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The Hartley Lake trail is located a few kilometers north of Fernie, BC and meanders up the Hartley Creek watershed, and then up over the pass into Sulphur Creek. The trail is groomed periodically by the Fernie snowmobile club. Sulphur Creek got its name from the sulphur deposits found along the creek. The trail winds its way alongside the creek. You can smell the sulphur and actually see sulphur laden streams flowing into it in a few spots along the way. About 10 - 12 kms in, the trail splits to the right and winds back up along an upper road leading to some large clearcuts and fire breaks. Following one of the firebreaks leads to a great hillclimbing spot locally known as Mecca. The day I rode this trail I was guiding a family from Great Britain. It was their first time on snowmobiles and they actually did really well - each driving a 600cc Arctic Cat. |
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Once we got over the summit of Hartley Lake and Sulphur Creek Pass, we headed west towards the Bull River. At the Bull river logging road, we turned north for about 1/2 a kilometer and then east on to the Sulphur Creek North logging road. Just up a ways we entered a large clearing - maybe 50 acres or more of newly logged forest. The powder in here was waist deep and we played for a couple of hours, making sure there was none left for anyone else..... My guests got stuck many times before they learned the hang of it all - keeping on the throttle and using their weight to turn the sleds in the deep snow. By noon it was time for a snack - the Rocky Mountain way - garlic cheese smokies cooked over an open fire. It was quite cold that day - about fifteen below zero, so the warm fire and hot chocolate and smokies were a welcome addition to the trip. After lunch, we headed back towards the Bull River and then up the Sulphur Creek main. We climbed quite a ways before coming into a large clearcut. There wasn't really enough snow here to play so we headed north up into a fire break. The snow got deeper and deeper and the trees were all covered white. It was quite beautiful. We popped out into a clearing just below a long cliff running to the north. All along the cliff base were great hillclimbing spots. There were several local boys marking it up and getting stuck. It was quite foggy and visibility here wasn't that great. We hung around for a while, had some hot chocolate and then headed back down the trail. A great day was had by all and I'm sure these guests will be back for more riding next time they visit the Kootenays. |