2023 Snowmobile Trail Conditions Report: The Forks, Maine
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 1/15/2023
We were able to get out and groom most of our system last night and overall conditions are pretty good.
Early season conditions, watch for water holes and note the woods sections are boney. We still need more snow for some club trails. Snow depth varies greatly across the system. Winter is shaping up! Get out, ride and make sure to support the businesses supporting these trails and join the club!
ITS 87 Groomed and in good condition.
ITS 86 Groomed and in good condition. Trail uses Indian Pond Road to Dyer Road. Shared road, active hauling so yield and use caution. This will change back to old route by next weekend using the Shirley Tote Road.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and in great shape.
Moxie Falls Trail Ungroomed but passable.
Kennebec River Trail Ungroomed, steep hill washed out and a few trees down we plan on clearing today.
Caratunk Spur Trail Ungroomed but passable.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed for the season due to active logging.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in great shape. Trail currently goes to the Breakneck Ridge Trail only due to logging. Will fully open soon.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS UPDATE 1/18/2023
Kennebec River Trail was cleared of downed trees (thank you Scott Newton / 201 PowerSports).
We have an open water section several inches deep on ITS 87 before ITS 86 intersection. About 20 feet long. Use caution. People have been able to get across and around.
ITS 86 will remain on the Indian Pond Road and Dyer Road through the weekend and revert back to old route off Shirley Tote Road Monday.
Breakneck Ridge Trail has a shared plowed road section on the York Road for a few hundred yards. Heavy active logging there and on Shirley Tote Road. Use caution and stay on side of road.
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS UPDATE 1/20/2023
There is a large waterhole right after the ITS 86/87 intersection headed towards Moxie. Avoid heading to Greenville until waterhole freezes – originally people were able to get around it, but it has grown. We will try to fill it in and hope it freezes tonight. Otherwise, trail report below is the same– only closures are lower Bald Mountain Trail and Pleasant Pond Trail. Full trail report and update will be up tomorrow once groomers get out tonight.
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 1/21/2023
Our system received 4 to 6 inches throughout, allowing for major improvements to our trails. We still need more cold weather as there are a lot of passable water holes system wide.
ITS 87 Groomed, in great shape overall. Dirt road trail sections are mint. Woods sections are boney and have water holes. All are passable and we filled in quite a few and hope the cold temps tonight lock them up a bit. There is a section we didn’t get to between the ITS86/87 intersection back to the kennebec river trail that didn’t get groomed but in very good shape. Moores bog area is the roughest, wettest section.
ITS 86 Groomed and in good to great shape. Zach was able to work some magic and fill in the nasty waterhole that was just after the 86/87 intersection (see pic at Club Page). Some other water holes that were mostly filled in the woods section. Powerline is thin, use caution.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and in very good shape. A few washouts so use caution.
Moxie Falls Access Trail Ungroomed, waiting for more snow. Passable.
Kennebec River Trail Opened, groomed and most of it in very good condition. The stretch above the Flood road to ITS87 is rough but very passable.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in mint condition. Only connects to Breakneck Ridge at this time. We expect to have the rest of the trail back soon. Shirley Tote Road is a plowed shared road this year. We will groom the ditch once we get enough snow.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in mint condition. Use caution on a short section of shared plowed road where there is logging. Stay right and yield.
Caratunk Spur Trail Groomed and in good to great condition. A few waterholes easily navigated.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed for the season.
Northern Outdoors Free Park and Ride 1/4 south of Northern Outdoors, plowed and open.
The two pictures below are the results of Zach’s work tonight to fill in a massive ditch. The operators put in some very long shifts tonight to make this happen. Make sure you join and support the club. Try and stay off fresh groomed trails so they can setup especially with this warm weather. If you are out, use common sense and respect for the trails. We all need to do our part.
Ben Towle
Trailmaster
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 1/25/2023
Much needed cold nights and snow coming. We had all three groomers out last night getting ready for the storm.
ITS 87 Groomed and in good to great condition. Woods still rough and we still have water holes around the Moores Bog area.
ITS 86 Groomed and in good to great condition. Note trail is moved back from the Indian Pond Road / Dyer Road to the Shirley Tote Road / Black Nubble Road. Shirley Road is shared with logging trucks, use caution.
**We still have the large water hole just south of the Boise Road. There is a 70 foot detour trail around the waterhole. It is a single track. Very easy to navigate and solid. The approaches on both ends are marked with “DETOUR AHEAD” signs. This will be the route until the waterhole freezes over- hopefully next week with the steady colder temperatures.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and in excellent condition.
Moxie Falls Trail Groomed and in great condition.
Kennebec River Trail Groomed and in great shape. A little rough in the woods above the Flood Road. More snow needed.
Caratunk Spur Trail Groomed and in excellent condition.
Bald Mountain Trail Upper half to Breakneck ridge only open. Groomed and in excellent condition. We expect cutting on lower half that connects to Windmill Trail to be open in a few weeks.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in excellent condition. Shared plowed road section, use caution.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
Forks Area Snowmobile Trails- Video Report
Ride along with Zach on his first video trail report of the season!
2/3/2023 Grooming Update
We had two groomers break down during Thursday night’s shift, so we were only able to groom a portion of our system. But, all the trails were already in great shape and should hold fine with this cold. Also, most clubs are keeping the groomers in the garages this weekend due to extremely cold temps. No need to put machines or drivers at risk. Forks Area Trails Club is not going out Fri or Sat night, but will be out again Sunday night.
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 2/2/2023
Use caution this weekend due to the extreme cold weather. Frostbite sets under 10 minutes with the temps and wind chill they are calling for. A breakdown, an accident all become serious issues.
ITS 87 Groomed and in great to excellent shape. A few minor trouble spots in the woods but otherwise great condition.
ITS 86 Groomed and in great to excellent shape shape. The waterhole near the Boise Rd is now freezing up nicely and easily navigated. We have resumed grooming through. There is still a small water hole (very shallow) near the Brochu Rd. It shouldn’t be of concern. Powerline section can use more snow. Shirley Tote Road still shared for logging for the season. Use caution. Plenty of snow on the road.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and in excellent condition.
Moxie Falls Trail Groomed this past weekend and in great condition.
Kennebec River Trail Groomed and in great condition. Steep hill by Flood Road could use more snow but passable.
Caratunk Spur Trail Groomed and in excellent condition.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in excellent condition. Upper half only. Bottom portion connecting to Windmill Trail remains closed for logging.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in excellent condition. Shared plowed section through here, use caution.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
Video Trail Report, February 9th 2023
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 2/6/2023
The cold weather combined with grooming last night made the trails today the best they have been. Mostly mint conditions! In town high traffic areas and in the tight woods sections could still use a bit more snow but by far the best we have seen.
ITS 87 Groomed and in excellent shape. Flat and fast.
ITS 86 Groomed and in great to excellent shape shape. The waterhole is not an issue. Powerline section could use more snow but it’s a short section. Shirley Tote Road still shared for logging for the season. Use caution. Plenty of snow on the road.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and in excellent condition.
Moxie Falls Trail Groomed and in great condition.
Kennebec River Trail Groomed and in great condition. Steep hill by Flood Road could use more snow.
Caratunk Spur Trail Groomed and in excellent condition.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in excellent condition. Upper half only. Bottom portion connecting to Windmill Trail remains closed for logging.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in excellent condition. Shared plowed section through here, use caution.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 2/14/2023
We sent all three groomers out last night.
I want to note, there are a lot of new people to the sport and we all need to help educate each other of how this all works and why and what doesn’t. And a good reminder for the trail warriors and veterans too.
3 main things kill the trails. We will do further posts explaining each as there are always variables.
1. Traffic
2. Warm weather
3. Aggressive riding and actually any riding under certain conditions on fresh groom trails.
To the people I saw last night, you guys were stewards of how to ride fresh groomed trails. We and all of today’s riders thank you.
The warm weather means trails get beat up faster and we will explain in detail on another post. But that’s what we have been dealing with along with a lot of traffic to the area due to few other places to ride. Sadly all of those additional riders are not joining *our* club. Maybe they join a neighboring club or their home club which is great but its not a revenue sharing platform per say 🙂 It’s amazing to me we have just over 100 members in the Forks area trails system. So get on it! Skip the Starbucks and Dunkin for a week, I assure you they will make it. Less than a tank a gas keeps us grooming and maintaining our aging equipment.
Ok now on to the trail report…
ITS 87 Groomed and in much better shape than I expected. Best sections are south of Caratunk headed towards Bingham, about perfect. In town is thin and rough (traffic and lack of snow) but it’s a short section.
ITS 86 Groomed and in good shape. Some moguls in corners we have been grinding down but still noticeable. The waterhole on 86 near the Boise road is starting to open back up and we will be monitoring. Warm nights are not helping anything. There is a bypass around if need be. Powerlines are thin but it’s a short section.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and as good as it gets! Seriously if you haven’t done this loop, check it out! Loops back to ITS87.
Moxie Falls Trail Groomed 2/11 and in great shape.
Kennebec River Trail Groomed and in good shape. Little thin in the woods section.
Caratunk Spur Trail Groomed and in excellent condition.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in excellent shape. Mint! Still only upper half to Breakneck Ridge open.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in excellent condition! On our portion there is a short couple hundred yard shared section for logging, use caution. On other end towards Shirley/Monson is a longer plowed stretch but other trails off to bypass.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 2/22/2023
Winter returns this week!
Last couple of nights we have groomed our trails but have been plagued with groomer issues. Our newest groomer (2007) is down right now. We were able to limp it back, but as a result part of ITS87 between Caratunk and The Forks was not groomed. The good news is that section was groomed the night before and held up well due to the lower temps.
We definitely need the snow coming – there are bare and rough sections in the woods as well as in high traffic sections.
We will be out again tonight prepping base for the storm.
ITS 87 Most of it is groomed, the southern section south of Caratunk is in excellent condition.
We extended grooming into Bingham’s system last night to finish the Moxie Mountain Loop. A few waterholes have appeared again…use caution. These can open up at anytime. Do NOT rely on signage.
ITS 86 Groomed and in great shape. We have a temporary reroute around the water hole east of ITS87 so look for signage. Plowed road sections are getting a bit dirty around the Shirley Tote Road.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and in excellent shape.
Moxie Falls Trail Groomed on 2/18 and in good condition.
Kennebec River Trail Groomed on the 21st. North of the Flood Road needs more snow to continue grooming that section. Short span. Rest is in great condition.
Caratunk Spur Trail Groomed and in excellent condition.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in excellent shape.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in excellent shape. Short plowed road section on our system. If you follow all the way through, the other end has a longer plowed section. But there are trails off from it beyond our system.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS UPDATE 2/25/2023
We received approximately 4″ Thurs/Thurs night- certainly not what we’d hoped for, but it all helps! Two groomers were out last night to cover the system and things looks good. Coverage in-town is fairly thin, so will get beat up with heavy traffic. Enjoy the beautiful day!
Zach’s Latest Video Trail Report- 2/23/2023
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 2/28/2023
Last week we said winter returns. That apparently was a joke, the cold returned so we will try again this week. Snow in the forecast tonight and Saturday- and we can use some. We will be out grooming again Wednesday night.
ITS 87 Groomed and the southern section south of Caratunk is in excellent condition. We continue grooming into Bingham’s system to finish the Moxie Mountain Loop. Waterholes have frozen back up. Icy corners and ice chop in the woods. Intown section is rough, some loose rocks etc and in fair condition.
ITS 86 Groomed and in great shape. We still have a temp reroute around the water hole east of ITS87 so look for signage. There is ice chop in the woods and in some corners. Not much we can do with it. Rapid warm weather and rapid cold weather and riding after grooming on those transition nights are a big reason. Note there is a lot of ice under the fluff. Make sure your carbides are in good shape!
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and in excellent shape.
Moxie Falls Trail Groomed on 2/18 and still in good condition.
Kennebec River Trail Groomed and most of it in great shape. North of the Flood Road is rough and needs more snow cover to fill in. That section is in fair shape.
Caratunk Spur Trail Groomed and in excellent condition.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in excellent shape.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in excellent shape. Short plowed road section on our system. If you follow all the way through, the other end has a longer plowed section. But there are trails off from it beyond our system.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 2/28/2023
Last week we said winter returns. That apparently was a joke, the cold returned so we will try again this week. Snow in the forecast tonight and Saturday- and we can use some. We will be out grooming again Wednesday night.
ITS 87 Groomed and the southern section south of Caratunk is in excellent condition. We continue grooming into Bingham’s system to finish the Moxie Mountain Loop. Waterholes have frozen back up. Icy corners and ice chop in the woods. Intown section is rough, some loose rocks etc and in fair condition.
ITS 86 Groomed and in great shape. We still have a temp reroute around the water hole east of ITS87 so look for signage. There is ice chop in the woods and in some corners. Not much we can do with it. Rapid warm weather and rapid cold weather and riding after grooming on those transition nights are a big reason. Note there is a lot of ice under the fluff. Make sure your carbides are in good shape!
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and in excellent shape.
Moxie Falls Trail Groomed on 2/18 and still in good condition.
Kennebec River Trail Groomed and most of it in great shape. North of the Flood Road is rough and needs more snow cover to fill in. That section is in fair shape.
Caratunk Spur Trail Groomed and in excellent condition.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in excellent shape.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in excellent shape. Short plowed road section on our system. If you follow all the way through, the other end has a longer plowed section. But there are trails off from it beyond our system.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
The Forks Area Trails Update: 3/4/23
Two groomers were out last night and covered the bulk of our system. We received snow last Tuesday, Thursday, and it’s snowing right now- in town is a little thin, but overall trails are in great condition. Things should be mint on Sunday after groomers get out!
-Northern Outdoors
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 3/7/2023
It’s that time of year where the snow and the groomers battle that big evil orange glow in the sky. We sent out 2 groomers last night and unfortunately, we continue to battle the gremlins and had to limp one back home. Electrical bugs, codes, no power, smoke, all things our mechanics dream about. Very windy in the 24 hours leading up to last night’s groom shift, a fair amount of blowdowns were removed in the woods sections.
ITS 87 Groomed and in great shape. Best section is still south of Caratunk towards Bingham. Some woods sections are decent, and some are thinning out.
ITS 86 Partially groomed last night, rest was groomed night before. Powerline section rough and needs more snow, and the plowed roads around Moxie Lake are becoming more snirt than snow.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) Groomed and in great shape. Loops back to ITS87.
Moxie Falls Trail Groomed 3/2 and in great shape.
Kennebec River Trail Groomed and in good shape. The steep hill behind the Flood Road has a fair amount of dirt showing, but still very passable.
Caratunk Spur Trail Groomed on 3/4 and in excellent condition.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in excellent shape. Still only upper half to Breakneck Ridge open.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in excellent condition! On our portion there is a short couple hundred-yard shared section for logging, use caution. On other end towards Shirley/Monson is a longer plowed stretch but other trails off to bypass.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
We want to thank all who have donated and joined in the last few weeks. This has been paramount in getting us back in action and allowing us to use additional resources. Thank you!
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
Zach’s Video Ride Report: 3/9/2023
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS Update 3/10/2023
We sent out 2 groomers last night and hit all the ITS trails and the Moxie mountian loop trail.
Trails are in good to excellent shape. Most of ITS 87 is as good as it gets, yeah there is some snirt showing and a little thin in some woods sections, but the riding is GREAT.
Get out there while you can! Rumor is big storm next week? Hmm…
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS Update 3/14/2023
We sent out two groomers to do some storm prep. The warm temps prevent alot of processing but able to smooth up some spots and cover some trouble spots.
How do I describe the trails? Well more of the system is good to great with some areas of excellent. The issue is those high traffic and high sun exposure areas.
Tomorrow should fix most of the problem areas for the weekend. We will be out after the storm is over with a full trail report.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 3/16/2023
Warm weather is beating us, but we will make it through the weekend.
Last night we groomed ITS 87 in town and ITS 86 as well as the Kennebec River Trail. We are out tonight with two groomers hitting the rest. Some club trails will not be groomed going forward but all are passable.
Here is a picture of ITS 87 south of Northern Outdoors and 87a (Moxie Mountain Loop Trail). Trails came out really well. Once you get out of town, the trails are pretty mint. I mean mid season conditions, seriously… well, until they are not– so use caution! Does that make sense?!
ITS 87 In good shape, western exposed hills are starting to show some dirt patches again, south of Northern Outdoors will be groomed tonight.
ITS 86 Most in good shape, groomed last night and again tonight. In town is rough and short. We won’t be taking the groomer into town.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) In great shape, will be groomed again Friday night.
Moxie Falls Trail Ungroomed since last storm but in great shape.
Kennebec River Trail Groomed and in good shape except for the steep hill, rough, dirt showing. Passable.
Caratunk Spur Trail Ungroomed since last storm but in great shape.
Bald Mountain Trail Groomed and in excellent shape.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Groomed and in excellent shape.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
Ride right and ride safe.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
THE FORKS AREA TRAILS REPORT 3/19/2023
All good things must come to an end. Or do they? Here is the skinny. Don’t judge a book by its cover and don’t judge a trail by a section or road crossing. Spring riding conditions are very much here but there is plenty of great riding to be had, just need to be realistic about it.
ITS 87 In town is rough and a lot of dirt. It is passable if you pick your way and realize what it is. From the Lake Moxie road to behind the Inn by the River, just under a mile is the worst part. The rest of 87 is in good to very good shape.. some thin spots, some bare spots here and there but once out of the valley you are rewarded with some amazing areas to explore. South of Northern Outdoors is the best section. The Moxie Mountain Loop is a great ride on ITS87, this is SOUTH of Caratunk, not to be confused with Moxie Falls.
Moxie Mountain Trail (alt ITS87) See above.
ITS 86 Similar conditions. Shirley Tote Road and Troutdale Road are down to dirt. So thats 3.5 miles of ATV like conditions in between great trails.. my advice? Stay on either side.
Moxie Falls Trail Good condition.
Kennebec River Trail Rough, passable, major dirt showing, would avoid it.
Caratunk Spur Trail Excellent.
Bald Mountain Trail Great to excellent but dirt roads surround it.
Breakneck Ridge Trail Great to excellent but dirt roads surround it.
Pleasant Pond Trail Closed all season due to logging.
This will be the last trail report we do. We will likely groom ITS 87 a few more times this week for those who want to get out and explore.
Ben Towle
Forks Area Trails Snowmobile Club
The Forks Maine Snowmobile Trail Map
50% OFF Cabin Rentals: Starts March 20th!
Brewpub closed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ride. Grab a cabin with fully equipped kitchen, and trailer up to get in one last spring ride!
