Play Outdoors on Maine’s Southern Coast

Surfboards, kayaks, and SUPs may be stored away until spring, but that doesn’t mean an end to outdoor sports on Maine’s southern coast. Snow and ice? Bring ‘em on, we’re ready!

Ice skaters will find plenty of choices in Portland. Opposite The Castle, the pond at Deering Oaks is flooded, plowed, and groomed for skating, a magical picture on a frosty winter night with the twinkling lights reflected on the ice.

In the Deering Center neighborhood, across from Memorial Stadium, Ludlow Pond is also maintained for skating by the city, as is the half-acre pond at Payson Park. Off Baxer Blvd. overlooking Back Cove, Payson Park also has a sledding hill, making it a popular place for families on snow-covered weekends.

XC-Ski trails at Baxter Woods in Portland, Maine. Photo courtesy Portland Parks, Recreation and Facilities

XC-Ski trails at Baxter Woods in Portland, Maine.
Photo courtesy Portland Parks, Recreation and Facilities

After closing last winter for renovations, The Rink at Thompson’s Point will reopen for the current season, with more than 10,000 square feet of groomed ice in a covered pavilion. Enhanced by new ice chilling and resurfacing equipment, The Rink offers rental skates, skate sharpening, skating lessons (including adaptive), and training aids, as well as warming stations. It’s a community-gathering place, aided by the adjacent beer garden.    

In addition to its two skating rinks, Portland’s Riverside Golf Course is a multi-sport facility in the winter with two groomed cross-country ski trails, sledding hills, and bike trails. The golf course is a popular place for snowshoeing, and one of the ice rinks is lighted for night skating.

Seacoast Adventure’s Snow Park in Windham is the go-to place for snow tubing. Open on weekends, holidays, and school vacation weeks, the tubing hill is equipped with a carpet lift and child-sized tubes. Children must be at least 40 inches tall.

Snow Tubing at Seacoast Fun Park in Windham, Maine. Photo courtesy Seacoast Fun Park

Snow Tubing at Seacoast Fun Park in Windham, Maine. Photo courtesy Seacoast Fun Park

Cross-country skiers will find 25 kilometers of groomed trails at Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook. The 500-acre farm has been active since the 1600s and the ski trails traverse the farm’s rolling hayfields and dense forests.

Groomed for classical tracked skiing, the trails cover a wide variety of terrain, from gentle logging roads that wind through the forest to the steep and challenging drops at Holstein Hill. The fully equipped rental station includes Rossignol ski packages and lightweight snowshoes for exploring the farm off-trail. On weekdays, leashed dogs are allowed on the trails. Take a break at the Smiling Hill Farm Ice Cream Barn for lunch or a hot drink.

The trails at Wells National Estuarine Reserve at Laudholm Farm in Wells are open for winter walking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing. The natural snow is ungroomed and trails form a network over easy to moderate terrain.

Payson Park, Portland, Maine. Photo courtesy Portland Parks, Recreation and Facilities

Payson Park, Portland, Maine. Photo courtesy Portland Parks, Recreation and Facilities

A popular route for skiers and snowshoers follows the Saw-Whet Trail to the Farley Trail and the Cart Path, traversing hardwood forests and open fields and highlighted by two scenic overlooks across the estuary. Guided outdoor programs in the past have included winter walks to identify trees without their leaves.

Harris Farm Cross County Ski Center in Dayton is predicting a snowy winter for their 40 kilometers of groomed ski and snowshoe trails.  With 30 kilometers groomed with wide skating lanes and 35 kilometers of track set, the trails wind across the 600-acre farm, which has been in the same family for four generations. Meandering through woodlands and across fields, the trails include terrain for everyone from beginners to expert Nordic skiers.

Fat biking is allowed on the groomed trails, but only when the snow is solid and packed enough that the tires don’t sink. On weekdays, dogs are welcome, but again, not if the snowpack is too soft. The lodge includes a full-service rental shop, where the Harrises also sell new and used ski equipment and snowshoes year-round. The large sunroom is a good place to warm up by the woodstove and eat a BYO lunch or snack.

Although ice climbers have to travel to Camden, Grafton Notch, Acadia, or elsewhere for winter thrills, they can stay in shape for the big climb at two indoor gyms: Evo Rock & Fitness in Portland or Salt Pump Climbing in Scarborough.

Skiers, skaters, and fans of other winter outdoor activities have plenty of options for gear and equipment. Along with ski and snowshoe rentals at Harris Farm and Smiling Hill Farm, and rental skates at Thompson Point, the area is well supplied with retail shops. Enjoy your options this winter!

Resources

The Rink at Thompson’s Point
www.thompsonspoint.com/therink

Riverside Golf Course
www.riversidegolfcourseme.com/golf/winter-activities

Seacoast Adventure’s Snow Park
www.seacoastadventure.com/winter

Smiling Hill Farm
www.smilinghill.com/xcski.html

Wells National Estuarine Reserve at Laudholm Farm
www.wellsreserve.org

Harris Farm Cross County Ski Center
www.harrisfarm.com

Evo Rock
www.evorock.com/portland-me

Salt Pump Climbing
www.saltpumpclimbing.com

 

Sport Shops

Arlberg Ski and Surf Shops
Marginal Way, Portland
www.arlbergski.com

Boulder Nordic Sport East
Olympia Street, Portland
www.bouldernordic.com

Gorham Bike and Ski
Congress Street, Portland
www.gorhambike.com/contact/portland-pg1204.htm

Play it Again Sports
Marginal Way, Portland
www.playitagainsports.com/locations/portland-me

Rodgers Ski & Sport
US 1, Scarborough
www.rodgersskiandsportmaine.com

Gorham Bike and Ski
Post Road, Wells
www.gorhambike.com/contact/kennebunk-pg1243.htm

 


— Story by Bobbie Randolph. Bobbie is a native New Englander who writes about outdoor activities in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.


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