Winter Activities

Due its location, Maine, the Pine Tree State, is naturally a winter state where this season is the longest of the year, so it is not surprising the large number of outdoor activities all over the region once the snow falls as early as October at times. There are many winter activities to enjoy starting from dog sledding, ice fishing or skijoring, to snowmobiling, snowshoeing, tobogganing and ice skating.

Maine's Dog Sledding Adventures are the most popular winter sport in the Millinocket area, where the majestic Mount Katahdin offers New England's wildest and snowiest mountain range. Drive your own team of Alaskan Huskies in a unique and memorable experience that only incredibly vigorous animals like these dogs may offer you.

If you do not like dogs as locomotive power of transportation, you will find enjoyable other winter sports such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, rabbit hunting or Ice fishing on incredible frosty lakes. Most lodges throughout Maine have their own rental services and private scenic trails to enjoy snowshoeing and wildlife under snowy winter conditions.

Winter recreational activities in Maine are invigorating, including those at premier resorts and lodges, such as Sugarloaf Ski Resort, where the visitor is encouraged to snowshoeing on 90 km of the machine-packed sections of its cross country ski trails, maintaining back country trails as well, which are not machine-groomed. This resort also offers and guided snowshoeing experiences though its popular Snowshoe Safari touring the bogs, woods and other areas of interest.

Ice fishing is possible on virtually all the lakes and ponds all over the state, as long as the ice is thick enough to catch trout and landlocked salmon. Although you must observe certain regulations, such as not to include in your bag more than 2 Landlocked Salmon, 2 Rainbow Trout, 2 Togue (Lake Trout), 2 Brown Trout and 5 Brook Trout from all waters open to ice fishing.

However, there are exceptions on lakes and ponds in Kennebec, Knox, Androscoggin, Lincoln, Oxford, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Cumberland, and York, where your daily bag limit on brook trout is 2 fish and there is a minimum length limit, marked in 8 inches. When in doubt, contact Maine Department Inland Fisheries Wildlife, or ask to any of the many registered Maine Guides around the state.

Some popular winter events in Maine include Moose Country Safaris and Dog Sled Trips through Moosehead Lake's spectacular winter scenery or the Nahmakanta Lake Camps nearby with trips into the Maine wilderness during the day, to return every night to warm cabins located in campfires.

An exciting winter adventure is waiting for you at the Camden Snow Bowl, which has the only public toboggan chute in the northeast of New England. The 400' chute shoots people down the side of the mountain and out onto Hosmer Pond, great if you bring your own toboggan, but you can always rent one from the Snow Bowl or a Maine Guided service.

Visit the Telemark Inn near Bethel to practice a new winter sport known as Skijoring, which is a combination of cross country skiing and dog sledding, and then go on Route 302 to Windham's Seacoast Snow Park, where you will find snowboarding, ski-boarding, ski blading and tubing activities.

If you prefer ice-skating, there is no better place than the Portland Ice Arena, located on Park Avenue in Portland. This is a public skating place with adult hockey leagues, skate rentals and skating lessons for ages 4 through adult. Also in Portland, the pond situated at Deering Oaks Park is a popular skating place, among many others throughout Maine.