MAINE

Bethel is an ideal place for walkers of all ages and abilities, from a leisurely stroll through the National Historic District to a more rigorous walk through the village up Paradise Road. For starters, the Bethel Recreational Path is a one-mile multi-use paved trail that begins at Davis Park and extends across the Androscoggin River on a multi-use bridge and out to the North Road. The path features an authentic scaled replica of the famous Artists’ Covered Bridge over the Sunday River. The Androscoggin River Recreational Walking Trail is a 1.5-mile trail from the Riverside Rest Area on Route 2, three miles east of Bethel, to the River View Resort. This trail provides the visitor an opportunity to see the river up close and enjoy the serenity of a wooded setting.

Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary on Highland Spring Road in Lewiston is a 357-acre wildlife preserve. At an elevation of 510 feet, the sanctuary is a forested oasis surrounded on three sides by urban and suburban Lewiston. The "Crag" is renowned as an excellent spot for birdwatching, and is the home base of the Stanton Bird Club. Other activities at the Crag include picnicking, hiking, walking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, sledding, skating, nature photography. Thorncrag encompasses six wildlife habitats: upland wetlands, mixed forest, restored farm meadows, vernal pools, coniferous old growth forest, built environment (fireplaces, trails, foundations, walls, etc.). These habitats support large, diverse populations of wildlife, trees, and plants.

Maine’s only basilica towers over Lewiston’s downtown. The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at 22 Ash Street is a must-see for its beautiful rose window and architecture that was modeled after the cathedral at Chartres in France. Founded in 1870, the basilica is the oldest parish for the French-speaking Catholics in Portland. The history of Saints Peter and Paul parish isn't just the chronicle of an old church, but of the faith of the French immigrants whose struggles, patience, and great generosity built it. The church received the title of basilica in 2005. The public is welcome to visit Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday Mass is held at 10 a.m. Phone: 207-777-1200.

Kid visitors get dibs on the fun of snow tubing at Sugarloaf at 5092 Access Road in Carrabassett Valley. Sugarloaf offers tubing for children on the Birches trail, near the base lodge, under lights, on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. There are no pre-sales or reservations for tubing. Call Guest Services at 207-237-6939 for the latest conditions and hours of operation. Phone: 207-237-2000

Experience the thrill and beauty of sledding over frozen ground and snowy mountain passes behind a team of powerful Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamutes. New England Dogsledding is located in Mason Township, on the Maine and New Hampshire border of the White Mountain National Forest. The company hosts fun and educational dog sledding, mushing, and sled dog tours in the Bethel, Maine; the Sunday River Ski Area; North Conway, New Hampshire; and on 15,000-acre Wilderness Trail System at the Balsams, New Hampshire. The company teaches guests the ropes and allows them to experience the thrill of driving their own team. Be whisked off on an amazing winter adventure through the majestic wilderness. Phone: 207-836-2703.

Mount Blue State Park at 299 Center Hill Road in Weld covers 8,000 acres in two sections separated by Webb Lake. A campground in the Webb Beach section has 136 wooded sites a short walk from a sandy beach and picnic area. Visitors can swim, launch and rent boats, and walk on trails near the lake. During summer months, park staff routinely offer canoe trips, walks, and nature programs. A Nature Center features hands-on exhibits and displays. Across the lake from the Webb Beach section is the centerpiece of the Park, 3,187-foot Mount Blue, a popular day hike. Visitors also enjoy walks and picnics on Center Hill. Mountain bikers, equestrians, and ATV riders can use 25 miles of challenging trails. In winter, the park's extensive trail system supports snowmobiling, snowshoeing. and cross-country skiing. Phone: 207-585-2347.

It has been called the “ultimate low-impact winter sport” – that is, a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the New England woods and meadows. That description is, well, reasonable, but a sleigh ride also is pure fun in a beautiful, unforgettable winter landscape. Rides are offered by many farms, including High View Farm in Harrison, where the farm’s host promise that the jingle of sleigh bells on the night air will ring on as a wonderful and lingering memory. Phone: 207-595-1601. Meadon Creek Farm in Sumner offers sleigh rides at many different locations throughout Maine. Each of the beautiful Belgian draft horse teams weighs 2000 pounds and carries more than 200 bells on the harnesses and wagon. Meadow Creek also offers private specialty rides geared to your specifications. Phone: 207-388-2044.

What's the quickest and most accessible way to scale a mountain, follow a river or get in some lake time during winter in Maine? On a snowmobile. More than 14,000 miles of marked and groomed trails await snowmobilers in every region of the state. Mountain ranges, iced-over lakes and ponds, and multi-purpose trails with beautiful vistas are all part of the trail network in Maine. Guide services provide snowmobile rentals, guided touring trips and overnight packages with local accommodations.

What's the quickest and most accessible way to scale a mountain, follow a river or get in some lake time during winter in Maine? On a snowmobile. More than 14,000 miles of marked and groomed trails await snowmobilers in every region of the state. Mountain ranges, iced-over lakes and ponds, and multi-purpose trails with beautiful vistas are all part of the trail network in Maine. Guide services provide snowmobile rentals, guided touring trips and overnight packages with local accommodations.

Trail to 53,000 Works of Art The Maine Art Museum Trail offers more than 53,000 works of art, from ancient to contemporary, in a dazzling array of collections at seven leading art museums. Museums on the trail include Bates College Museum of Art (Lewiston), Bowdoin College Museum of Art (Brunswick), Colby College Museum of Art (Waterville), Farnsworth Art Museum (Rockland), Ogunquit Museum of American Art (Ogunquit), Portland Museum of Art (Portland), and University of Maine Museum of Art (Bangor). The museums’ permanent collections include works of art by the many artists who have vacationed or worked in Maine. They also feature masterpieces by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, and Pablo Picasso, Greek and Roman sculpture, early American silver and furniture, and contemporary textiles, prints, ceramics, and sculpture. Some museums also offer free admission during selected hours.

To say the snowmobile trails in Maine are some of the finest in the country would be an understatement at best. Maine’s Interconnected Trail System (ITS) is provided to snowmobilers through the joint effort of the Maine Snowmobile Association, headquartered in Augusta, and the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, Department of Conservation. The organization’s website provides maps and directions, information on trail conditions and planning a trip, calendars of snowmobiling events, directories of snowmobiling clubs, and much more. You can get a detailed map of the Interconnected Trail System by contacting the Maine Snowmobile Association at PO Box 80, Augusta, 04332. Phone: 207-622-6983