Arts & Life Editor Gina Lorusso on her snowmobile on Fourth Lake behind Daikers restaurant.

 For people like me, the most anticipated weekend of the year arrives in February — and there’s no better way to spend it than in frigid temperatures and deep snow. 

President’s Day weekend is legendary for snowmobilers, bringing in riders from all over to the Snowmobile Capital of the East — the hamlet of Old Forge, New York.

Old Forge resides in the town of Webb in Herkimer County, New York and the population is less than 500 people. This far north, it’s normal for the garages to be bigger than the houses and the primary form of home security to be a shotgun. 

I’ve been snowmobiling since I was a kid — probably before I learned to ride a bike. It always excited me to pack the car and begin the four-hour long drive from New Jersey to Old Forge with our trailer in tow. 

Since starting college, it’s become much harder to find the time to get away for a weekend since most trips are spontaneous if the forecast calls for good snow. This year, I was finally able to make the trip during President’s Day weekend with my dad to do what we do best: snowmobile. 

We had no idea where we wanted to go — we just knew we had the whole weekend to take advantage of.

We started our Friday with a 5:30 a.m. wake up call and, naturally, a much-needed coffee before grabbing breakfast at Walt’s Diner in Old Forge and heading out on the trails. There’s something special about sitting down in a diner that looks stuck in time, where the homestyle cooking is unbeatable, the coffee never ends and the pancakes are bigger than your head. 

The trails were in excellent condition, according to the town of Webb, with up to 14 inches of base and just the right amount of powder to make for a day of smooth riding. 

Our first stop of the day was Pete’s Peak, a scenic overlook of Fourth Lake where you can see the breathtaking view of the Adirondack mountains’ summits and valleys. We then followed the trails, weaving in and out of snow-covered pines, until we reached Daikers restaurant, which lands you smack dab in the middle of Fulton Chain of Lakes. 

Riding a snowmobile across a frozen lake is one of the most freeing feelings, but there’s always that little voice in the back of your head reminding you that you don’t know how thick the ice is underneath. Thankfully, there were no slushy spots to make me second guess my decision — or make my claustrophobic self think I would get trapped under the ice. 

After getting safely to the other side, we took my favorite trail, that doubles as a cross country skiing path, up to Raquette Lake and had our fourth and fifth coffees of the day aboard the WW Durant, a docked boat that invites snowmobilers to take a break from the wind and snow. 

We decided to take the train tracks and head to Norridgewock Lodge to meet a few friends for lunch. I’m always hesitant to ride the tracks considering my dad once ripped the entire front end of his snowmobile off after hitting an exposed bolt, but this time, the tracks were completely covered and perfectly smooth.

At this point, we were tired, achy and couldn’t wait to take all 12 of our layers off. We settled down for a nice dinner at The Steak House where we pounded back pork chops and fish fry before heading back to the house to relax and get some shut eye. 

The next morning we took the sleds west to Boonville where the snow was so pure we couldn’t tell the difference between the trail and the land around it. We had to be more cautious as there would be a higher volume of snowmobilers, especially the ones who don’t ride often and think they can go 50 mph over the speed limit, tailgate and ride while intoxicated. Being that I’ve been doing this for 20 years, you can really tell who doesn’t get out much. 

Our snowmobile club, the Trackside Blazers in Forestport, New York, hosted a pig roast and bonfire where we stopped to have one of the most delicious lunches we had ever eaten while snowmobiling. It was fun to see old friends and make new ones, chatting about where we went that day and where we were going next. 

We rode over 200 miles this trip — more than we’ve ever done in a single weekend — and it was immaculate. 

Now it’s back to my fast-paced life as a college student until I can go back north where the time is slower and the company is good. 

So while everyone is searching for warmer weather for spring break, I’ll be heading back to freezing Old Forge to get my fix of snowmobiling.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Gina Lorusso

The town of Webb requires permits for snowmobilers to use the trails.