The Katahdin region offers over 50 miles of cross-country ski trails within a half an hour drive from Millinocket. Some trails are wooded and protected on windy days while others are open and scenic. There are groomed tracks for traditional style skiing to back country trails where you may be the first to make tracks through fresh snow. Skiers can choose from several prime cross country skiing locations, witheach location featuring solitude and unparalleled scenery.

Click here for detailed trail conditions and descriptions.

About our trails:

Volunteers, often associated with local snowmobile clubs, maintain the trails. Trails near Millinocket and East Millinocket are located on private timberlands owned and managed by Katahdin Forest Management and on a town lot in East Millinocket. These trails (Milkt map) occur in a working forest setting where multiple uses are welcome! Timber harvests periodically take place in the vicinity of these trails.

At the southern end of Baxter State Park, day use skiers make use of several hiking trails suitable for skiing originating out of the Abol Area. These trails are not groomed and offer a more backcountry type of experience.

About Cross Country Skiing:

Cross Country Skiing (also Nordic Skiing or XC Skiing) is, in the opinion of many exercise physiologists and researchers, the world's best aerobic fitness activity. A XC skier can burn 500 calories per hour at a moderate, steady pace. The quick learning curve, low injury rate, and natural motions of XC Skiing allow folks of all ages, fitness levels and interests to participate. Equipment costs are very reasonable and will last for many years. Combine all those positives with the beautiful winter scenery of the Katahdin Area, and what are you waiting for? ... Get out there!

As summer draws to an end and the days grow shorter and evenings cooler, the leaves take on a blaze of colors that foliage viewers dream of. Combine hues of orange, yellow and red with the already breathtaking backdrop of Mt. Katahdin and you'll be in for a true autumn season delight. Make your reservations for lodging to view the Katahdin Region's incomparable fall splendor.

The Katahdin Region's lakes and streams are teaming with bass, salmon, lake trout, brook trout, splake, perch and pickerel. Whether you prefer to cast a fly from stream's edge or gently paddle on a remote pond or lake, there are plenty of options for today's angler.

Check out a fly fishing excursion from a canoe or from the banks of the Penobscot River by yourself or with one of the area's many fishing guides. Landlocked salmon make the Penobscot River a prime fishing location and if you're looking for brook trout, bring your rod to any of our brooks and streams and cast away.

Any of our area lakes are accessable by boat or canoe. Try trolling on Ambajejus, North Twin, South Twin, Millinocket, Katahdin, Pemadumcook or Chesuncook Lakes with an experienced outfitter. Or if you need assistance in finding the right spot to catch that trophy bass, select one of the area's many guide services to make that dream come true.

Is ice fishing your pleasure? Set your traps and watch the flags fly as pickerel and salmon take the bait. Jig for smelt by day and fish for cusk by night. Get ready for an unforgettable ice fishing adventure in the Katahdin Region.

Golf enthusiasts need not fear.  The Katahdin Region is the home of Hillcrest Golf Club; a 9-hole course with luscious, well-maintained greens that have been touted by guests as the best in the state!  The 2,477 yards of greens are located on hilly, tree-lined terrain with a par of 33 for men and 34 for women.  Whether you join them for one of their weekly tournaments, or venture out on your own for a round or two, Hillcrest is sure to satisfy your golfing needs.  Forget your clubs?  Cart and club rentals are available on-site.

Baxter State Park offers day hikes for hikers of all ability levels. Trails in Baxter State Park span from sea level to the peak of Mt. Katahdin standing 5,268 feet tall. It is also the tallest peak in Maine and Mt. Katahdin is also well known for being the last stop on the Appalachian Trail. Check at the Baxter State Park Visitor Center for recommendations for your group.

Gulf Hagas is truly one of the areas best kept secrets. It is known as the Grand Canyon of the East with dimensions that measure 4 miles long with 300-400 foot high slate walls. The 8.5-mile loop trail includes views of waterfalls, chutes and pools.

The Mattawamkeag Wilderness Park is yet another scenic treasure in the region.

The Katahdin Region is the gateway to thousands of acres of woodlands where hunting is permitted to those holding a valid Maine hunting license. Wildlife including rabbits, grouse, whitetail deer, moose and bear are legal game for guided or independent hunting in the region.

Registered Maine Guides are available to help make your hunting experience successful. Line up a guide plus lodging in a rustic sporting camp or in one of our local hotels.

The options are many and the region is full of nature's finest selection of game. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife provides hunters with regulations and guidelines for hunting during all seasons.

During the spring and summer months visitors come to this area to catch a glimpse of the Maine's most watched mammal, the moose. Moose watching is fast becoming the Katahdin Region's favorite family activity and can be done by boat, car and even by foot. Moose seem to pop up where you least expect them, especially on the roads, so travel carefully!

The Katahdin area probably has more moose per square mile than any other place in Maine. Unlike the coastal and southern areas of Maine, the Katahdin region offers natural habitat including woodlands, wetlands and marshes, vegetation (food), and ponds (water) for moose to prosper. The Katahdin area features forests that extend from Millinocket to Canada with little in between but woodlands and wildlife. Baxter State Park also provides over 200,000 acres of land where moose are protected from hunting.

Your best chance of spotting moose is either at dawn or sunset at the edges of area lakes and ponds. Many visitors will utilize a moose tour company for ensuring their best chance of viewing Moose while visiting the Katahdin Area. Some moose tour companies offer boat and kayak trips while others utilize vans. Registered Maine Guides are licensed to take visitors on moose tours.

Photographers in search of the perfect picture frequent the Katahdin Area. Unique photo opportunities present themselves at bogs where moose feed, on the Penobscot River where daredevil boaters negotiate relentless rapids or at one of our many lakes with breathtaking views of Mt. Katahdin.

There are many photographers in the Katahdin Region of true professional caliber and they are ready to help you accentuate your home with their work. Take a stroll into the Memories of Maine Gallery or the Northlight Gallery, both situated on Penobscot Avenue in downtown Millinocket, and you'll see what we mean.

If you are looking for a thrill that only comes from jumping out of a plane, tandem skydiving is where it's at; complete with ground school, experienced instructors, and magnificent views of Mt. Katahdin.  Experience your 11,000 ft. jump over the Katahdin Area; reaching speeds of up to 120 mph.  The inital plunge will rock your world!  Once the parachute is opened, enjoy the scenic Katahdin Region from a bird's eye view, as you float to your landing and take in the region's beauty.

Check out - Snow Weekend! - East Branch Sno Rovers.

The Katahdin Area offers over 350 miles of groomed trails providing for some of the most spectacular snowmobiling in Maine. Area businesses and hotels cater to snowmobilers and with average snowfalls of 100 inches or more each season, the Katahdin Region is a true winter paradise. The scenery across the base of Mt. Katahdin, as you travel through the Maine woods, is just breathtaking. The area clubs are commited to making sure that the snowfall we get is optimized for the best snowmobiling experience found anywhere. These local snowmobile clubs are truly welcome places for the trail rider to pit-stop for hot food and drink, to engage in the local cameraderie, and share your trail experiences. These clubs are spaced within easy riding distance of one another. Look for trail signs leading to the Northern Timbers Cruisers clubhouse and the New England Outdoor Center in Millinocket and eight miles away in East Millinocket, one can usually find the East Branch Sno' Rovers Club open for business. And if one is interested in exploring the area north of town, traveling onto the Aroostook County trail system, and west toward Kokadjo, be sure to first stop into Twin Pines at Millinocket Lake for any needed supplies before continuing on with your trek.

Trailside gas, snowmobile rental, lodging and meals are available all along the interconnected trail system (ITS). Area clubs will have maps specifically showing their groomed trails , points of interest and directions on where to acquire these neccessities and will have the Maine ITS map created by the Maine Snowmobile Association available for distribution. Download the 2006 - 2007 .pdf version of this map to see the vast expanse of trails offered in Maine to the snowmobile enthusiast. For those that are new to the sport, sled rentals are also available at many places throughout the Katahdin Region. Check out the Katahdin Region for your next snowmobiling vacation adventure!

Check out this youtube video!

Whitewater enthusiasts have the thrill of a lifetime awaiting them in the Katahdin Region. Rafting companies offer daily trips on one of Maine's premier whitewater rivers, the Penobscot River. Professional guides provide guests with a thorough safety orientation and all equipment is furnished. Buses transport guests to the river and then the fun really begins.

The West Branch of the Penobscot River has class 4 and 5 whitewater that takes you through many exciting falls and rapids. Exterminator, Staircase, Cribworks, Big Ambejackmockamus and Nesowadnehunk Falls rapids provide some of the best whitewater in the Eastern United States.

Hearty grilled lunches are served riverside and offer a much welcomed break.

Call or visit the website of any of our area's rafting companies to plan your whitewater rafting trip today!