PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The trails at the Nordic Heritage Center are going into their fifth month with solid snow conditions — leaving another week or two open for skiing, snowshoeing and biking.
After April 4th’s storm bringing around five inches of snow to central Aroostook County following an already snowy winter, cross country skiers, snowshoers and fat tire bikers can count on at least a few more opportunities to enjoy trails around the area.
At the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle, the trails have “probably a week or two left, depending on how warm it gets and the weather,” said Tom Chasse, vice president of the center’s board and owner of Bike, Board & Ski in Presque Isle.
“There’s lots of snow out there. I skied there last night and there was excellent coverage,” Chasse said.
After the storm the ski trails there will likely be groomed one last time this season, although there’s still likely at least 15 inches of snow base around the 12-mile trail system, Chasse estimated.
“There’s probably more snow cover than in the past, for sure. We’ve had probably one or two other seasons with this much snow this late.”
At Aroostook State Park, home to another large trail system, staff are done grooming for the season but the trails are still skiable and the snowshoe trails have a good base.
With Wednesday’s snow — and the possibility of more snow Friday — the state park can make for good backcountry skiing, particularly on the advanced trails that loop around and connect to the summit of Quoggy Jo Mountain.
In an online notice, Aroostook State Park staff advised visitors to park outside the gate and walk in due to mud in the parking lot.
Bigrock Mountain in Mars Hill is set to be open for the last skiing of the season this weekend, April 7 and 8. Next Saturday, April 14, the mountain will host an annual snowmobile climb. Diehard skiers can also ascend the mountain on their own as conditions permit.
Elsewhere in central Aroostook County, snow sports enthusiasts can enjoy the snow before it melts. Even on ungroomed trails and fields, the “crust snow” makes for good fat tire biking, Chasse added.
At the Nordic Heritage Center, the trails often make a quick spring transition from snow sports to mountain biking, hiking and trail running.
“Usually it’s a couple of weeks from when skiing isn’t any good until it’s good for mountain biking,” Chasse said.
