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Actually, the speed limit is 30 m.p.h. for snowmobiles in the Kennebec Valley of western Maine. This state in northernmost New England on the Atlantic Coast of the United States has an astounding 13,000 miles of snowmobile trails twisting and winding through its once pristine forests.
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By Rod Lopez-Fabrega
| Now well logged by paper companies but still a treasure of impressive rivers and lakes and coniferous forests filled with, assorted wildlife that includes deer, moose, bear and bald eagles, the state of Maine remains a rich reserve for enthusiasts of the great outdoors. With a low-density population, the state draws visitors year round who come to enjoy its many outdoor activities, especially snowmobiling and cold weather sports during the snowy winter months and whitewater rafting during the warm months. |
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For the explorer of winter scapes, unwilling or unable to face the daunting challenges of backpacking and hiking in frigid climes, there is no better way to experience the stunning beauty of snow blanketed forests and the frigid rumblings of frozen lakes and rheumy, iced-over rivers than on a snowmobile.
These mechanical chariots of winter are remarkably stable, easily maneuvered machines supported by widespread skis and powered by a tractor belt undercarriage drive that can develop top speeds of much more than 60 miles per hour. At the same time, trail regulations enforced by forest rangers do limit overly enthusiastic jockeys to under 40 m.p.h.
Yes, these machines do generate noise and some fumes, but, judging by a recent ride of 97 miles through the wilderness, they do not frighten the wildlife. Family groupings of deer will stand in the shrouded forest darkness just yards away from a trail, waiting patiently and with little curiosity for snowmobiles to roar by. What is more, the Kennebec Valley's Forks Trail System of more than 130 miles of twisting and turning snowmobile trails is compacted into a small corner of the state.
Famed Appalachian Trail hiker Bill Bryson describes it this way, "Maine. Is deceptive. It is the twelfth smallest state, but it has more uninhabited forest--ten million acres--than any other state but Alaska." He adds, "And at the heart of it all lies the famous Hundred Mile Wilderness--99.7 mils of boreal forest trails without a store, house, telephone, or paved road". So, there is more than enough room year round for outdoor enthusiasts of all persuasions, powered by human or by mechanical means.
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In the Kennebec Valley of western Maine, the heart of snowmobile country, there are more than a score of suppliers of equipment and facilities. However, one stands out for its outstanding accommodations and the breadth of the activities it offers. That is Northern Outdoors, established as a winter destination in 1983 and guided by the dedication and enthusiasm of part owner, Russell Walters, a British ex-pat with a regional vision that looks to the future of this splendid corner of Maine (come global warming or not).
Facilities for snowmobilers from novices to old hands include full rental of all necessary insulated clothing, helmets, gloves, and, most important of all, use of a fleet of more than 40 late model snowmobiles (known as "sleds" around these parts). Additionally, the welcome mat is out for scores of snowmobilers who haul their own sleds with them and are yearly returnees to Northern Outdoors' winters.
The main open-timbered lodge and its cavernous public space and huge stone fireplace fulfill anyone's idea of what a winter lodge should be. Prize trophy animals look down from the rough-hewn timber walls on to conversation pits, a picturesque bar, a souvenir shop and the adjacent restaurant where excellent meals are served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meal service is in the main dining room or in a secondary private chamber suitable for large family groups and special events. Just outside the windows of the lodge, an outdoor terrace includes a Jacuzzi pool that provides welcome relief for sore muscles as guests soak in 120-degree waters, clouds of steam rising into the frigid air of the open deck. |
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With his partners, Suzie Hockmeyer and Jim Yearwood, Russell Walters has developed the Forks Resort Center, offering accommodations that range from canvas covered tent frames for summer campers and scaling up to city-class hotel rooms, fully outfitted apartment condos with kitchens and beds for up to eight guests, individual log-style Club Cabins with three bedrooms, fully equipped luxury cabins with as many as four bedrooms and cathedral ceilings, and the super luxurious Point House.
The very private Point House is a spacious year-round residence sitting on Silver Cove scenic promontory overlooking Wyman Lake and including all the amenities and services for high-rolling vacationers or corporate conferences. There are other combinations of accommodations offered, so well distributed throughout the property that the place does not feel like a mega-resort dominating the landscape but rather nestles in the Maine woods, barely visible from highway 201, a four-season roadway that passes in front of the resort. |
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Best of all, Northern Outdoors makes its own beers. Supervised by second-generation brew master, Mike McConnell, the resort has its own small Kennebec River Brewery, complete with stainless-steel tanks, vats and all the trimmings of a full-scale operation. Ingredients are the basic four: artesian well water, malted barley, hops and yeast.
Offerings vary according to Mike's plan, but generally include past successes such as: Arthur's Hazlenut Brown Ale, Big Mama's Blueberry Ale, Penobscot Porter, Magic Hole I.P.A., Northern Lights and the new Sledhead Red.
Mike is happy to conduct mini-tours and will explain how the degree of roasting of the hops affects color and taste and how the magic happens throughout the process of mashing, boiling, fermenting and conditioning to produce really excellent brews. The restaurant offers a wonderful sampler tray of five Kennebec River Brewery beers in four-once glasses. |
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| A typical snowmobile excursion for novices might begin with a hearty "Logger's Breakfast" consisting of rich energy foods of the kind most dieters have denied themselves since passive desk jobs were invented. This is followed by outfitting of riders in fully insulated suits, special gloves and space-age helmets. Meals and outer wear are designed to provide both internal stamina and external protection required for speeds of 30 to 40 m.p.h. through below zero wind-chill temps. |
| Next, riders meet at the sled shop where a supervisor such as fully licensed guide and born outdoorsman, Dan Davis will give a full explanation of all the bells and whistles of a snowmobile sled. He will have warmed the sleds in advance, but he will go on to explain what to do to start a cold sled, the ins and outs of chokes and cut-off controls, and the fundamentals of maneuvering. Innovative extras of Northern Outdoors' new sleds include finger and most especially thumb warmers. As it is the thumb of the right hand that controls acceleration of the sled, it is the most important digit in this sport. Group rides involve single file sleds traveling at respectable speeds on two-way trails, so Dan will demonstrate the important basics of hand signals to inform fellow riders as well as oncoming traffic of the rider's intentions: |
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(diagrams courtesy of The Maine Snowmobile Association)
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| It takes but a few minutes for all the riders, from 16-year-olds to any age, to catch on, and off they go up the first hill from the parking lot on to the trails. The vistas seen on an all-day ride run the gamut from vast expanses of fields and forests blanketed in winter white and framed by snow-covered mountain ranges to other-worldly tunnels through thick stands of white and black striped birch so thick the tree tops almost touch over the trail. The trail itself varies from straight, level stretches where the temptation is to squeeze down on the hand accelerator, to terrain that twists and turns, rises and dips, and then there are those bumpy runs of bone-rattling washboard terrain where the sensible driver will slow to a pedestrian speed. |
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| An all-day ride will travel almost 100 miles, circling around to Moosehead Lake and back. Without doubt, one of the scenic highlights of this circuit will be a stop at Grand Falls on the Dead River, a wintery waterway that is anything but dead as mini-glaciers of floating ice thunder over a spectacular waterfall into a gorge decorated by nature with massive icy sculptures of frozen spray |
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| Another of the many highlights is a stop for lunch at Bulldog Camps & Lodge, located on Enchanted Pond in a backwoods wilderness area. This rustic camp, a throwback to the time of mountain men, caters to trout fishermen and, because of its very remote location, claims to offer some of the best hunting in Maine. This includes semi-guided hunts for deer, bird, bear, moose (with Maine moose permit), bobcat, coyote and more. It also serves a hearty stick-to-the-ribs lunch to passing snowmobilers in its picturesque, compact lodge, interior walls covered with animal pelts and faux-antique bric-a-brac crowding the shelf over its stone fireplace. Finally, the camp sells gasoline for refueling sleds. The return to the Forks Resort Center is doing it all in reverse. |
| Several route options are available for other days of snowmobile explorations, most taking from six to eight hours. One special offering is the Forks/Moosehead/Katadhin Tour, a multi-day lodge-to-lodge expedition. This tour begins in the Forks at Northern Outdoors, heads to Moosehead Lake for lunch and shopping in Greenville, a town described as the historic gateway to the north country and a center for outdoor recreation in the area, continues to the New England Outdoor Center in Millinocket for dinner and deluxe accommodations and spends the following day exploring Baxter State Park at the foot of Mount Katadhin. "The Greatest Mountain", so named by the Penobscot Indians, is the highest mountain in Maine and the northern end of the 2,174-mile Appalachian hiking trail that continues to Springer Mountain in Georgia. The tour package includes four nights accommodations, most meals, all equipment and clothing (if needed) and collision insurance. |
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| Finally, the downhill skiier is not left out of the equation. Northern Outdoors has a cooperative arrangement with top notch Sugarloaf/USA, a world-class skii resort that offers 54 miles of trails, 1,410 skiable acres, sits 4,237-foot-high mountain, hi-speed lifts, Turbo Tubing, ice skating, showshoeing, Nordic skiing, ice skating, and accommodations that include the Sugarloaf Grand Summit Hotel, the Sugarloaf Inn and many condominiums with all options for renting, leasing or buying. Sugarloaf/USA promises an average snowfall of 200 inches and an additional 94% snowmaking coverage in the event of a warmer than normal winter such as happened in 2006, more reliable conditions for skiiers than in the resorts further to the south. The resort caters to families, and many of Sugarloaf/USA's most dedicated returnees are Canadian skiiers from Canada's eastern seaboard who bring children and stay a while. From Northern Outdoors, Sugarloaf is a comfortable one-and-one-half hour drive. |
Summer activities include golf on one of "the top 100 of America's greatest public courses" (Golf Digest (03-05). Also available are: mountain biking, hiking, outdoor adventure camp for kids, canoeing, kayaking and, in cooperation with Northern Outdoors, exceptional whitewater rafting:
http://www.romartraveler.com/RomarPages/MaineRafting.html
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For more information:
Northern Outdoors: Phone: 1-800-765-7238 / 1-888-770-SLED / Fax: 207-663-2244
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Photo Credits: Northern Outdoors, Rod Lopez-Fabrega, Mary Ashcraft, Sugarloaf/USA
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North America
