On The Trail . . . Drummond Island

DRUMMOND ISLAND (Sunday, January 12, 1997) - If you're looking for a great place to sled in an area unspoiled by the crowds, you might want to put Drummond Island at the top of your list. The island offers everything you would want for a great snowmobile vacation: a network of groomed trails on the island, plenty of wilderness to get away from it all, and the famous "Ice Bridge To Canada" which takes you quickly to endless opportunities in the vast Canadian trail network.

"You can do a week of sledding on Drummond Island and never travel the same trail twice," say Bob Botke, who runs a snowmobile tour operation on the island. "Once the ice freezes, you can take day trips over to St. Joseph Island, Thessalon, Eliot Lake. If you're interested in longer trips, the possibilities are endless."

"And the Canadian trails are fantastic," he adds. "They're wide and well-groomed. Nothing compares to them in Michigan."

Bob and his wife Debbie run Can Am Adventures, a snowmobile tour service that takes snowmobile groups on adventure tours to the surrounding islands and Canada. They were kind enough to take Northern Michigan Snowmobile on a quick trip across the "Ice Bridge to Canada". You can contact them for your own group tour (6 or more) at: Can Am Adventures, P.O. Box 155, Drummond Island, MI 49726, 1-800-932-5220.

The Ice Bridge Cometh

At the start. One trail leads to St. Joseph. The other to Thessalon.

As soon as the ice freezes to a safe thickness, the folks on Drummond Island and the neighboring Canadian communities of St. Joseph Island and Thessalon get together and build a Christmas tree line across the frozen ice to connect the various communities. The trees are spaced one tenth of a mile apart. They mark the route from the US to Canada and prevent snowmobilers from getting lost while traveling in snowstorms and at night.

The trip across to St. Joseph Island is 11 miles. If the weather is clear you are always in sight of land as you wind your way through islands. "All lot of people have the impression that the trail leads you out into the middle of desolate ice," says Debbie Botke. "However, with all of the islands, you are never very far from land."

Once on the Canadian side, snowmobilers need to check in with Canadian customs. After a quick call, you can continue on your way into the Canadian trails. You'll need a Canadian Trail Permit which you can buy on Drummond Island or on the Canadian side.

On our trip back, some clouds were moving in from the west with fresh snow. The island currently has a solid base of snow and the trail conditions were excellent. We were not treated to any wildlife sightings on the ice, but Bob and Debbie said that it is not uncommon to see deer, moose and timber wolves also crossing the ice.

After our trip, we had a pop at the Northwoods Bar on Drummond Island. Every table was full as we entered the door. "Most of these folks are Canadian," Bob pointed out. "The ice bridge is a big help for the economy on both sides. It livens everything up and gets everyone moving around. You find the same thing on the other side. Half the folks will be Americans over there."

I'm certainly convinced. Drummond Island is international snowmobiling at its finest.

-- Northern Michigan Snowmobiling