7836-R4_MSA_SnowmobileMaine

Snowmobile the Northern Region

H ave you ever been to “The County”? We are the largest county east of the Mississippi river & home to thousands of miles of snowmobile trails. While a bit further than some of the other places to ride in Maine, it is well worth the extra drive. Aroostook county trails are maintained by 34 clubs ranging from Danforth north to Van Buren, west to Allagash and back

winding along field edges, neighborhoods, and woodlots. This allows for riders to have multiple experiences within our region. For those who want to get from one town to the next on major ITS routes to those want to explore some of the club trails which interconnect with the ITS. Looking for a great overview map showing all the trails? Check out the map produced annually by the Association of Aroostook Chambers of Commerce. There are great trail heads in many towns where you can stay and take off in multiple directions each day to sample different sections of our vast trail system, or you can start at one end & overnight your way around. Towns such as Houlton, Presque Isle, Caribou, Madawaska & Ft Kent have multiple options for lodging and dining. Other towns like Portage, Sherman, Eagle Lake, Allagash & Stockholm (to name a few) are great places to find a cabin or rental house to spend mul- tiple days with family & friends. You can also find some full-service lodges if that is the type of get-away you are looking for. Food is something that usually draws snowmobilers together. We have some pretty famous landmark eateries in Aroostook County, many of which have made national snowmobile maga- zines for their food & hospitality. Along the way you will also want to stop in and grab a snack or meal at a snowmobile club. Some offer weekend breakfasts’, or lunches while others have fundraiser meals throughout the course of the winter.

south again to Benedicta. These folks work year-round talking with landowners & businesses to ensure they have a trail system that will connect riders to the local communities. You will find many people up here who tirelessly work on the trails in each one of the clubs. Make sure you plan your trip by checking in with some of them before coming, then support them at a function or donation box. The clubs jointly cover lots of territory and have trails that provide a variety of scenery & trail types. If you like views of the Katahdin region, you’ll find those in the southwest corner of Aroostook. If you like large, open fields you should travel along the US Rt #1 corridor from Houlton north to Van Buren, then west to Madawaska & St Agatha. The fields seem to never end! We also have many, many miles of logging roads which provide a working forest backdrop that crisscrosses most of Aroostook (and make for great trails). In any given day you can see all these types of scenery and many clubs have loca- tions to stop and enjoy a scenic overlook for photo opportunities. Trails vary in size & traffic here in Aroostook County, from main line connections like railbeds & logging roads to small local trails

Matt Stedman, Northern Region MSA VP

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SNOWMOBILE MAINE 2021-2022