Winter life on Drummond Island is a wonderful adventure that the whole family can enjoy. The amount of activities is endless.There is snowmobiling, ice fishing, cross-country skiing just to mention a few. If you are looking for a great place to ride your snow sled Drummond Island should be your #1 choice.You can ride nearly 70 miles of trails and much of the time you don’t have to be bothered by the crowds.The nice thing about the trails is that Drummond Island has its own grooming machine that maintains the trails to be in the best riding condition. It has been said by many of the locals that you can do a week of sledding and never travel the same trail twice. The trails on the island are open from December 1 thru March 31.
Drummond Island also offers an “Ice Bridge to Canada.” Once the ice has frozen to safe levels many of the folks on Drummond Island and neighboring Canadian communities get together and build the Christmas tree line. The Ice Bridge starts on Drummond Island and is spread across the ice all the way to Canada. Along the route the various communities are marked. The route is marked from US to Canada to prevent the snowmobilers from getting lost while in the dark or during inclement weather.
One of the stops is St. Joseph Island. The trip from Drummond Island is approximately 11 miles. The unique aspect of the trip that is if the weather is clear you can always have sight of land as you make your way through the chain of islands. Once you have made your trip across to the Canadian side you must check in with the Canadian Customs. The most important things to remember bring your birth certificate/passport, sled registration, liability insurance, picture I.D./drivers license and you must buy a Canadian Trail Permit.
Winter life on Drummond Island is a wonderful adventure that the whole family can enjoy. The amount of activities is endless. There is snowmobiling, ice fishing, cross-country skiing just to mention a few. If you are looking for a great place to ride your snow sled Drummond Island should be your #1 choice. You can ride nearly 70 miles of trails and much of the time you don’t have to be bothered by the crowds. The nice thing about the trails is that Drummond Island has its own grooming machine that maintains the trails to be in the best riding condition. It has been said by many of the locals that you can do a week of sledding and never travel the same trail twice. The trails on the island are open from December 1 thru March 31.
Photo by D. Borth
Another fun-filled event is the MIRA snowmobile races on the Potagannissing Bay. The island community of Drummond welcomes all race onlookers. The weekend event is fun for all ages. During this weekend the island creates “specials” for all who come for the fun.
Dog sledding is also another great event the island has to offer. On the 2009 schedule there are two races the SHCGD and the MUSH dog sled races.
Photo by D. Borth
Another winter island activity is ice fishing. The winter of 2009 was fantastic for pike. Below are some photos of just a few of the “monstrous” fish. The complete fish report can be viewed by visiting www.diyachthaven.com.
Photo by J. Kelley
The island has many places to stay and all offer many different amenities. Please visit the Drummond Island Tourism Association at www.drummondislandchamber.com for a list of places to stay. Drummond Island Resort and Conference Center offers to their guests free of charge: cross-country skis, snowshoes, ice skates, snow tubes and sleds. The resort also has a fleet of snowmobiles that the guests can rent. Please visit www.drummonisland.com for more information.
Click onto button to view the Snowmobile Map. (This is a PDF)
Drummond Island is a great place to visit during any season but winter offers so much that all can enjoy. To get to the island you will board a ferry which departs every hour 40 minutes past the hour. The complete schedule is posted at www.drummondislandchamber.com Your trip across the St. Mary’s river is about 10 minutes. Once on the island please visit the Visitors Information Center at the Four Corners in town. 906-493-5245 or 1-800-737-8666.
Drummond Island Tourism Association
P.O.Box 200 Drummond Island, MI 49726
906-493-5245 or 800-737-8666
Email: drummondislandtourism@alphacomm.net
