It's been a couple of seasons since we paid much attention-at least in any kind of detail-to the great snowmobile riding in western Canada.

It's time.

There are so many great choices of where to ride in western Canada it's almost silly-and difficult-to really do justice to every single riding spot. There are a bunch.

So, consider our exclusive western Canada guide as more of a highlight reel of what's available in Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory.

Comprehensive might be a bit of a stretch to describe our snowmobiling guide, but we think we've hit most of the riding areas for western Canada. We do think we're giving you a pretty good place to start.

Riding in western Canada is as diverse as anywhere on earth. Moving from east to west, you have the prairies of Alberta before you reach this wall of mountains called the Canadian Rockies, which forms the provincial border between Alberta and British Columbia. From there to the Pacific Ocean, British Columbia is range after range of mountains. Up north in the territories, you can ride next to the Arctic Ocean while in the Northwest Territories as well as near massive rivers and in some mountains. Once you get to the Yukon, you have even more mountains and glaciated valleys. You won't get bored in any province or territory.

The snows come early in the season and stay late in the spring, providing sledders south of the border some early season riding opportunities while they wait for the snow to fall closer to home. That's just one more advantage-out of many-of the riding in western Canada. We say one of many because there are so many options. Your biggest challenge might be simply choosing where to ride.

Those are the kinds of challenges we like.

Alberta

Alberta offers some of the greatest variety of riding in Canada-from the prairie to the mountains.

The majestic Canadian Rocky Mountains, which form just about half of Alberta's western border, gradually give way to the vast rolling prairie that makes up the land mass from the Rockies to the province's border with Saskatchewan.

In between is some excellent snowmobiling, from the top of the province to the bottom and from the east to the west.

You can choose from nearly 4,000 miles of groomed trails as well as some of the best mountain riding anywhere. The province has a well-maintained and diverse system of trails that covers just about every part of the province. And that means choosing high elevation trails, such as those near Crowsnest Pass and along the Rockies, or hitting the trails among rolling hills on the prairie, as far north as High Level. And if you don't need a groomed path and have a sense of adventure, there is plenty of wide-open country to explore.

If you're leaning toward some powder and high elevation riding then head up to the Canadian Rockies. One of the more popular mountain riding areas is Crowsnest Pass, which, ironically enough, also has one of the province's biggest trail systems. Riding begins at about 3,799 feet and goes up from there, to between 7,499 and 7,998 feet. Snows are deepest in the bowls that dot the Canadian Rockies. Storms pound the Canadian Rockies to the tune of between 118-236 inches every winter.

There are other mountain areas worth exploring, especially between Crowsnest and Banff National Park in Kananaskis Country. Popular riding areas here include McLean Creek, Cataract Creek and Sibbald Flats. For more information on Kananaskis Country, log on to www.tpr.alberta.ca/parks/kananaskis/Winter_Activities.asp.

Still another great mountain riding area is Kakwa Wildland Park, located on the border of Alberta and British Columbia, about a 2-hour drive south and west of Grande Prairie. The powder is deep and the riding wide open.

With just a few exceptions, access to the mountains and/or prairie riding areas is usually no more than a few hours of drive time, regardless of where you are.

Guide

Travel Alberta-www.travelalberta.com
Alberta Snowmobile Association-www.altasnowmobile.ab.ca
Groomed Trails-3,914 miles
Highest Point-Mount Columbia (12,293 ft)
Greatest Average Annual Snowfall-Waterton Village 189.6 in.
Average Yearly Snowfall For The Entire Province Of Alberta-55 in.

Alberta Destinations

British Columbia

British Columbia Destinations

There are a number of places that make various claims when it comes to snowmobiling: the best snow, the best scenery, the best terrain, the best trails, the best off-trail riding.

But there are very few places where the right combinations of all those characteristics snowmobilers yearn for come together to create the near-perfect riding spot.

British Columbia is one such place.

The snowmobiling in British Columbia is better than you can imagine. And it's not just one spot in the province that offers all those qualities-it's riding location after riding location.

When it comes to the white stuff, it seems like there's always snow somewhere in the province, even during the middle of the summer. There are places in BC that receive anywhere from 26-59 feet of snow. And as the storms move from west to east, the snow gets drier and fluffier and it's powder heaven.

All that snow falls on quite a variety of terrain. The mountains are rugged and provide some of the best hillclimbing you'll find anywhere. Of course, there are plenty of places riders of any skill level can enjoy. The variety of riding places is what helps set British Columbia apart. Yes, there are mountains, meadows and bowls. Yes, there are trails, forest roads and ridgelines to ride. But how many places can you ride and see the ocean? The remote town of Stewart is one such place. It's one of those places where the deep snow (49-59 feet) and reach-to-the-sky mountains work together to make it a magical place to ride.

Then there is Vancouver Island, where up to nearly 10 feet of snow falls and there is ample riding available.

Then there's the glacier riding. The Pemberton Ice Fields might be the most popular spot to ride glaciers but even those who continually ride there are amazed at the beauty and the endless snow.

There are dozens of riding areas in BC, covering nearly every corner of the province and each offering its own uniqueness. Another great attraction of BC sledding is abundance of riding spots close to the major metropolitan areas. For example, some of the best riding in BC is less than an hour away from Vancouver. The terrain is magnificent and the scenery just can't be described. You really do have to see it to believe it.

There are also lots of riding spots not close to major metropolitan areas, such as all of northern BC, say north of Smithers and Fort St. John. Northern BC also gets plenty of snow . you just have to have a plan if you're going to ride it. You need to locate services and definitely know where you're going. It is wide open country up here and you might get awful lonely. There are also a couple of snowmobile areas in the far northwest corner of BC where snowmobiling is popular, such as near Atlin. But that area is mentioned in the Yukon Territory section because access is only through the Yukon.

Guide

British Columbia-www.hellobc.com
British Columbia Snowmobile Federation-www.bcsf.org
Groomed Trails-7,456 miles
Highest Point Mount-Fairweather (15,299 ft)
Greatest Average Annual Snowfall-Revelstoke 167 in.
Average Yearly Snowfall For The Entire Province Of British Columbia-77 inches

Northwest Terr.

Just about anything you do outdoors in the Northwest Territories is an Adventure with a capital A.

It's remote. It's rugged. It's big. It's harsh. Its topography includes everything from mountains to barren lands to massive waterways and lakes. And sometimes it can be unforgiving.

And you could ride a snowmobile just about anywhere. Your only limitations are the size of your gas tank and what kind of supplies you can carry.

Snowmachining in the Northwest Territories isn't quite up to the recreational status it is in most of the rest of Canada. Most folks who live in this vast 452,480-square-mile chunk of real estate (Texas has 268,580 square miles) still use their snowmachines as a necessary mode of transportation and a means to hunt and fish for food.

What? Use a snowmachine for recreation?

Oh, yea.

Do we even need to talk about sharing all that snow and land with others? There are 43,439 people (compared to 50,000 musk ox or 700,000 barren land caribou or 15,000 polar bears or 26,000 moose) living in the NWT.

Even though the territory is pretty much wide open to riding, we've listed areas where there are towns nearby because that's where the services are and those are pretty good starting points for your Adventure. In fact, if you look at a map of the Northwest Territories, you'll see wide swaths of land between many of the towns we've mentioned below.

We readily admit the places we've listed aren't the only places to ride.

Guide

Northwest Territories-www.spectacularnwt.com
Great Slave Snowmobile Association-www.yktrailriders.com
Groomed Trails-None
Highest Point-Mount Nirvana (9,098 ft)
Greatest Average Annual Snowfall-Fort Simpson 67 in.
Average Yearly Snowfall For The Entire Northwest Territories-58 in.

Yukon

The more we learn about Yukon Territory, the more convinced we are that it may just be one of the best-kept snowmobiling secrets in Canada.

It might be tempting to say the Yukon is off the beaten path, but actually it's on the main highway-the Alaska Highway. It does take some effort to get to this northern part of Canada, though. That tends to keep the crowds to a minimum, especially in the winter.

Towering mountains-Canada's tallest peak, 19,550-foot Mt. Logan, is in the Yukon-plenty of powder, a limitless number of backcountry trails and beautiful scenery all await any adventurer.

In the Yukon, you've got the Continental Divide taking a wild ride on the east side of the territory while on the west it's the St. Elias Mountains, home to the territory's tallest peaks.

When you decide to ride in the Yukon, you have to have a plan. It's big, wide-open and has limited services in most areas of the territory. One of the biggest challenges is to ensure there are tourism services-gas, food, lodging and the like-where you're riding. Selected services are available at many of the small communities in the Yukon, but for a wider variety, you'll need to hit the territory's bigger towns, most of which are found along the Alaska Highway (crosses the territory east and west) and Klondike Highway (north and south through the territory).

Because of the remoteness of many of the riding areas, it's a good idea to check with the KSA before heading out. The KSA can give you plenty of information that can help you when making travel plans.