The Haliburton County Snowmobile Association (HCSA) has called time on the 2024/25 snowmobiling season, with president Neil Vanderstoop reporting a “huge bounce-back” year.
Trails across the Highlands have been busy from late December to early March, with Vanderstoop saying multiple heavy snowfalls and timely response from HCSA groomers resulted in one of the best seasons in the organization’s 53-year history.
He said the HCSA maintained approximately 370 kilometres of trails and sold over 1,600 season trail passes and 150 multi-day passes.
“It was a super comeback from two hard years… last year wasn’t the worst in HCSA history, but it wasn’t great. Definitely a shorter season. This has been more a return to the norm,” Vanderstoop told The Highlander. “Trail conditions were great – the snow started off really sugary, but once we got out there and packed them down, it made for awesome riding.”
He said volunteers working on popular trails over the Family Day long weekend counted more than 1,000 sleds. “Just awesome numbers – and I think the following weekends too, after the really big snowfalls, were probably even busier.”
After reporting an economic impact of around $7.5 million to County businesses following the 2022/23 season, Vanderstoop said he’s hoping for an even better return this year.
Mike Rae, owner of Boshkung Smokehouse at Haliburton Forest, said this has been his best winter season since purchasing the business in 2021.
“Last year was a short-and-sweet season – we were really busy for a few weeks in January and February, but it came and went pretty quickly. This has been three months of madness, easily the busiest I’ve seen things at this time of year,” Rae said.
He’s estimating a 30 per cent boost from last year, with his busiest time coming over the Family Day long weekend in February, where he fed about 500 people per day.
Rae said this will be his first winter season where he turns a profit.
“That’s what’s going to take me through the next couple months as we ramp up for summer.”
He reckons about 80 per cent of his clientele since December have been snowmobilers. Many of them are visiting from outside the County, using HCSA trails to pass through.
“Trail 11 is a huge traveling artery – it’s basically the shortcut that connects Dwight to Haliburton. It didn’t open last year, which definitely hurt, but this year has been great. Without that trail it would have been a completely different season,” Rae said, crediting HCSA for maintaining the route. “They do an unbelievable amount of work and it’s appreciated – without them, a lot of businesses would be in trouble this time of year.”
Harsha Manani, co-owner of Lakeview Motel in Haliburton, said she’s seen a huge influx of snowmobilers again this year.
“The snowfall has absolutely translated to more business for us. We’ve seen a steady increase in visitors, with more people staying longer and supporting local,” Manani said, saying snowmobilers accounted for 52 per cent of the motel’s winter business.
“I’d rate this winter tourism season as one of the best in recent years… it’s a big boost for the local economy,” she added.
Taylor Pridham, owner of Hook, Line and Sinker in Haliburton village, said his restaurant has seen business improve 20 to 30 per cent from last year, with at least 60 per cent of patrons sledders.
Vanderstoop said volunteers broke several records this year, including one for grooming on the rail line that had stood for 54 years. “We put in over 700 hours there alone.”
The organization will be donating money raised by HCSA members and the community for trail grooming to the Haliburton Emergency Rural SafeSpace (HERS), operated by YWCA Peterborough Haliburton.
Workers will spend the next few weeks removing around 600 trail markers from 18 lakes. Over the summer, Vanderstoop said the focus will be planning for upgrades at the Anson Creek bridge and improving its digital records. He said HCSA partnered with over 140 private landowners this season, but wants to add more.
