ATV Riding in The Forks, Maine
Before taking an SxS ATV tour last week, my idea of four-wheeling was a Honda 300EX quad that I flipped while riding up a steep sand dune. At the time my husband had a dune buggy, a three-wheeler, a Kawasaki KX500, and the quad that survived my terrible riding skills. When we moved to Maine the sand toys were sold and we got a utility four-wheeler… that clunky Arctic Cat is what we’ve been riding on Maine’s extensive ATV trails. While we’ve seen a lot of wildlife on that four-wheeler (moose love ATV trails!) it’s been a bouncy ride that doesn’t get us very far.
The SxS changes the ATV riding experience… and makes me love Maine ATVing!
Maine Outdoor Sports, Northern Outdoor’s power sport rental partner, has an extensive fleet of ATV rentals from single rider Arctic Cat and Polaris quads to 4-seater Polaris Rangers (ideal for a family adventure.) ATV riding season generally runs from Memorial Day Weekend throughout the summer, until the end of fall foliage (I’m thinking multi-day ATV trip exploring the woods of Maine this October. Who’s in?)
After watching an ATV riding safety video, we got our helmets, goggles, and a tour of our Artic Cat 700 Sport. The side-by-side is really comfortable, and easy to drive for both quad-flipping fools like me and experienced riders like my husband, Mark who had also never driven an SxS before.
We rode out the back of Northern Outdoors on our way to Moxie Falls. The ATV trails share many of the snowmobile trails in The Forks. There are a few sections of mud and rocks but much longer sections with smooth, gravel trails. Being a dry, sunny day it got a little dusty out there (the goggles were handy.)
Deer trotted off the sides of the trail, baby turkeys flocked, and a moose ran along side Wayne’s ATV (see the moose silhouette on the right side of this GoPro screencap, that’s not a Photoshop job!)
It took us maybe an hour riding (too much fun to look at a watch,) and a very short hike to get to Maine’s highest waterfall: Moxie Falls. Bring a bathing suit! There are some nice pools above the waterfall and it’s a perfect spot to wash the dust or mud off.
If we had a full day of riding ahead we would have then ATVed to Shirley Mills or Greenville, but with only an afternoon to ride we stopped at Moxie Pond – another great spot for a swim.
After our afternoon of ATV adventuring, we grabbed a couple bar stools, a Whitewater Wheat, a Summer Ale, and recounted the stories of the day with rafters, hikers and other riders. Coming back to the lodge always feels like coming home… you know, if home had fresh craft beer on tap and a full restaurant.
Get more info on ATV trails and riding in Maine. And share with your fun friends (the ones who will join you for a weekend of riding trails and riding rivers…)
One Response
We have been renting ATVs with Northern Outdoors for the last 4 years for our yearly guy trip and have always had a tremendous experience with the people at Northern Outdoors, They go above and beyond to accommodate your group to ensure that your experiences with them are nothing but positive. Great bikes, great trails and great staff!