I did my own drive-by recon on Friday. Wasn’t committed to rolling it out for one more stroll before the snowmobiling season finally ends in ilsnow land.
Saturday dawned blue and beautiful. It would have been a shame for me to pass up such a ride this deep into April. We haven’t had many opportunities in recent years.
Yup, this was happening!
Trucked it to Mason Lake late morning and rolled into the north end of Perkins Clearing Road with the top layer of trail nice-n-soft from the sun.
Riding mainly varied between these.
There were a few balding corners, but the worst hash was the southerly-exposed hillside just before Mud Lake Road.
Never get tired of this amazing view of Pillsbury Mountain, which is predominant from many vantage points in Perkins Clearing.
I even rolled S82C/Old Indian Lake Road, but probably shouldn’t have bothered. After rolling over long swatches of grass, I finally hit consistent snow in the woods. Got about half-way through before I encountered a creek I didn’t want to bother with crossing.
From Perkins-T intersection, I rolled C4/Jessup River Road to the back. There were several thin/balding spots along the way. But the worst offenders (BY FAR) were two large stony washouts I had to nurse my way over.
But once I got past the second washout, PLENTY-O-SNOW! Riding was quite bumpy on corners and turns, but the flats and straights were a rush.
Pushed it all the way back to Spruce Lake trailhead, which was lumpy and bumpy. But strong April sun had softened the bumps enough to permit a fairly fun romp. There was one significant washout from the Jessup River just before the end.
Rolled it through Carpenter Hill Road. Besides at least several thinning/balding spots, you couldn’t ask for much better for April 8th. I ripped it back and forth twice for some helmet-whipping booty call.
By late afternoon, it was mashed potato time. I had a fun rip back up to Mason Lake, but some of the bare corners toward the north end of Perkins Clearing Road had gotten WIDE!
Aside from some bald hillsides, remnant snow cover in Perkins Clearing ranged from several inches to 1-2 feet.
Got back to the truck just before 5pm with 73 miles. With snow pack holding firm under the mashed potatoes, I did a lot of rabbit holing and Backcountry Bastard Lite riding. Rolled it to places I hadn’t seen in years and some spots I had never been before.
I had to get it all in because this is my last ride until next winter!
Next up: Hose and wash 900 ACE TURBO for #summersucks storage…
Total 2022-23 season mileage, 4548 miles. Yeah, I spun it, bro!
Bottom line
As tempting as it would have been to leave the game on top with my March 30th ride, I would have regretted not going out today when such an opportunity presented itself.
I ran into Ryan Darby and his crew from Great Sacandaga Lake area, who acted my Friday recon of Perkins Clearing. None of them looked like they regretted that choice. I’ll leave it at that. 😉
Other options
You may be able scratch your way around Speculator Tree Farm from Old Route 30 and into Powley Road from Piseco Road, but I would be less certain about the remaining snow coverage in those places.
Parking at Northville/Lake Placid trailhead on Route 28&30 near Lake Durant and worming your way to Newcomb trail/Old 538 via S84 could be a good option because parts of that holds snow really well.
Although Moose River Plains probably holds rideable snow from the Indian Lake side, it’s not really a via spring riding option from Brown’s farm parking lot. Town of Indian Lake Highway Department will likely grade the 4 mile section up to Cedar River Headquarters soon, it not already – to remove ice pack and accelerate drying.
If you chose to ride this weekend, you may need to let the sun be your friend and soften the trails up a bit to keep the slides and heat exchangers happy. Temperatures will fall quickly as the sun goes down and tighten the trails back up.
The End!
This will certainly be the final weekend for snowmobile riding in ilsnow land as a strong warm and dry weather regime takes hold for April 10-15 (and likely beyond). This would bake away remaining snow pack with minimal flooding risk.
Well… That’s my final report for 2022-23 snowmobiling season. By next weekend, I’ll finally agree with Johnny Couch Banger!
I hope I was able to help maximize your riding opportunities in a very challenging winter. As long as I fall in love with winter all over again each year, I’ll keep at it!
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
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