Have you ever left Bancroft/lake St Peter travelled up the 173 then over to the 175 to get to the Madawaska river rail trail.

Problem is you are travelling on the 173 looking for the 173/175 intersection and you come up to the first T on the trail and you think this is the intersection but the 175 sign must be missing. So you go right and end up at Papineau Lake ( dead end ) road and no more signs. Every year I get caught by this as do almost all new riders in the area.

All I would like to see is an arrow with 173 on it pointing to the left.

I am sure that the locals know where to cross the lake to get back on either the 173 or 175 and if there is can a few good markers be put up along the road before the lake.

The only good thing that came of this last time was that we ended up eating at the High Country Lodge which was very good.

So if that could be looked into it will help out many.

Thanks

Yes all regions need more sign maintainence but it's a thankless unpaid job & signs have a habit of falling off, getting stolen, snowed over...etc
Not meaning to insult you bud but maybe you should seriously slow down & look at a map!
In order to end up at Papineau lake access you have blown thru -->3 intersections
#1 intersection of 173 & 175 to Madawaska
#2 intersection of 173 & trail to High Country Lodge
#3 intersection of 173 & Papineau Lk access <-- which is ungroomed!

Nice!

I guess I would have to take you out there and show you where I am talking about. There never has been a sign showing which way the 173 is at this particular T in the trail.

Please dont start with the thankless job BS, i know whats involved, this is not what this post is about

get along boys

OK!

coming from madawaska down the 175 where the 173 joins and splits off to the left.. you take the right hand trail 175 to get to lk st peter.

there is a mistake because it shows lk. st peter via 173... BUT the milage is much longer and you only have to look at a map to know which way to go. not rocket science.

those trails are fantasitic, whatever that club is doing should keep doing it and I wont rag on them for a couple minor signage errors.

a quick glance at a map and you know which way you want to go. their map is the best in the area too IMO.

NOTE: if you take the left hand trail 173 the sign there shows the distance for both. there is a sign pointing towards the right hand trail that says 10kms or whatever to lake st peter. you can also run the road instead of taking the lake. dont see a real problem here Brent, but there is a minor mistake at the trail head there - we noticed it and in 30seconds were off down the right trail

error, double post

[quote name='Brent will Doo' date='Jan 24 2008, 08:35 AM' post='3546155']
Have you ever left Bancroft/lake St Peter travelled up the 173 then over to the 175 to get to the Madawaska river rail trail.

Problem is you are travelling on the 173 looking for the 173/175 intersection and you come up to the first T on the trail and you think this is the intersection but the 175 sign must be missing. So you go right and end up at Papineau Lake ( dead end ) road and no more signs. Every year I get caught by this as do almost all new riders in the area.

All I would like to see is an arrow with 173 on it pointing to the left.

I am sure that the locals know where to cross the lake to get back on either the 173 or 175 and if there is can a few good markers be put up along the road before the lake.

The only good thing that came of this last time was that we ended up eating at the High Country Lodge which was very good.

So if that could be looked into it will help out many.

Thanks
/quote]

Ok. I guess I need to simpilfy and clarify a few things, my error.

Start riding up the 173 riding towards the 175.

First T intersection in the trail, no sign. ( I think it was the first one, if not its the one with no sign )

groomed both ways at this point, which way to go?

Not sure, this is where the sign would help.

To the left 173 to the right Papineau Lake.

May now be marked

I don't have my map in front of me, but I think I know the intersection you speak of. Yes, it would be nice to have a sign their, and I've talked to some of the volunteers at MLSK, I'll ask them if they have put up any more signs, but it will have to wait until after the w/e.

I also think that they were planning on making a part of the 173 the B trail, since they are now responsible for grooming all the way into Whitney.

[quote name='Scrimmer' date='Jan 24 2008, 12:58 PM' post='3547410']
I don't have my map in front of me, but I think I know the intersection you speak of. Yes, it would be nice to have a sign their, and I've talked to some of the volunteers at MLSK, I'll ask them if they have put up any more signs, but it will have to wait until after the w/e.

I also think that they were planning on making a part of the 173 the B trail, since they are now responsible for grooming all the way into Whitney.
[/quot

Thanks

Part of the problem is that on the Maple Leaf map that T intersection does not show on the map. So when you look at the map you believe that you are already at where the 173/175 meet. When in actual fact you are not really very far at all and need to continue further to the left to reach the 175.

Ok, looking at my map, if you travel north on the 173, coming off the B106E or E109, the first (and only) T intersection (as depicted on the map) is the 173/175. You'd go left on the 175 to get to the B trail and Madawaska, stay right on the 173 which takes you by Papineau Lake then connects with E109 (between Maple Leaf and Purdy).

I was wrong in my last post, it was the 177 that they are grooming as the B106E, and it's much smoother IMO.

Hope this clarifies, not sure which map you're using, but I've got the actual MLSS Official Trail Map (not the District 2 Map).

You guys are all pissing me off! (J K) That LSP to High Country goes right past our famly hunt camp! Havent been there in 6 years in the winter, & it wont be this winter!

Great area to sled!!

Rich

Brent will Doo - We had the same problem early this year. First weekend in January. Was on 173 looking to connect with 175. We also took the trail to the right not realizing it was a trail connecting to the lake. Because of the signage pointing left to lake ST Peter we were under the impression we had hit 175.

Senior - The trail lake access trail was groomed! We had a map and we were not going to fast. This is also the first intersection after E109. But thanks

The trails were in great shape all groomed and table top - hats off to the Maple Leaf club and their groomers.

hats off to that groomer operator up near the high country snoasis he's freakin awesome.

[quote name='whateverworks' date='Jan 24 2008, 08:55 PM' post='3549683']
hats off to that groomer operator up near the high country snoasis he's freakin awesome.
[/quote/]


Cant think the name right now. They own the Beachwood, Bed & Brekfast, Next to High Country,

I think its Malcom.

Rich

Im a member of mlss. They do a great job. I dont ride there as much as i would like but i hope that changes in the future. Has anyone been aroud the 173 since the warm up.

Mike

You have done what I am sure many others have done and this why I was requesting the sign.

We are coming up Feb. 01 for another ride.

The Maple Leaf trails are by far some of the best maintained trails in all of Ontario and by far my favorite.

Thanks to the posters that took the time to read and contribute to this forum in a positve way

I think maybe we might be talking wrong intersections?, but I don't think it's me I used to do the grooming in that area!
Going N from 109 on to the 173 next to Papineau Lk Rd over the bridge to - 1st intersection is past Davis's hunt camp, a left to stay on 173, it's actually a T but the right leg is ungroomed access back to the upper end of Papineau (unless it's groomed this year for the 1st time ever)! This is the boundry Rd going out to Papineau Lk Rd & down over the hill past J Scotts cottage onto the upper end of Papineau.
The 2nd intersection is at the end of what the locals called the Boundry rd, right is High Country & groomer home! Left is 173
The 3rd is intersection of 173 & 175 to Madawaska, I assume this is where your talking the missing sign is?

how is the trail to madawaska now anyway? its a great trail when its good, but needs good cover. MLSS site says poor and fair for 173/175

Senior - Brent’s post clearly states traveling north on 173 from El09. He is talking about Papineau Lake access trail not having a sign. If you seriously slowed down and read the post you would have read that. Rather then blowing threw 8 sentences!

I do think it is you, as the Papineau Lake access was groomed. If you don’t know, then don’t post senseless comments regarding other peoples riding.

“Not meaning to insult you bud but maybe you should seriously slow down & look at a map!
In order to end up at Papineau lake access you have blown thru -->3 intersections”

This is what Brent said he clearly states from Lk St Peter or from the west not from the south!
"Have you ever left Bancroft/lake St Peter travelled up the 173 then over to the 175 to get to the Madawaska river rail trail. Problem is you are travelling on the 173 looking for the 173/175 intersection and you come up to the first T on the trail and you think this is the intersection but the 175 sign must be missing. So you go right and end up at Papineau Lake ( dead end ) road and no more signs."

He is obviously coming from Lk St Peter direction not traveling north but east!

Wasn't meaning to insult anybody & still don't but to get from missing the intersection of 175 & 173 coming from the west to the shore of Papineau Lk you must pass an additional 2 intersections as I pointed out above Anybody can miss an intersection but just how do you miss 3??

You can access Papineau from 168 where the groomed trail runs run up the public beach or
You can access Papineau from the cottage road between Davis's house & the bridge -not groomed or signed! private Rd or
You can access Papineau from an intersection where 173 comes out of Davis's hunt road onto the Boundry Rd & turns left ! if you turn right coming from the south you get a piece of road has never been groomed & has no reason to be groomed as it simply goes an additional 1-2 miles out to Papineau Lk Rd.
Now!! it's been over two weeks since I was thru there, so for some strange reason maybe? Lk St Peter has suddenly started grooming it? If so I guess I'll have to swallow crow

there isnt' a sign for 175 but its pretty fricken obvious. if you have a map you'll know which way to go and there are signs for lk. st peter with distance markers showing the way. should there be a sign, yes, is it rocket science to finding the way; no. this club is the best club around.. I'm hardly going to give them $hit for missing one stupid sign. get over it and ride

173 should be real good with the additional snow we've gotten. Groomers have been running this week,
175 is a rocky, stoney, son of a motherless child but it should now have enough cover to also now be passable, I would, how ever, watch for stone tips in the section behind Cross Lk.

LOOKIN FOR SOME CROW!!

Went for a little spin today, accessed Papineau from 168 & ran up the lake to Scotts cottage, up the road & over to the boundry Rd.
Now here's where the crow comes in. -->The boundry rd from Papineau Rd to 173 had been groomed maybe a couple weeks ago
No trail signs anywhere & not marked where it met & jumped on 173??? I guess there's enough guys using Papineau as a jump off point that they run the groomer out there one time!
Continued on past the North Country turn, across Madawaska Rd to the junction of the clearly marked 173-175. There was 173 signs 175 signs, distance signs, arrows pointing to Lk St Peter, to Combermere, to Madawaska, all in all a super well marked intersection

Thanks Senior, just talked with a couple of the MLSS exec yesterday, they said that there are 4x4 sign boards at all the intersections, good to also hear first hand info that the signs are there!!

and still........................Malky rocks