Maine in winter is two states. One is lift-served: Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Saddleback, Big Moose Mountain. The other is everything else, which covers most of the state and most of the winter. It’s what locals do on a January Saturday, and it’s what this guide covers.
Maine in winter
Snowshoe, ski, ice fish and see frozen falls
- Best month
- February: more snow and much longer days than January
- Daylight
- Ends by 4 PM in December and January
- Acadia
- Open all winter, and entry is free
- Ice fishing
- Roughly January through March. A license is needed at 16 and up.
Between November and April the state nearly empties. Acadia goes from 4 million summer visitors to almost nobody, and its carriage roads get groomed for skiing. Greenville and Rangeley have cabins built for the cold, the coast turns wild in a way it never does in July, and you can park anywhere.
Cold injury and short daylight are the real risks. Daylight ends by 4 PM in December and January, often earlier in valleys. Nighttime temps in the western mountains routinely hit -20°F. Cell service is unreliable above the southern coast.
Dress in layers (base, mid, shell, plus a puffy in your pack). Wear traction on every winter walk longer than 5 minutes. Carry water in an insulated bottle so it does not freeze. Tell someone your plan and your turnaround time. Avalanche risk is real in the Mahoosuc Range and on the steep east faces of Tumbledown and Saddleback in the western mountains. There is no Maine-specific avalanche forecast, so check conditions with local guides or outfitters if you plan to tackle steep east-facing terrain.
15 Winter Activities at a Glance
Tap a pin for the place’s photo and page, then compare gear, difficulty and cost in the table.
| Activity | Region | Gear | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowshoe Acadia carriage roads | Acadia / Coast | Snowshoes, layers | Easy | $0 (winter free entry) |
| Hike Mount Battie in winter | Camden / Coast | Microspikes, layers | Easy-Moderate | $5 park fee |
| Bradbury Mountain dawn hike | Southern Maine | Microspikes | Easy | $4 |
| Cross-country ski Rangeley network | Western Mountains | XC skis, layers | Easy-Hard | $15-25 trail pass |
| XC ski Pineland Farms | Southern Maine | XC skis | Easy-Moderate | $22 |
| Snowshoe Tumbledown Mountain | Western Mountains | Snowshoes, traction | Hard | Free |
| Ice fishing Sebago Lake | Lakes Region | Auger, tip-ups, license | Easy | License fee |
| Ice fishing Rangeley | Western Mountains | Auger, tip-ups, license, guide rec | Easy | License fee, plus guide if hired |
| Visit frozen Moxie Falls | Kennebec Valley | Microspikes, sturdy boots | Easy-Moderate | Free |
| Screw Auger Falls in ice | Western Mountains | Microspikes | Easy | $3 day-use |
| Snowmobiling Greenville | North Woods | Sled rental, gear | Varies | $200-400/day |
| Fat biking Carrabassett | Western Mountains | Fat bike rental | Moderate | $50/day |
| Dog sledding Greenville area | North Woods | Provided | Easy | $150-400 |
| Snowshoe into Baxter (gate closed) | North Woods | Snowshoes, full winter kit, permit | Hard | Permit required |
| Eagle and seal watching the coast | Mid-coast | Binoculars | Easy | Free |
Winter Hiking with Microspikes
This is Maine’s default winter activity. There’s no new skill to learn. You need traction on your boots and warmer clothes than you think.
Slip-on traction for icy trails like Mount Battie and the carriage roads.
Compare other options in our microspikes guide.
Mount Battie
In Camden Hills State Park the auto road closes for winter, so the 0.6-mile Megunticook trail approach is the way up. From the summit you look straight down on Camden harbor, with the schooner fleet wintered over and Penobscot Bay frozen in close to shore.
- Round trip
- About 2 hours
- Traction
- Microspikes for the upper section
- Summit Trail
- 0.3 miles
- Watch for
- Bald eagles over the summit in March
Bradbury Mountain
Bradbury Mountain State Park, outside Pownal, is the easiest winter hike to reach from greater Portland. The Summit Trail is short, and longer loops circle through the hardwoods. Traction is useful but not always needed on the main trail.
Acadia Carriage Roads
Acadia National Park keeps its carriage roads for winter recreation. With snow they’re groomed for skiing; with ice or no snow they’re ideal for walking in microspikes. Locals like Cobblestone Bridge, pictured, the Aunt Betty Pond loop and the Eagle Lake circuit.
- Length
- 45 miles of crushed-stone roads
- Entry
- Free in winter
- Doable
- Brook Trail to the pond
- Gear
- Snowshoes after fresh snow
Tumbledown Mountain
This western Maine favorite turns hard in winter. The Brook Trail to the pond in the cirque is reasonable for experienced winter hikers in the right conditions; the Loop Trail and its chimney are not. Slopes here can turn avalanche-prone after warm-cold cycles, so don’t push it without experience.
Snowshoeing
If you’ve never snowshoed, modern aluminum snowshoes are easy to learn on your first day.
If you plan to go more than a few times, a pair of your own for packed trails.
You can rent a pair at any outdoor shop in Bethel, Rangeley, Greenville, Bar Harbor or Portland. Plan on $20 a day.
Acadia for snowshoeing
Acadia National Park has miles of carriage roads and easy trails that suit first-time snowshoers when there’s enough snow. Both loops are well marked, entry is free in winter and you’ll see almost no one. It’s worth the drive from Portland.
- Eagle Lake loop
- 6 miles, flat
- Witch Hole Pond loop
- 3.3 miles, flat
Sugarloaf and Carrabassett Valley trails
The Carrabassett Outdoor Association maintains multi-use winter trails around Sugarloaf and the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center. Snowshoe-only trails branch off the main cross-country network, and one day pass covers both.
- Day pass
- About $25 at the Outdoor Center
- Covers
- Snowshoe and XC trails
Snowshoe-in to Baxter State Park
This is the most ambitious entry on the list. Baxter closes its gates for winter, day use is by permit only, and you snowshoe or ski in from the gates. Fit snowshoers can reach Daicey Pond and Kidney Pond as long day trips. Multi-day trips to Russell Pond or Chimney Pond take winter camping skill, a full backcountry kit and respect for the rules. Read Baxter’s winter use guidelines before you plan anything.
Cross-Country Skiing
Maine has world-class cross-country skiing. The terrain, the snow and the western mountain trail networks rival anything in New England.
Pick a center, buy a trail pass and rent skis if you don’t own them. The three below cover the western mountains and the Portland area.
- Biggest network
- Sugarloaf Outdoor Center, 90 km
- Closest to Portland
- Pineland Farms, 30 km
Rangeley area
The Rangeley Lakes Trails Center grooms 55+ kilometers of trail through hardwoods, along lakeshores and out to backcountry warming huts. Passes run around $20 a day, with rentals at the lodge.
Carrabassett Valley
The Sugarloaf Outdoor Center grooms 90 kilometers of trail through the Bigelow foothills, one of the largest networks in New England. Routes range from flat beginner loops to multi-hour intermediate trips that reach the Bigelow Preserve.
Pineland Farms (New Gloucester)
Closer to Portland, Pineland Farms grooms 30 kilometers of trail on a working dairy farm. It’s open to the public, with rentals, lessons and a cafeteria, for about $22 a day. It’s the easiest cross-country center to reach in southern Maine.
Wildlife Watching in Winter
You’ll compete less for viewing spots, and animals are easier to see: the leaves are down, snow shows their tracks and they stand out against white.
Snowy owls turn up along the coast and around large open areas in irruption years. The salt marshes south of Portland and the farms of central Maine are reliable. Birders post sightings to ebird.org in real time.
- Where
- Salt marshes south of Portland, farms in central Maine
- When
- Irruption years, especially January and February
Bald eagles gather along the open coast where the water doesn’t freeze. The midcoast around Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, and the Penobscot River below Bangor, regularly host dozens of wintering eagles. Stop at any open-water inlet.
- Where
- Open water on the midcoast and the Penobscot below Bangor
- Bring
- Binoculars
Harbor seals haul out on rocks and ice along the coast all winter. Try Marshall Point Lighthouse, Reid State Park and the rocks off Pemaquid Point. Keep your distance, and don’t let dogs approach.
- Marshall Point Lighthouse 0.3 mi · Easy · St. George Scan the rocks around the lighthouse for harbor seals.
- Reid State Park Georgetown · Sagadahoc County A good stretch of coast to look for seals hauled out on rocks and ice.
- Pemaquid Point Lighthouse 0.3 mi · Easy · Bristol Check the rocks off the point for harbor seals.
Ice Fishing
Maine’s ice fishing season runs roughly January through March. Anyone 16 or older needs a fishing license; IF&W lists prices on its license fees page.
In the South Zone, lakes and ponds are open to ice fishing all year. In the North Zone, only waters with a special season code are open, usually from January 1. Rivers and streams are closed unless a rule opens them. Check the Maine IF&W law book for your lake, and see the ice fishing section of our fishing guide for line limits and safe ice thickness.
Want a trap made in Maine? Jack Traps builds its tip-ups here.
A simple tip-up (trap) that sits over the hole to help keep it from freezing.
Our ice fishing gear guide covers augers, shelters and the rest.
- Targets
- Lake trout (togue) and landlocked salmon
- Rule
- Release salmon caught through the ice
Sebago Lake
Maine’s deepest lake is one of its most reliable winter fisheries. Salmon caught through the ice must be released; see Sebago in winter for the rules. The shallows around Frye Island and the cove at Sebago Lake State Park are common starting points, and outfitters in nearby towns rent gear and run guided trips.
- Guide
- $250 to $400 a day
- Set up
- Augers, traps and ice shacks
Rangeley region
The lakes around Rangeley (Mooselookmeguntic, Rangeley and Cupsuptic) are famous for native brook trout and landlocked salmon. Several local guides run winter trips with the gear already set up. For visitors, a guide is the fast track.
Smaller ponds with bass
Most of the Belgrade Lakes (Long Pond, Great Pond, Messalonskee) and the warmwater ponds across central Maine give up yellow perch, pickerel and largemouth bass through the ice. It’s easy entry-level ice fishing.
Frozen Waterfalls
Maine’s waterfalls don’t stop in winter. They turn into ice sculptures with water still running underneath, and two of the best are short walks from the road.
Moxie Falls
Near The Forks in the Kennebec Valley, an easy walk leads to one of Maine’s tallest waterfalls (90 feet). In winter the cliff walls around the falls grow huge ice formations while the center usually keeps flowing. Park at the Lake Moxie Road trailhead.
- Walk
- 0.6 miles, easy
- Bring
- Microspikes (essential)
Screw Auger Falls
In Grafton Notch State Park on Route 26, right by the road. Ice carved the gorges below the falls long ago, and in deep winter the rim and overhangs build dramatic ice columns. The park is open year-round.
- Walk
- 0.1 mile from the lot
- Fee
- Small day-use fee in the iron pipe
Other ice formations
Dunn Falls and the cascades of the Mahoosuc range routinely build technical ice-climbing routes. With ice-climbing experience, the Mahoosucs and the Smalls Falls cascades are the local crags.
Cozy Stops and Quiet Villages
Half the appeal of a Maine winter is that tourist towns turn livable again: coffee shops on every block, no fight for parking, and locals who’ll actually talk to you.
Camden
The harbor freezes around the wintered-over schooner fleet, and the hills above town give a 360-degree winter view. Coffee at Zoot, dinner at the Helm. Quietly excellent in February.
Bar Harbor
Half of Bar Harbor closes for winter. The half that stays open is what the town used to be: a working coastal town with a few good restaurants and a great bookstore. The empty park just outside is the main reason to come.
Rangeley
A snow-belt town that lives for winter: sleds on Main Street, woodsmoke, the Rangeley Inn lit up at night. It’s the base for the region’s skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing.
Greenville
At the south end of Moosehead Lake, the snowmobile capital of New England. The lake freezes thick enough to drive a truck on. Mount Kineo, pictured, rises from the same lake.
- Stay
- A cabin operator on the lake
- Eat
- Three or four restaurants open year-round
Snowmobiling
Maine has 14,500+ miles of groomed snowmobile trails, the ITS network, maintained by local clubs and running from southern New Hampshire to the Quebec border. You need a registered sled (rentals in Greenville, Rangeley, Jackman and Pittsfield), a helmet and warm gear. Day rentals run $200 to $400 depending on the machine.
The classic loop runs Greenville to Pittston Farm to Jackman and back, with a night at a trail lodge: two days and no road driving.
Fat Biking
- Tires
- 4.5 inches wide
- Rental
- Around $50 a day
Fat bikes have wide tires that float on packed snow. The Carrabassett Outdoor Center grooms a fat-bike network from the same lodge as its ski trails. If you’ve ridden a regular mountain bike, it’s easier than it looks.
Bethel and the Sunday River area also rent fat bikes and groom routes.
Dog Sledding and Sleigh Rides
Outfitters around Greenville, Bethel and Rangeley run guided dog-sled rides, from a 1-hour intro to multi-day north woods expeditions. Book January and February weekends ahead.
- From about $150 Short dog-sled ride Greenville, Bethel and Rangeley outfitters A 1-hour intro ride. Book weekends ahead.
- Into the thousands Backcountry dog-sled trip The north woods Multi-day expeditions with a guide and team.
Sleigh rides behind draft horses are easier to find: most cross-country touring centers and a number of farms in the Sebago region run them.
When to Visit
December
DecemberLess reliable snow, especially in the south. The coast can be brutal in storms but quiet in between, and Cadillac sunrise viewing is excellent.
January
JanuaryColdest. Reliable snow in the western mountains and north, and ice fishing starts. Best for snowshoeing and XC skiing inland.
February Best month
FebruaryMore snow, slightly warmer days and much longer daylight than January. Best for most winter activities.
March
MarchPeak snow up high, mud down low on warm days, long days and a spring-skiing feel. Cadillac sunrise is still first in America through early March.
April
AprilMud and ice. The hardest month to plan for, best left to seasoned locals.
December is also when Kennebunkport holds its Christmas Prelude; see our Christmas Prelude guide for this year’s plans.
Where to Stay Warm
- Cabins on Moosehead, Rangeley and Sebago: lodges and single cabins with woodstoves. Most are 1 to 3 hours from a paved road.
- Inns and small hotels in Camden, Bar Harbor, Bethel, Rangeley and Greenville: open year-round, often with winter packages.
- AMC huts: the Appalachian Mountain Club runs several lodges, including Gorman Chairback in the 100-Mile Wilderness, open in winter for ski-in or snowshoe-in stays.
- Winter camping: only a few places take winter campers. Our year-round campgrounds guide lists the two commercial campgrounds that stay open and the state’s primitive winter sites.
Gear to Rent Locally
Skip shipping winter gear from away. Local shops rent everything, set up for Maine conditions.
- $15 to $25 a day Snowshoes Any outdoor shop in Bethel, Rangeley, Greenville, Bar Harbor or Portland Modern aluminum snowshoes are easy to learn on your first day.
- About $25 a day XC skis Sugarloaf Outdoor Center, Pineland Farms and Rangeley Lakes Trails Center Pick a center, get a trail pass and rent skis if you do not own them.
- $50 a day Fat bikes Carrabassett Outdoor Center and Bethel Outdoor Adventure Easier than it looks if you have ridden a regular mountain bike.
- About $70 to buy Microspikes Black Diamond and Kahtoola are the standards Buy these. You will use them every Maine winter for the rest of your life.
The single best non-skier weekend in Maine is Sugarloaf Outdoor Center for fat biking and XC, dinner in Carrabassett Valley, then drive Route 17 the next morning to Height of Land and on into Rangeley for an afternoon snowshoe. You can do it in 36 hours from Portland and you will see no lift lines.
Is Acadia National Park open in winter?
Yes. The park is open year-round and entry is free in winter (the entrance fee only applies May 1 to October 31). The Park Loop Road, Cadillac Summit Road, and several side roads close in winter, but most trails, the carriage roads, and Sand Beach Road remain accessible. The carriage roads are groomed for cross-country skiing when snow allows.
How cold does it get in Maine in winter?
Coastal Maine averages 20 to 35°F daytime in January with regular dips below 10°F. Inland and northern Maine sees 0 to 25°F daytime with overnight lows often -10 to -20°F. The western mountains get colder. Wind makes it feel much worse.
Are restaurants open in winter?
In larger towns (Bar Harbor, Camden, Portland, Bethel, Rangeley, Greenville) yes, though many seasonal places close from November to May. The bigger ski resort towns (Bethel/Sunday River, Carrabassett Valley/Sugarloaf) stay fully open. Small coastal villages can be sparse for dining; check ahead.
Are roads in northern Maine open in winter?
State and federal highways stay plowed. The Golden Road and most logging roads are not consistently maintained for passenger cars and may close. Baxter State Park gates close. Cadillac Summit Road closes for snow. Route 16 across the Bigelow region and Route 27 to Coburn Gore are kept open year-round but can have whiteout conditions in storms.
Do I need special tires?
Yes. Dedicated winter tires are strongly recommended for any drive into the mountains or north of Augusta. All-seasons are not equivalent. State law does not require winter tires but it does require the ability to control your vehicle in conditions, and Maine winter conditions are demanding.
What is the warmest place in Maine in winter?
The southern coast (Kittery to Portland) averages a few degrees warmer than the rest of the state. Portland and Kennebunkport get the most moderate winter weather. Mt. Desert Island and the Schoodic area are also relatively mild for being so far north because of the ocean influence.
Can I see moose in winter?
Yes, but you have to work for it. Moose yard up in conifer thickets to escape deep snow. Tracking is the most reliable way to find them. The areas around Greenville, Jackman, and the western mountains have the best chance, especially after fresh snow when tracks are obvious. See our moose guide for more.