ATVing through Maine’s Fall Foliage
Raft guides hit the trails with the Mavic Drone and Go Pro…
Fall has arrived, and I’ve had the pleasure of watching the seasons change in Maine for years (30 to be exact). Generally I’m guiding Last Blast, and have the incredible opportunity to see the fall foliage from the unique vantage point of the Dead River…
This year, it was time to see the foliage a different way: ATVing through Maine’s forests.
First we met with Wayne and Eyan from Maine Outdoor Sports powersport rentals at Northern Outdoors to go over a safety briefing. Today we would be riding four different rental options: a Kawasaki 4 seater, a CFMoto zforce 800 side by side (sxs), CFmoto zforce 500 sxs, and a CFMoto c force 500 ATV. We took a seat and the father/son duo went over all the bells and whistles of each rig so we were well prepared to take on the trails.
Hitting the trails…
After getting helmets and goggles, we were off to our first challenge of the day: the hill behind Northern Outdoors! The Northern Outdoors connector trail brings you to the larger network of ATV trails (and snowmobile trails in the winter), but is quite a steep ascent out of the river valley and up to the views! It’s KEY to put it in 4 wheel drive for this part, and to be sure not to spin tires as to assure the hill stays in tact for future riders.
Once we made it out of the valley, the trail to our final destination at Lake Moxie was a perfect mix of technical, rugged, rocky terrain and flat, smooth logging roads. The clearance and shocks on these machines are top notch, so even the bumps are fun! The Boise Road was the smoothest section of ATVing, and the leaves along this section were simply amazing…
Finally we arrived at Lake Moxie, where views of Mosquito Mountain and Moxie Bald were semi-visible underneath a thick cloud cover. Despite the cloudy day, the views throughout the day were incredible. Nothing beats the foliage that lined the trail; a nice reminder that sunshine or not, any day is a great day to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Although we stopped at Lake Moxie, many others will venture to popular destinations such as Jackman, Moxie Falls, Greenville/Moosehead Lake, and beyond!
We traveled back the way we came, with a few stops for footage with our new Mavic pro platinum drone, and some GoPro footage of splashes (because that’s what raft guides do).
Wings and beer to end the day…
When we made it back to Northern, we were met with the pleasant reminder it was Thursday. That means only one thing: wing night. With a couple orders of wings tossed in house-made sauces (my favorite is the Maple Bourbon Bacon) and freshly brewed beer (Big Mama Blueberry, please) from Kennebec River Brewery in hand, we relaxed and chatted about the day.
Recap of our Day on the Trails- with Video!
For most of us, it was a new experience to explore Maine by trail. We are a bunch of raft guides, after all! We all agree that ATVing is a really great way to see parts of Maine that we have never seen before. It’s a new kind of adrenaline rush, and a fun alternative way to experience being outdoors. ATVing can be enjoyed by new-comers, just be sure to take your time getting to know your machine and how it works. Always ride safely and responsibly, abiding by Maine state ATV/Snowmobile laws. The trails are maintained by local clubs (ours is Lake Moxie ATV Riders) and are only made possible by their hard work, your donations and support, as well as landowner permissions. Please help us maintain this privilege by being respectful and safe.
Huge thanks again to the Ben, Wayne, and Eyan at Maine Outdoor Sports for the awesome machines, and to Eyan for guiding us along the trails. I can’t wait to get back out there! For a complete recap of our ATVing adventures, check out Luke‘s video (including Jay’s awesome drone footage)…
