*** Attention please use caution on and around the large scale logging operation that is underway at the end of the trail near Mulberry street. ***
The route is designed to allow convenient pullovers for food or gas, with easy access to Wal-Mart, Cumberland Farms, Eller's Restaurant in Lynde Brook Plaza and Barber's Crossing on Main Street.
The Leicester trails are part of an intricate network, intersecting with the Spencer trail system and connecting riders throughout the state.
The Leicester club thrived in the early 1970s as the Leicester Snow Rovers, but faded out in the 1980s. A different group of enthusiasts got it running in 1996, re-establishing the trail system and building the membership.
Part of the club's success is its new grooming program, which trains members to maintain the trails on a regular basis. If the trail is particularly rough, it may need two passes with the grooming machines, running only three to five miles an hour.
With more than 200 memberships, the club sponsors social activities in conjunction with trail riding. Poker runs involve picking up different colored sticks along the trail and exchanging them for playing cards at the end of the run. The best hand wins the pot. Barbecue dinners set up at a spot along the trail offer a free meal with friends.
In addition, Family Days provide child-centered activities, and club breakfasts are held Sunday mornings at the Rod and Gun Club.
The club belongs to the Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts, sending two delegates to the organization's monthly meetings in Springfield. Issues include insurance and liability, critical to gaining trail access from landowners. The organization also lobbies on Beacon Hill to keep the trails open.
To ride the trails, a person must be a local Snowmobile Club member and buy a state trail pass, referred to as a SAM Pass. There is a fine for riding without a SAM Pass and can include towing by the state environmental police. Memberships and trail passes are available at Breezy Bend RV Center in Leicester, Steve's Garage in Spencer and Hank's Marine in Cherry Valley and at our monthly meetings on the second Wednesday of each month at the Leicester Rod and Gun Club at 7:00 pm.