Local snowmobile enthusiasts will now be able to ride along area trails legally.

The Timmins Snowmobile Club says some trails around Timmins are open to limited availability.

“With recent cold weather, some new snow and with hundreds of hours of volunteer time in packing and grooming, a number of Timmins and District 14 trails are now available in a limited capacity,” says the club in a release.

“ll snowmobiles displaying a valid Snowmobile Trail Permit in the proper location now have access to a system of OFSC Prescribed snowmobile trails suitable for the use of safe and prudent operators and passengers.”

Most of the trails around Cochrane, Smooth Rock Falls and Kapuskasing are fully open, according to the OFSC trail system map—which you can see HERE.

The Timmins Snowmobile Club also issued the following statement to remind riders to be safe:

“Riders are reminded that snowmobiling is an off-road activity that occurs in a constantly variable and uncontrollable natural setting, one that is totally different from traveling on highly engineered, regularly maintained, public roads. OFSC trail riding is based on the fundamental assumption that it may not be practical or possible to maintain all OFSC trails at equal consistency or to remove all hazards. In the continually changing surroundings that characterize OFSC snowmobile trails, it is always prudent to expect the unexpected. Riders enter OFSC trails willingly and use them at their own risk.

Snowmobilers must also take personal responsibility to make smart choices and to ride an OFSC trail in a safe, prudent and lawful manner. A Safe Rider obeys all provincial laws, rides defensively with care and control, and exercises sound personal judgment at all times, including avoiding the consumption of alcohol prior to or during any snowmobile ride. Snowmobiling can be great family fun and provide many enjoyable hours of winter recreation— when riders make the smart choice to ride safely.”

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