NortheasternOntario-TravelMag2023 - Flipbook - Page 26
5 HISTORIC PLACES TO VISIT
BY SNOWMOBILE
Story by Jeff McGirr
T
Alexis Outdoors
his question gets asked either
headframe was completed in 1927
Explorers Snow Tour which includes
the night before or it’s the
and underneath the frame, shaft
9 additional stops.
first question before leaving in the
excavation goes down as deep as
morning. It has serious weight as it
4,250 feet (1,300m).
often determines the experience. In
Northeastern Ontario, the answer is
When visiting be sure to also take
loaded with historical potential.
in the McIntyre Arena which is a
scale model of Toronto’s Maple Leaf
If you’re into reaching some of
Gardens.
the neatest and most memorable
places by snowmobile, then you’re
going to love this list. I’ve included
5 extraordinary points of interest
that I encourage you to guide your
2. BIG JOE
MUFFERAW
Mattawa
family and friends to, they will surely
be impressed by your knowledge of
As the Stompin’ Tom Connors’ song
the good old days.
goes “Big Joe Mufferaw paddled
into Mattawa all the way from Ottawa
1. MCINTYRE
HEADFRAME
Timmins
in just one day.” Located just off the
Mattawa & Area Snowmobile Club’s
MA150 trail that runs through town,
you can see Big Joe standing at a
whopping 19 feet tall! This statue
Located on the Timmins Snowmobile
Club’s L27 in Timmins, the McIntyre
Mine Headframe is an iconic symbol
was carved by local artists Clermont
and Costel Duval, with the former’s
art gallery located nearby.
of Timmins, the city with a Heart of
Gold. It symbolizes the Porcupine
Gold Rush, which started and 1909
and developed fully by 1911. This
26
WINTER FUN
This statue is the #1 point of
interest on the stunning 234km
3. VINTAGE
SNOWMOBILE
MUSEUM & POLAR
BEAR HABITAT
Cochrane
The Vintage Snowmobile Museum
is the largest of its kind in Ontario
and is home to almost 100 vintage
snowmobiles of all types including
many artifacts and photographs
from the past. If you’re into learning
about the history of snowmobiling,
this is the place to go.
While you’re there you’ll also want
to enjoy a fantastic ride on some of
the World’s Best Snowmobile Trails.
The museum is located within the
Polar Bear Habitat which opened
in 2004 as an orphanage for cubs
that were rescued from the wild
and is the only facility in the world
dedicated to purely taking care of
polar bears.