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Katahdin Region 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
(overview 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.
 The Northern Timber
Cruisers Snowmobile and Cross Country Ski Club grooms and maintains about 20 miles of wilderness cross country ski trails. It is one of the
few areas that provides track set trails and scenic views based on a no use fee.
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, with each
location featuring solitude and unparalleled scenery.
Millinocket Area Trails:
 The most actively maintained trails are near
Millinocket. Volunteers with the Northern Timber
Cruisers Snowmobile and Cross Country Ski Club
groom and maintain roughly 20 miles of
cross-country ski trails. Trails are normally
groomed after each major storm (6”+ of new
snow). Dogs are not permitted on the trails at
either the Bait Hole or Clubhouse. Dogs are
welcome at the Jerry Pond recreation area.
These track-set trails are available for your
use without a fee. Donations to assist with
maintenance costs are welcome and may be sent to
the Northern Timber Cruisers, P.O. Box 269,
Millinocket, Maine 04462-0269 with the notation,
“Ski Trails”.
For more information on these wonderful trails,
along with daily reports on skiing conditions,
contact Don Nodine at 207-723-4329 ... and make
sure to thank him, he’s one of the trail
systems' originators, architects, groomers and a
die-hard X-C skier!
Bait
Hole Trails:
 Located on Route 11, just 3 miles southwest of town,
the Bait Hole (BH map)
offers double-tracked and single-tracked ski
trails with room off to the side for snowshoeing
for roughly 3 miles of the trail. Impressive
views of Mt. Katahdin may be seen from the
shores of Elbow Lake. This trail system is very
popular because it can be skied with minimum
snow cover and the trails are wide, well-groomed
and mostly flat with a couple of gentle hills
making them suitable for skiers of all
abilities. At the trail head are maps showing
the easiest loops. The Bait Hole Loop is roughly 3 miles long and skiers can
take short cuts or add side loops to reduce or
increase the distance from 1 to 8 miles.
The Bait Hole gets its name from a small pond
that baitfish were kept in, isolated from the
larger nearby lake by a causeway built
associated with the North Twin Dam. Large drifts
can form near these causeways due to the strong
winds coming across Elbow Lake. “No Wind Way” is
a good option to avoid these drifts, and with
the right conditions, the views are great from
the causeways.
Trail Details:
Parking for the Bait Hole Trail is roughly 3
miles south of Millinocket on the north side of
Route 11. (From I-95, Exit 244, take Route 11
South through Millinocket.)
Starting at the parking lot there are free maps
and a color coded map showing the groomed trail.
North Twin Dam Loop
- West or left to North Twin Dam and
loop back -- 1.6 miles. There is one steep hill
by the dam.
Bait Hole Loop –
West or left, then loops right (clockwise)
continue on across causeways, north or right
along Elbow Lake and then through the woods to
Three Corners, then via Four Corners and return
toward parking area, about a 3 mile loop.
No Wind Way /
Causeway Bypass - Avoids wind,
drifts and possibly low snow cover near the
causeways.
Center Trail –
This begins at the railroad tracks and can form
a short 1 mile loop with No Wind Way. It is also a good
choice for spring skiing, even into early April,
to access the rest of the Bait Hole during low
snow.
Four Corners
– This is the starting point for several
loop trails. Beaver Pond Inlet Trail leads to
the Old Boston Trail and to Super Loop. Both
trails either loop back or continue to the
Golden Road.
Clubhouse Trails:
Another popular set of trails (NTC map) starts
at the Northern Timber Cruisers Clubhouse which
is 1.6 miles northwest of Penobscot Avenue in
Millinocket on the Baxter State Park Road. These
trails are completely separate from the
snowmobile trails that tie into the Clubhouse
and are also groomed with set tracks for
traditional skiing. Light lunches are served
from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends at the NTC clubhouse.
There are three parallel trails going north from
the clubhouse: A West, A East and K Trails. The
A trail splits into A West and A East a short
distance north of the clubhouse. Each route has
occasional views of Mt. Katahdin and are
generally well sheltered in the woods. Skiers
may take 3 to 5 mile loops through the woods or
may extend their trip up to as much as 9 miles
round trip across Little Smith Pond and a
wetland area which provide magnificent views of
Mount Katahdin, to a warming hut on the far or
northern side of the wetland or fen.
Trail Details:
Parking is available at the Northern Timber
Cruisers Clubhouse.
A East –
This trail comes out onto the K Trall. There are a
number of moderate uphills as you head north.
A West –
Goes northwest to B West, Little Smith Brook
Pond and then to the C Trail to form loops.
This trail has fewer hills.
B West Loop -
Goes northeast to Little Smith Brook Pond
then crosses the pond to A West and returns to
the clubhouse to make a loop
roughly 3 miles long.
C Trail -
Connects A West and K Trail making a 5.5 mile loop.
Travel counter clockwise (A-East or K, then C,
then A-West) to minimize steep downhills.
K Trail –
This trail goes north from the Clubhouse,
parallel and east of the A trail. There is a
steep hill with a curve 300 yards north of the
Clubhouse. A quarter mile form the Clubhouse,
the K Trail becomes an unplowed truck road. This
wide opening in the forest is a windy and very
COLD when there is a north wind. 1.1
miles north of the Clubhouse the K Trail goes to
the right and runs parallel and east of the
truck road. (Big Rock), a large erratic, is on
the right. The K Trail extends 0.7 miles as a
separate trail parallel the truck road. The the
truck road leaves the K Trail (goes northeast).
The K Trail connects with the C Trail (which
goes west to the A West Trail). The K Trail
continues north, crosses a bridge then continues
1.7 miles to the warming hut. The Warming Hut is
a 6’X8’ A-frame equipped with a woodstove.
Visitors are welcome to stop and warm up! K
Trail hills are steepest when going south.
OTHER CROSS COUNTRY SKIING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE
KATAHDIN REGION
For more information on other cross country
skiing opportunities in the Katahdin Region
visit the Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce's
web site at
www.katahdinmaine.com
Cross Country Ski Trail Maps
Below are updated
trail maps for the bait hole and Northern Timber Cruiser clubhouse cross country
ski trails. These may be viewed online or saved (PDF) to your computer by
clicking on the underlined links below.
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