Bikepacking the North Maine Woods (Video)

Words, photos, and video by Chris Shane

The North Maine Woods is a vast region managed by a cohort of private land owners, supporting both outdoor recreation and Maine’s rich tradition of forestry and natural resource economy. Open to the public through several gatehouses, roads here were historically created for logging and now offer abundant access to hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and biking.

Nestled deep in the heart of Maine, the gravel deviates between cruiser hard-packed dirt, doubletrack, singletrack (if you want it), and the occasional epic climb with that’ll make you work hard for a glimpse out over the wilderness expanse below. With the help of new public-private partnerships facilitated by organizations like the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), fresh gravel routes have recently opened up, allowing for established single or multi-day rides with the ability to resupply through the AMC lodge system or nearby town of Greenville.

Over three days in late summer, we made our own version of a 150-mile gravel route, accessing the newly opened roads from my family camp. This took us up and over some gnarly and chonky gravel, under Maine’s tallest bridge, across the Appalachian Trail, through several rivers, and tiptoeing over washed-out bridges, eventually arriving at a beautiful first-come, first-served campsite.

On the second day, we explored several roads around the area using the North Maine Woods map and the AMC gravel field guide, ending our day at Gorman Chairback Lodge, one of three AMC lodges in the North Maine Woods. A farm fresh dinner, a dip in the lake and sunset felt like the perfect send off to summer in Maine. On the third day, we stopped at the old ironworks facility and ripped a few fast descents on the Katahdin Ironworks Road before making our way back home.

Notes On Planning Your Trip:

• Access: Access is controlled through gates along the Katahdin Ironworks Road, and there are fees required to enter ($18 at the time of writing).
• Active Logging: Caution is needed riding here, as logging trucks maintain right of way on these roads at all times.
• The North Maine Woods: Familiarize yourself with rules and regulations in the area at NorthMaineWoods.org.
• Lodging: AMC lodges include Gorman, Medawisla, and Little Lyford, which can all be booked online. Each provides dinner and breakfast, as well as amenities like swimming, canoeing, and saunas.
• Campsite Vibes: Plenty of first-come, first-served sites exist along many bodies of water in the North Maine Woods. Familiarize yourself with the gravel guide and stay for free on an open campsite if you prefer more primitive lodgings.

Further Reading

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