Moving to Southern Maine

[Artex]

Hey all. I'm moving to York County, ME in about three weeks. I don't know a heck of a lot about the area (but do know I'm only about 90 minutes away from the Whites). I was wondering if anybody knows of any cool nearby hiking or cross-country skiing areas within the somewhat immediate vicinity? Danka in advance.

 

[Mad Townie]

Beach hiking

That's about it, unless you go to the Whites or north to the Maine mountains. York County ain't too hilly! Only one small hill (can't remember the name, it starts with an A).

Don't know about XC ski places, but my guess is there's a fair amount of open land you can ski on with landowner's permission, so long as you're away from the coast.

 

[Artex]

I don't know, I drove around in northern York County and it looked pretty darn hilly. Not to the degree of the Whites, of course, but still. Just wondering if what I saw was open land.

 

[Greg]

Mt. Agamenticus, more popularly know as Mt. A, is in York. Can't remember the name of the road, but if you take the road opposite Flos hotdogs (great hotdogs) on Rt. 1 it'll take you right there. It's only 600 and some feet, but it's a fun little mtn. I usually head northeast from the summit, which you can drive to, and hit a sub-peak called second hill on a variety of trails. Second hill is very quiet. Mt. A gets quite a bit of use on weekends.
Welcome to Maine! If your schedule is as wacky as mine, maybe we can get a hike in together.

 

[Artex]

Thanks Greg and Mt. Townie. I saw Mt. "A" in the AMC guidebook. I'll definitely check it out once I'm settled. It also seems like there's a lot around there also that's not listed in said book. I was pleasantly surprised at the terrain and what I saw in general during my most recent trip up there.

Greg, my work hours will be somewhat "normal", so I'd love to get together to do some hikes on the weekends.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

It also seems like there's a lot around there also that's not listed in said book. I was pleasantly surprised at the terrain and what I saw in general during my most recent trip up there.

Though I have not read it, it seems (judging from the title) that you might find 50 Hikes in Coastal and Southern Maine useful.

 

[^MtnMike^]

Hey Artex,

I live in Saco and am currently looking for a fairly regular hiking partner. PM me if you are interested

Oh, and welcome to Vacationland.

^MtnMike^

 

[Artex]

Thanks all.

 

[trailbiscuit]

For nordic skiing check out the Pinelands in New Gloucester. It's a new touring center with solid terrain and plans to expand.
Not much info here, but a decent intro:
http://www.pinelandfarms.org/recreation/crosscountryskiing/ccskiinghome.htm

 

[maineguy]

Mt A is a good choice. Also, just south of the "mountain" are miles and miles of trails and roads thru a very wild area which is home to the numerous reservoirs for the town of Kittery. You can't swim or fish the reservoirs but you can hike, mt bike and ski the area. One point of access to this area is just opposite the road which leads to the top of Mt A off of Mountain Road.

 

[marty]

For more information on Mt. Agementicus, please see my recent ME Trail Conditions post. By the way, there were trail maps available at the trailhead kiosks. You can also get maps off the internet by Googling up Mt. Agementicus.

 

[peakbagger]

A good group to hook up with is the Maine Outdoor Activities Club,. they are based out of Portland but have a fairly broad depth of membership and usually have some good events year round. I suspect that there is a subgroup of members that can help you out. They have monthly meetings in Portland (and Bangor), but you can just join the club and use their website if you dont want to drive up.

 

[Artex]

Thanks again everyone, I appreciate the tips. I'll look into everyone's suggestions.

Peakbagger, Portland will only be about a 45 minute drive from the town I'm moving to. I'll check them out. Danka!

 

[Greg]

Rapid Ray's is pretty good. Great fries and burgers, but it is really fun to watch them put the fixins on your hotdogs.