Q. I heard the Cedar River Parking Lot is closed this winter. Where can I park to hit Moose River Plains?
A. The Town of Indian Lake chose not to renew their lease for the lot this winter. People who park in that lot will have their vehicles towed.

There is a private pay lot ($5 per sled) on Cedar River Road on the Brown Farm about a mile before the end of Cedar River Road. This lot is marked with signs.

Q. Where can I find trail maps for your area?
A. You can click here for online trail maps on this site. For hardcopies, please click here to find the appropriate organization to contact.

Q. Where can I find a snowmobile safety course near me?
A. Click here to see the listing of course location and times on the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation web site. Most classes require pre-registration.

Q. Sometimes you go a couple of days without updating the weather forecast or trail reports page. How come?
A. As much as I love winter and snowmobiling, you need to keep in mind that I’m not retired. Just like any other folk in Indian Lake, I work multiple jobs to pay the bills and keep a roof over my family. Tending to those needs is my first priority. If I haven’t updated anything within a couple of days, check back tomorrow. Snowmobiling and running ilsnow.com are things I do after I get my chores done.

Q. Is there a place to park and ride in the village?
A. The parking lot between the little league field and the Town Barn is used as a park and ride spot for snowmobiling. As you pass thru town from the east, take a right onto Pelon Road (across from the school), then keep left where the road splits. After you park, you can ride your sled further down the road past the new cemetary and access the trail system. The first trail on the right is 42nd and Broadway, the next trail on the left would take you to either the village or Moose River Plains and the trail at the end of the road would take you to Lake Durant/Blue Mountain. Best of all, no fee collected at that lot.

Q. Are you really a meteorologist?
A. Yes sir! In the spring of 1994 I completed work on my Bachelors Degree of Atmospheric Science from the State University of New York at Albany. My professors have written many of the atmospheric science textbooks that aspiring meteorologists study and learn from.

Q. Those trails sure get rough on the weekend. Can anything be done about that?
A. Hundreds of weekend snowmobilers versus 2 or 3 groomers is a terrible mismatch. Night grooming would help but that only seems to be done in Canada. If you want to see the best we offer, I suggest trying a mid-week trip. Usually it takes Monday and Tuesday to smooth out the weekend bumps; then Wednesday thru Friday is really nice riding when the snow cover is good.

Q. I have a snowmobile registered in Pennsylvania. Do I need to register my snowmobile in New York State also if I want to ride the New York State trails?
A. Yes! You can click here for details.

Q. How much snowfall does Indian Lake get each winter?
A. Although snowfall can vary greatly from year to year, it averages about 120 inches per winter at the village; with maximum snow depth usually 2-3 feet. Places like Moose River Plains and western Perkins Clearing can pick up over 200 inches of snowfall per winter due to lake effect snow.

Q. How come you never offer lake ice thickness information with your trail reports?
A. Venturing on frozen bodies of water is always at your own risk. There are many factors that can undermine the integrity and structure of the ice you choose to ride on. On occasion I will describe riding conditions on lakes that I cross, but that does not guarantee structurally sound ice. If you have any doubts about crossing frozen bodies of water.....stay off!


Q. Who grooms the Indian Lake village trails?
A. The Town of Indian Lake Parks and Recreation Department. They also groom the Moose River Plains area from the Cedar River Parking Lot to Silver Run turnaround. The Town of Inlet takes over after Silver Run.

Q. Who grooms Perkins Clearing?
A. Town of Lake Pleasant.

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