A great place to XC Ski in Millinocket, Maine
I was pleasantly surprised when we pulled into the parking lot of the Baithole Cross Country ski & recreation trails! I had only briefly heard of these trails, and I wasnt sure what to expect! To be fair, we didn’t follow the map’s BIG LETTERING stating which trails were freshly groomed, but we were there to explore the trails. The recent windstorm has really blown a lot of debris into the groomed trails, so we did a lot of skidding around and trying to make sure our feet kept up with our bodies! According to the Maine Trail Finder, the Baithole XC skiing & Snowshoeing trails are a “locally popular 6.9-mile network of groomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trails with scenic views of Mt. Katahdin, Elbow Lake, mixed hardwood forests, and abundant wildlife.”
Getting to the parking lot for the Baithole XC Ski and Snowshoe Trails
From Millinocket follow ME-11 (Brownville Road) 3 miles south. The Bait Hole parking area is marked on the right with a small sign just before the highway crosses the West Branch Penobscot River.
From Milo follow ME-11 (Brownville Road) 35 miles north. The parking area is marked with a small sign on the left, just after the highway crosses the West Branch Penobscot River.
Parking & Finding Conditions for the Baithole XC Skiing & Snowshoeing Trails
There’s a parking lot! You can also pick up trail maps here. We met Don, one of the volunteer trail stewards – he keeps up with conditions! He mentioned to Google Millinocket Ski Trails or call the number on his map for updated trails conditions. He updates them daily! We gave him some beta on our adventures to share. Will be using this number next time! 207-723-4329
Trail Stats for Baithole XC Ski Loop
According to All Trails –
Distance – a bit over a mile with the path we took
Elevation gain – 161 feet
Trails – Center Trail to No Wind Way Loop
