Cross Country Ski Trails - Millinocket Maine

The Northern Timber Cruisers Snowmobile and Cross Country Ski Club grooms and maintains over 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.

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.

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, however, on a groomed trail at the Hidden Springs Campground (just east of the Clubhouse).

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 south 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 (BH Exp map) 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 south side of Route 11. (From I-95, Exit 244, take Route 11 South through Millinocket.)

Start – From the parking lot, cross the highway to where there is a sign, free maps and a color coded map showing the groomed trail. The access trail parallels Route 11, then crosses a set of active railroad tracks to trails.

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 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 via the Golden Road Connection to Clubhouse.

Clubhouse or Smith Brook 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 will connect to B West, C, and K trails. At the northern end it accesses a Warming Hut via Little Smith Pond. There are a number of moderate uphills as you head north.

A West – Goes northwest to Little Smith Brook Pond and then to either B West or C Trail to form loops. This trail has few hills. Skiers may also may connect to the Bait Hole trails by crossing the State and Golden Roads from A-West.

B West - Connects A West and A East to make a loop roughly 3 miles long.

C Trail - Connects A West and A East before reaching Little Smith Pond, 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 connects with B and C Trails as well as A-East north of Little Smith Pond. After the Pond, it continues to the Warming Hut which is 4.5 miles from the Clubhouse. 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 north.

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

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.

All Distances From the N.T.C. Clubhouse
To the Bait Hole	2.5 Miles
To the Warming Hut	5 Miles
To the Bait Hole Trail System	6 Miles