers saw an opportunity, and they concentrated their efforts to bring it to fruition.
  • The Sudbury Community Adjustment Plan (SCAP), a joint federal and provincial committee to promote regional employment, contributed a grant of $150,000 for the initial stages of the project, and there was additional funding from Inco and Falconbridge. Despite the fact that SCAP was not geared for non-profit organizations, the S.T.P representatives were able to demonstrate the potential for regional tourism development that would come from snowmobile trail funding.
  • By 1990, the S.T.P encompassed more than 1,100 km of trail, of which at least 800 km were eight feet wide or wider. Trail permits rose to 4,008. The trail grooming assets of the S.T.P rose to include two BR-60s and two Tucker Snow Cats. By the 1991 season, five groomers were in use to keep the S.T.P trails in peak riding condition, and there was an additional 150 km of trails. Even at that level, the S.T.P had to curb the enthusiasm of the clubs, because some of them were ready to cut new trails which would take the system beyond the capacity of the grooming machines.
  • By the end of the 1991 season the Sudbury Trail Plan had grown to 8 snowmobile clubs, with their club trails falling within the Regional Municipality of Sudbury. In the 1992 year an additional groomer was added to the fleet due to the demand of the local rider ship and snowmobile tourists.
  • Now the Sudbury Trail Plan grooms almost 1,200 Km of trails and has 9 groomers. At this time the trails are maintained by 2 Massey Ferguson 399 Tractors, 1 Bombardier BR-160, 1 Bombardier Br-180, 1 Camoplast BR, 1 John Deere Gilbert, 1 Ford Tractor and 2 Lamtracs. The Association sells over 3,000 permits.
  • The largest snowmobile organization of its kind (with central permit sales, grooming, signage, trail coordination, etc):