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you may have to do a “spur of the moment” type trip when they get snow. Other areas receive snow more frequently and give you a chance to get in some great rides. Planning for these rides should include checking for gas availability and know ing cell phone service is not always reliable. They can be long distance rides if that is what you like or shorter ones depending on your style. In all cases, whether going to the more popular destina

tion spots or choosing more club trails and a little “off the beaten path” route, PLEASE make sure you check with the local clubs and know what to expect BEFORE you go. Safety should ALWAYS be Number One as we want you to have a great experi ence and go home to tell oth ers what an incredible day or days you had. See you on the trails!!

get off this trail in Cherryfield and take ITS 81 to Bedding ton and then on to ITS 84 to Grand Lake Stream. You can cross the dam at Grand Lake Stream and head to the store for gas and food. It’s a long, long ride from Ellsworth so you might want to start at the Narraguagus club house. If you choose to stay on the Sunrise Trail, you can take Connector Trail 101 outside of East Machias that will take you to Alexander and con nects to ITS 84 where you can go east to Calais or west Continued from Cover Maine has over 14,000 miles of snowmobile trails across the state. These trails wouldn’t be possible with out the landowners. Land owners are the base and backbone of all recreational activities in Maine. 95% of all land in Maine is private. Landowners are the num ber one connection for all outdoor recreation sports including snowmobiling. The 280 plus snowmo bile clubs across this state work long, hard hours get ting landowner permission, clearing trails, putting up signs, and then grooming the trails once snow comes. This work is done by VOL UNTEERS who enjoy riding the trails and making sure they are safe for every one to use. Respecting the landowner, no matter how big or small, should be the number one goal of anyone recreating on land in Maine. They own the land and are being gracious enough to

to Grand Lake Stream. As you can see the possibili ties to ride in the vast Eastern Region are endless. These are just a small portion of the rides you can enjoy if you come to this region. All of the 70 plus clubs work very hard to get trails open, groomed and signed so everyone has a great ride. Remember, it is volunteers who do this work and they welcome help. Con sider joining a club or two or three or more and show them you support what they do. Some areas are very depen dent on snow conditions and RESPECT THE LANDOWNER By Eileen Lafland

allow snowmobile clubs to use their land. Establishing a good working relationship with the landowner from the beginning will go a long way with them. Snowmobile riders need to Ride Responsibly and Respect the Land you are on. Club volunteers have worked with the landowners to find where the trail can go and then mark it with signs to keep people safe and in the area the landowners want them to be on. Even though another place might look like a better area to ride in, there are reasons why the trail doesn’t go there. Under the snow where it looks bet ter could be winter crops or blueberry lands planted, or small trees that are not showing. Riding over these areas could cause perma nent damage to them and the landowner could experi ence financial loss resulting in the loss of the use of the whole area. May be down

that ungroomed, unmarked road what you can’t see is a logging operation or a washed-out section that is not safe. There are many, many reasons for the trail to not go there. As responsible snowmo bilers we need to respect the land and FOLLOW THE SIGNS and MARKED TRAILS . Club volunteers have put them there at land owner requests and hopewe all obey them just as we do the signs andmarkers on the highways we use every day. Unlike those highways, trail locations can change yearly, and sometimes monthly or even weekly depending on conditions and landowner requests. This is when, we as responsible snowmobil ers, need to watch for the changes and follow the new route. Just because the trail was there the last time you rode, doesn’t mean you can go that way again. Snowmobiling in Maine

is a family orientated sport that gets people outside and enjoying the wonders of Maine in winter. You can see wildlife walking the trails, beautiful scenery that is only visible in winter, and meet some of the best people from around the states and other countries all because generous land owners have given permis sion to snowmobile clubs to use their land. If we as snowmobilers ride respon sibly and respect them, landowners will continue to support us and our sport. Otherwise, we could find ourselves wondering why we can no longer ride a cer tain trail or area, and it will be because the landown er(s) wishes were not fol lowed and the trail has been closed. THANK YOU, LAND OWNERS, FOR ALLOWING US TO USE YOUR LAND!! WE APPRECIATE YOUR GENEROUSITY!

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