Best Family-Friendly Snowmobile Destinations in Ontario

Have you ever considered a wintertime staycation that will be fun for the entire family? If so, let’s take a look at the best family-friendly snowmobile destinations that allow you to combine your riding with other activities, providing a fantastic way to have one of the most memorable family trips! If you were to think about your family group, who would like snowshoeing, skiing & snowboarding, educational programming, exceptional culinary, ice fishing, hot tubs, saunas, pools, or how about seeing moose, buffalo, or even polar bears? There’s a ton more out there to do than ride your sled or sleds! The places below offer it all so extend your riding trip, take the entire family, and make great memories.

*Please check with the OFSC interactive Trail Guide before planning to travel to your snowmobile destination.

Deerhurst Resort

Located in Huntsville Ontario, this family-fun resort has it all in the winter months. Start your ride right from the resort by connecting onto the Algonquin Snowmobile Club trail 77 which runs right out front. For family fun, you all can enjoy a range of both indoor and outdoor activities including the amazing indoor recreation center that includes a pool, rock climbing wall, playspace, and arcade. Outdoors enjoy a family oriented Off-Road Tracked Side by Side Adventure through private trails, lets the kids loose on youth-size snowmobile Yamaha  SnoScoots, cross-country ski, snowshoe, fat bike, or even take a horse-drawn sleigh ride! There is so much to do at Deerhurst Resort for the entire family! Check out all the activities here.

Horseshoe Resort

An area known for big snow that is only a short drive from Major Cities including Toronto & Buffalo. Horseshoe Resort has evolved over the years to become known as one of Ontario’s best do it all outdoors fun resorts, it’s a very happening place in the summer with activities like ATV & dirt biking, downhill mountain biking, and tree top trekking among many more. Winter, however, is celebrated here every day. Directly connected is easy access to OFSC club Sno Voyageur trail 421, so no need to trailer once you arrive. Yamaha Riding Adventures offers the opportunity to go on a guided tour or even let your kids experience riding on one of their Yamaha Snoscoots. Mainstay winter activities include skiing & snowboarding, cross country swkiing, snow tubing, snowshoeing, skating, and even fat biking, or stay warm and hang out at the indoor pool, hot tub, or sauna.

JW Marriot

Pamper yourself and your family with a luxury experience like no other! The JW Marriot in Muskoka exemplifies best-in-class hospitality including culinary, in-door pool, and spa. Although not directly connected to the trail system, when ice conditions are safe you can easily ride to groomed trails in the area or simply trailer a few minutes north or south. A favorite besides the delicious meals and thoughtfully created and lush accommodations is the indoor/outdoor pool that allows you to enter the water inside and then swim outside! How cool is that!

Cedar Meadows Resort

Timmins, Ontario is known for absolutely exceptional snowmobiling. It’s also one of the most snowmobile-friendly cities you will find anywhere. Groomed Timmins Snowmobile Club trails will connect you to essentially every service you would ever need in all corners of this mining town that is rich in gold & history. Cedar Meadows must be on your list to take the family and yes you can snowmobile right from their door. There are two unique aspects of this hidden gem, the first being the wildlife sanctuary that is home to moose, deer & elk, you and your family can take a guided tour allowing you to get up close and even touch the animals, and the second is the spa, with both an outdoor hot tub and cold pool, indoor sauna, and steam room. It’s a great place to relax after a long day and big mileage on the trails (*spa is 18+). In the evening stroll down to the restaurant, I highly recommend the elk burger or prime rib.

Spectacle Lake Lodge

Enjoying a lakeside cabin during the wintertime at Spectacle Lake Lodge in The Township of Greater Madawaska provides a great opportunity for your family to relax after a day on the trails. When was the last time you had a fireside game of Monopoly with your family unit? The lodge is located on the Opeongo Snowbirds Snowmobile Club trail 159, which is just a short ride off of the main TOP B trail which forms part of the RAP tour. There are multiple day loops from the lodge including visiting the Opeongo Lookout and Ontario’s Oldest Wood Water Tower in Barry’s Bay. The food here at the lodge in their Lakeside Smokehouse is “smokerlicious” as they cook many of their dishes on a Traeger Smoker.

Best Western Swan Castle Cochrane

Cochrane is at the heart of the World’s Best Snowmobiling Destination, so I need not tell you how fantastic the trails are here and in the general region. Thousands of snowmobilers have know that Cochrane is much more than just trails and is a great place to take the family to explore the north. The Best Western Swan Castle is a great place to call home base while you’re here. You need to visit the Polar Bear Habitat and experience swimming with Polar Bears (separated by a glass wall) as well as visiting and taking in rides from the past at the Cochrane Snowmobile Vintage Museum.

Mattawa River Resort & Cardinal Restaurant

This private resort that fronts onto historic Mattawa River (Lake Champlain) just outside of the incredibly snowmobiler-friendly town of Mattawa is set on 147 acres of land and has its own private trails to explore. The resort has 14 cabins that range in size with one that can accommodate up to 10 under one roof. The resort has easy close-by access to the top A112A trail, which leads directly to spectacular Birds Eye View and further up the famous Mica Mine, both of these points of interest are part of the Explorers Snow Tour.  Nearby non-snowmobile attractions include Antoine Mountain which boasts the longest continuous ski/snowboard run in Ontario at 2.9 km, I’d also highly recommend visiting the Clermont Duval Art Gallery in downtown Mattawa. Just down highway 17 is the Canadian Ecology Centre and Samuel du Champlain Provincial Park, which offers numerous winter trails to explore by snowshoes.

Elk Lake Eco Centre

Located directly on the OFSC TOP A north and west of Temiskaming Shores is the Elk Lake Eco-Centre. The Centre was founded in 1999 and has quickly become a go-to destination for snowmobilers who are either basing their riding stay or traveling by trail through the area. Each of their chalets is equipped with 6 bedrooms and two bathrooms (one per floor), as well as a fireplace, a television and a great view that overlooks the Montreal River. On-site you will enjoy the outdoor hot tub, and sauna and inside a pool table within their Dining & Lounge area. Aside from fantastic snowmobiling in the region, your family can enjoy outdoor adventures such as snowshoeing, nordic skis & cross country skis, and ice fishing. The Elk Lake Eco Centre is a great place to get into a big snow area with great trails while also providing the opportunity to get away from it all in a facility that was built to maximize the use of local wood products.