Ice And Trail Conditions
14 February 2022 – Klondike Snowmobile Association
Once again it’s been a crazy winter in many parts of the Yukon! Our volunteers are out on the trails doing what we can, however we’d like to put out some friendly safety notes to snowmobilers and other winter enthusiasts regarding the current conditions out there…
Many people have been reporting significantly more overflow than usual on many lakes in the Whitehorse area and other parts of the Yukon as well. With this in mind please use extra caution when travelling on the ice this year, check for any condition reports before you go, and consider alternate routes when available.
Also deeper than usual snow followed by the recent high winds in the Yukon has resulted in many trails, especially in open areas, having significant wind drifts across the trails. These are generally not a problem for experienced riders, however new riders can easily roll over and be injured while attempting to navigate these wind drifts, just something to keep in mind during International Take A Friend Snowmobiling week.
There are also several reports of trees down across various trails due to the recent winds, our volunteers have been working to clear these as we find them.
Please note the Trans Canada Trail between Mt. Sima and Wolf Creek is currently plowed down to dirt by contractors working on the fire break project. We are aware of the frustration this is causing to winter trail users and we are looking into seeing if they can leave a couple inches of snow on the surface next time they plow.
A final safety note is road and highway crossings. Plow crews from the Yukon Government and the City of Whitehorse have been working overtime this year to keep our roads open, but unfortunately many multi-use trails now have tall, steep, solid windrows across the trail at road and highway crossings. We have reached out to them reminding them of the hazardous situation this causes for snowmobiles and we are doing what we can to keep as many crossings open as possible. When crossing roads please remember that road traffic always has the right of way over snowmobiles, so please use an alternate route if you cannot safely cross.
As usual, any current conditions we are aware of are posted on our current trail conditions page and you can also submit your trail reports any time through the form on that page at https://ksa.yk.ca/trails/trail-conditions/.
Stay safe out there, and don’t forget to have fun!