Spending any time in Maine during the winter provides almost innumerable opportunities to explore, adventure, try new things or enjoy the tried and true.

With winter recreational centers from small to huge, you can try snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing or just head downhill on slopes designed for everyone of every ability.

With new additions to lift systems and snowmaking, Western Maine can boast some of the best, if not the best, skiing in the Northeast. And as people look for new adventures, the areas are responding by expanding glade skiing for those who like to swoosh a little more slowly than the daredevils on the black diamonds. Check out the new glades at Sugarloaf and Black Mountain in Rumford.

For the snowboarders out there who want more of a challenge, the ski areas are also responding. New terrain parks are beginning to replace some other more conventional snowboarding areas and, as unlikely as it sounds, you can now find skiers in terrain parks. Mt. Abram has just made such a change.

Mainers have long enjoyed the serenity of putting on their snowshoes or cross country skis and heading out into the forest. Sharing trail systems for the snowmobilers that crisscross the state. There are also more formal ways to enjoy these same sports at cross country ski centers that welcome you back with hot soup and cocoa.

If you are looking for a less physical activity, take a sleigh ride through the woods covered in warm quilts and watch nature at its best, or discover the fun of a dogsled ride.

There are weekend festivals in many of Western Maine’s lovely villages and weeklong themed activities at the resorts and ski areas.

In short, there is something for everyone and so many ways to enjoy the gifts of Maine’s winter, that no one should be bored.

Discover Western Maine

this winter!