Snowmobile Lodge: 3 Day Trips from Camp Katahdin

            Camp Katahdin Adventures is located on Maine’s ITS Connector 112

Picture this… You wake up in a luxury snowmobile lodge in the snow covered Katahdin area of Northern Maine. After a cup of coffee (or two or three), you gear up and hop aboard your awaiting sled. You ride for miles on trails winding over forest covered mountains through scenery fit for documentaries.

When the exhilaration of the ride finally gives way to a touch of chill, you stop for lunch. You find yourself at some place you probably couldn’t locate on a map but which serves meals so good that they deserve their own TV show.  

You can’t help but wonder, do food show hosts ride snowmobiles?

Man and machine fully fueled, you wind your way back through bear and moose country to retire once again to the luxe warmth of the lodge.

Sled day trips. Katahdin style.

This is exactly the kind of experience you can have right from the Katahdin area. But with more than 14,000 miles of snowmobile trails throughout the state, don’t take off without a plan. You don’t want to come back hungry.

So in the interest of less planning and more sledding (and eating!), here are our top three picks for the best snowmobile day trips from Camp Katahdin.

Katahdin to Linneus Snowmobile Trip

• Distance: about 70 miles, one way*
• Where to stop: Grammy’s Country Inn
• Known for: Enormous portions of homemade goodness
• Don’t leave without: Dessert (you’ll be too full to eat it there so just get it to go)

Be sure to leave room on the sled for leftovers. And dessert. At Grammy’s, you’ll find great homemade food served up in generous portions by some great people.

“I have literally never been given this much food on one plate in my entire life,” notes a recent visitor in an online review. Point in case: the Fisherman’s Platter is piled nearly as tall as the plate is wide and the whoopie pies literally weigh two pounds.

Can I get a to-go box, please? Or maybe two.

Katahdin to Millinocket Lake Snowmobile Trip

• Distance: about 60 miles, one way*
• Where to stop: River Driver’s Restaurant and Pub
• Known for: The lake view of Katahdin
• Don’t leave without: Sampling from the extensive wine and beer list

On the shore of Millinocket Lake is River Driver’s Restaurant & Pub. This award-winning establishment offers menu choices as grand as the lake view of Katahdin it offers outside. In-house chefs stand ready to prepare anything from your favorite pub fare to gourmet cuisine. Here you’ll also find a great selection of menu options featuring seasonal, local, and fresh ingredients.

Who’s up for the Friday night fish fry?

River Driver’s also offers an extensive craft beer and wine list as well as seasonal mixed drinks.

If you don’t mind a night ride back, stick around to see the sunset or the stars over the lake. Just be sure not to enjoy the wine and beer selection too much if you do. Always ride responsibly.

Coming to Maine on a corporate retreat? River Driver’s can likely accommodate your entire group. Just be sure to call ahead first.

Katahdin to Libby Camps Snowmobile Trip

• Distance: about 65 miles, one way*
• Where to stop: Libby Camps
• Known for: Its remoteness
• Don’t leave without: Having a bowl of Jess’s soup

The trip to Libby Camps is basically a trip into the middle of nowhere. Situated on the Millinocket Lake that is just north of Baxter State Park (not the one near the town of Millinocket), this old sporting camp sits inside the 3.5 million acre North Maine Woods. In contrast to the other lake bearing the same name, this camp is 45 minutes from the nearest town in “a wild country of woods and water between the highlands of Baxter State Park and the deep forests of Aroostook County.”

Might want to head back well before dark on this one.

Libby Camps gets its name from the family that started it (and still runs it) as a hunting and fishing camp four generations ago, in 1890. This is no resort. Nor is it actually a restaurant. It’s just the Libby family and camp staff extending their hospitality to anyone that cares to stop in, client or not.

Libby camp is open for a full menu lunch from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily February through March. You can even fuel up your sled while you’re there.

Whether it’s a trip to the hinterlands or lakeshore sunsets over a glass of wine, your destination is only a day trip away from Camp Katahdin’s Denney Lodge or the Wendell Farm. All it takes is a snowmobile and an appetite.

And maybe a couple to-go boxes.

 

*The above mentioned trails can change from year to year due to logging and even change during the season. This blog post is for informational purposes only. Please take care and time to plan your snowmobile trips by contacting the local snowmobile clubs.