Mission

To support and maintain club and county trails, promote and teach snowmobile safety, rider ethics and responsibilities to ensure the continuation of the sport and trail system in Waukesha County and throughout Wisconsin.

Club History

During the winter of 1969-70 snowmobiles started to appear in numbers on and around Pewaukee Lake. The sport of snowmobiling was in it infancy, there were only a few outlaw trails created by local snowmobilers which cross county park land and ended near downtown Delafield and another trail entered Pewaukee Lake at the then called Golden Anchor Tavern (now Dylon’s Steakhouse).

As the snowmobilers became acquainted with each other they started talking about adding and extending trails from Pewaukee Lake. Talk about organizing a club also began that winter and by the winter of 1970-71 the members voted on creating the Buena Vista Sno Nauticals snowmobile club. Club meetings were held at the Golden Anchor.

The sport of snowmobile exploded in popularity during the winter of 70-71. Plenty of snow fell all winter and sales of snowmobiles sky-rocketed. Riders flocked to join a club since, back then, club members were only allowed to ride the trail system per the land agreements the club had arranged with land owners.

Snowmobile clubs sprang up all over Waukesha County. Soon clubs started banning together and created the County Alliance of Snowmobile Clubs which was know as the Alliance. This collaboration allowed clubs access to each others trail system. After the creation of the Alliance another organization was forming in the Oconomowoc area, the Waukesha County Snowmobile Trail Development Association (TDA). Their focus was on the establishment of a state fund trail system in Waukesha County. Soon the Buena Vista Sno Nauticals club was a member of both organization in addition to the state organization, the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs (AWSC).

At some point during the mid 1970’s the name of the club was changed to the Moon Shiners. Membership grew to 98 family. The club maintained nearly 20 miles of trails around Pewaukee Lake. The club hosted trail rides from Pewaukee Lake to Eagle, passing through Dousman, North Prairie, Genesee and Wales. The biggest one-day rides ever hosted by the club was the ride to Lake Geneva and back.

By the mid-1980’s the economy was starting to recover and interest rates fell. As this happened residential and commercial development sprang up all over the Lake Country area. Trails were lost and access to Pewaukee Lake was slowly getting cut off. It was also during this time when the Alliance and the TDA merged and formed the Waukesha County Snowmobile Association.

Today, we continue the tradition that was set in motion over 45 years ago. Only through the efforts of these early snowmobilers do we have access to a snowmobile trail system each winter. Today, Wauksha County has nearly 135 miles of trails and snowmobilers have access to over 25,000 miles of groomed trails throughout Wisconsin.

Join a club today and help continue this tradition of maintaining one of the best trail systems in the country. All of the trails in Wisconsin are groomed and maintained by club members who volunteer countless hours to ensure everyone has access to this incredible snowmobile trail system. Your help is needed to make this possible each and every winter. Please join the Moon Shiners Snowmobile Club today.

United we trail…divided we fail.

Club history provided by Charlie Hughlett, one of the original members of the Buena Vista Sno Nauticals.