Maine Snowmobile Trails
Maine Snowmobile Trails
The Best Maine Snowmobile Trails
When it comes to the best places to snowmobile in New England and possibly the whole eastern U.S., it won’t take you long to land on “The Pine Tree State,” Maine. The most forested state, with wilderness terrain and densely-forested mountains, offers some of the best snowmobiling trails anywhere. Also contributing to this assessment is the state’s prodigious snowfall, and its 280 snowmobile clubs, which are primarily responsible for grooming and maintaining the more than 14,000 miles of snowmobile trails within its borders. Where are the best Maine snowmobile trails? Which are the best snowmobile trails near me when I’m in Maine? What Maine snowmobile trails are “must visit?” Below is a list of just a few of the most popular Maine snowmobile trails, compiled by the experts at Treadworld, with location information and websites where available.
ITS (Interconnected Snowmobile Trails) System
Location: Augusta, ME
Website: https://www.maine-snowmobiling.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ITSMap-1.pdf
Just under 30% of all the snowmobile trails in Maine – around 4,000 miles – are part of a network of trails that known as ITS, Maine’s Interconnected Trail System. This system is provided to snowmobilers through the joint effort of the Maine Snowmobile Association and the Snowmobile Division of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, Department of Conservation, under the direction of the Maine Snowmobile Association Trails Committee. Clubs, chambers of commerce, municipalities and businesses have all combined to provide thousands of volunteer hours along with their own funds and trail grooming equipment to supplement funds provided to the trail system through snowmobile registration fees and some gas tax revenue. Trails are named with numbers, like ITS 86 and ITS 88.
The system runs from west border to east border in the lower half of the state, and is located more from the center to the eastern border in the upper half of the state. There are many places to get on the ITS trails and you can find a map and listing of ITS trails and ITS connector trails here. Trails are numbered and signed just like a major roadway, and interconnect with another 11,000 miles of Maine snowmobile trails at various points. All in all, the ITS system alone makes Maine a state worth visiting when you’re looking for snowmobiling adventures.
Aroostock County
Location: the northernmost county in Maine
Website: https://visitaroostook.com/story/snowmobiling-in-maine
This remote area of Maine boasts an extensive network of well-maintained, well-groomed trails over varied terrain, suitable for a variety of snowmobiling skill levels. The main trail covers 28 miles, and connects the Maine cities of Caribou, Presque Isle, Woodland, New Sweden, and Washburn. Little trafficked trails traverse foothills and valleys, past rivers, woods and farmland. Expect plenty of snow. The record to date is around 16½ feet, and for many locals, snowmobiles are the preferred method of transportation in winter.
You’ll also find the St. John’s Heritage Trail in Aroostock County to be one of the best places to go snowmobiling in the state. Though it’s only a 17.5-mile trail weaving from Fort Kent through St. John to Saint Francis, passing through rolling hills, wetlands and dense forest lands and along the St. John River, it’s a gorgeous ride, and offers the opportunity to keep going all day long by traveling on several off-shoots that crisscross the rugged country between Allagash and Madawaska, the heart of the state’s French-speaking North American (Acadian) culture.
Kennebec River Trails
Location: Somerset County, in the eastern-central part of Maine
Website: https://visitkennebecvalley.com/experiences/snowmobiling
Considered by many to be among the best snowmobile trails in the eastern U.S., the Kennebec River Trail itself is only 8 to 15 miles long (depending on who you talk to), but offers fabulous views of Maine wilderness, fir, spruce and balsam forests, mountains and streams and waterfalls. Plus, many of Maine’s ITS trails spider through the area offering some unforgettable, and much longer, rides. For example, the historic Benedict Arnold to Quebec trail on the Kennebec River takes you through vast, spectacular mountain areas, then past Austin Stream Falls or over Bald Mountain Trail, depending on which way to go when to get to the “T.”
This area will also give you access to The Forks, at the junction of the Dead River and the Kennebec River, Maine’s central hub for superb snowmobile riding. This hub provides you with southern access to Solon, Bingham (including Maine’s largest wind farm, Bingham Wind Farm) and points south; northern and eastern access to Jackman, Moosehead Lake, Big Moose Mountain (with its 37 miles of well-groomed trails and over 100 inches of snowfall each year) and Greenville; and western access to and Eustis and Rangeley Lakes. You can follow the Dead River to the Grand Falls Run which is off the beaten path and always proves to be unbelievably photogenic. And just outside of Greenville, you may want to veer off to see the B-52 Crash Site, a popular area where in 1963, a turbulent crosswind ripped off the tail of a USAF Boeing B-52C Stratofortress sending it plunging into Elephant Mountain.
White Mountain National Forest
Location: In eastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine
Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/whitemountain/
This area offers around 400 miles of groomed snowmobiling trails, over mountainous terrain and through alpine forest. There’s a 50-mile closed loop trail that provides you with spectacular views of Mount Washington & Mount Chocorua. For longer rides, the trails connect to the ITS network to take you throughout most of the state.
That’s Only A Few…
The biggest headache related to snowmobiling in Maine is picking where to go, because there are a ton of places throughout the state for snowmobile adventures. And while you may be tempted to stick with “snowmobiling near me,” if you don’t venture into other areas of the state, you will very definitely miss out. Thanks to great winter weather bringing heavy snowfall, Maine enjoys a fantastic snow season to ride snowmobile. We’ve only highlighted a few of the great Maine snowmobile trails here, but there are many others. Keep in mind that it’s always a good idea to check Maine Snowmobile Trail Conditions before you go.
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When you do decide to snowmobile outside your own backyard, one of the safest ways to transport your machines is with a snowmobile trailer. And you can count on us to provide you with the high-performance tires for snowmobile trailer that will get you safely where you’re going. Even the best snowmobile trailer is worthless if it’s not equipped with dependable tires. Here at Treadworld, we have the right trailer tires for every occasion. You can count on Rubbermaster brand trailer tires to provide the best in top quality, long-lasting, never-let-you-down reliability, manufactured with strict tolerances from top rubber compounds, triple-tested for quality before being X-rayed to be sure they’re perfect, then covered by our Ultimate Advantage Lifetime Warranty. Don’t hesitate to contact our tire experts via live chat or email with any questions you may have.
