OUTDOOR PURSUITS

              “Living in the outside” is taken seriously by residents and tourists alike in “Maine’s Most Beautiful Mountain Village.”

            The Bethel area is home to famous Sunday River Ski Resort with its eight mountain peaks and one of the longest ski seasons in New England.  Mt. Abram Family Resort, in Greenwood (Locke Mills) has been a family ski destination since 1968.  Black Mountain of Maine too has a rich legacy of downhill and cross country skiing.  Bethel claims the designation of Cross Country Ski Capital of Maine.  It has three cross country ski centers, backcountry skiing in the White Mountain National Forest, and guided backcountry tours at the Outward Bound School.  Local snowmobile clubs maintain over 50 miles of trails.  Two outfitters provide snowmachine rentals and guided tours. 

            Spring brings fishing season, which begins April 1 and ends in late September.  Thanks to the efforts of local conservation groups, the Androscoggin has seen a rebirth of activity.  Spring means mud.  Jeepers love the area’s dirt roads. 

            Other activities start in the spring.  Canoeing and kayaking, golfing, hiking, road and mountain biking continue right through October. The Bethel Inn Resort’s 18-hole championship golf course is rated one of the 10 best in the Northeast by America’s Greatest Golf Resorts magazine.  Now the area boasts a second 18-hole course – Sunday River Golf Club’s course lies beneath the eight interconnected peaks of Sunday River and the Mahoosuc Range and is designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.  Bethel is an ideal location for the casual day hiker or the serious mountain climber.  The Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce has a list of day hikes with detailed maps.  For serious adventurers, Outward Bound School’s mountain headquarters in Newry, has multi-day backcountry expeditions. Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center, at the base of Mt. Washington, has easy dirt road trails and gnarly single-track for mountain biking and walking.  For the touring biker, the Chamber has maps of road tours.

            Outdoor events scheduled this year are the Bethel Family Fishing Festival, Androscoggin River Race, Mollyockett 5-mile Running Race, and the Maine State Triathlon.  Live outside in Bethel.

-30-