Trail Status Reporting in the province of Ontario is a challenging task. 230 clubs are responsible for about 34,000 km of OFSC trails and, through their districts, for providing regular trail status information to this web site no less than twice weekly (Mondays and Thursdays). Thus, riders can count on the information provided on the Trail Status Reports to be no older than the Monday or Thursday just past, although many districts report more often than this, whenever trail status needs to be updated. This is a FREE service for your convenience and information, subject to the limitations outlined below.

With the new system, all a rider needs to know is that a trail is Green, Yellow or Red (see definitions below). These colours will show as they may apply to various and very specific sections of trail that can easily be matched to paper trail guides or carried with you on your smart phone. Now riders know what the status is and where it is located.

The new OFSC Interactive Trail Guide provides each of the 17 OFSC districts with the ability to update their trail status directly as often as they wish. To do so, the district person delegated to do the updates must first collect the latest information from each club volunteer who has taken on the responsibility to call/mail/email the local trail status for their specific area.

Trail Status Reporting on the OFSC Interactive Trail Guide is a cooperative undertaking by club and district volunteers. Most of these volunteers work at their real jobs and careers during the day or on shift, and do their volunteer Trail Status Reporting during evenings and weekends. Just like you, they have many other priorities in their lives that mean they aren't at the beck and call of snowmobiling every time the rest of us want the latest info.

Another key factor impacts Trail Status Reporting. Snowmobiling is an off-road activity that occurs in an unpredictable and uncontrollable natural setting. The status of each trail is dependent on a number of variables including accumulated snow base; type, amount and moisture content of new snowfall; temperature; wind; terrain; and recent traffic. A change in any one of these can occur after a Trail Status Report has been filed, making the actual, real time condition of any trail different from its posted status report.

Despite these challenges, this volunteer reporting system works well, and is enhanced with the assistance of staff at many district offices. However, if the exact information isn't always available the second you need it, or isn't 100% accurate when you actually go snowmobiling, please exercise a little patience and understanding. After all, even the best professional weather reporters don't always get it right - and they are being paid for it!

Here is what the various designations mean: