MORE TO DO IN CAMDEN IN THE WINTER: New Addition to the Camden Snow Bowl — Celebrate the opening of the new Ragged Mountain Nordic Ski Trail at the Camden Snow Bowl. A new 3.2-mile cross-country ski loop trail which explores the northeastern side of Ragged Mountain. This trail is one section of an expanded network of trails that will provide greater hiking, skiing and mountain bike access to Ragged Mountain and which the land trust and Snow Bowl will be opening in the coming year.
The new trail, which is scheduled to be groomed on a voluntary basis by Camden Regional High School cross-country ski coach Richard Stetson, will offer additional recreation option for visitors of the Camden Snow Bowl and provide several miles of nordic skiing trail. Beginning from a new trailhead located on the left side of the Snow Bowl’s tubing hill, the trail climbs through woods on the eastern side of the Camden Snow Bowl before heading south and looping through a 325-acre portion of the land trust’s Ragged Mountain Preserve.
Until a more gentle ascent is contructed later in 2011, it should be noted that the initial three-tenths of a mile of the new trail rises quite steeply before leveling off and heading southwest towards the land trust’s preserve. Given the steepness of this initial ascent, it is recommended that users consider hiking the first section. Similarly, skiers are also advised to remove their skis and walk downhill on the return, depending on snow conditions and ability level. Additionally, given the objective of maintaining a high quality nordic track throughout the winter season, visitors of the trail are asked to not walk or snowshoe on the set track portion of the trail and to leave dogs at home.
A joint project of the Ragged Mountain Recreation Area and Coastal Mountains Land Trust, the trail was constructed during the summer and fall of 2010 in collaboration with a crew from the Maine Conservation Corps and volunteers from the land trust, Camden Hill Regional High School and the Midcoast Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association. Construction of the trail was funded through the financial support of the Knox County Fund at the Maine Community Foundation, the Land for Maine’s Future Program and the Maine Recreational Trails Program. The trail is also made possible by the Foote family, who generously granted the land trust permission to bring the trail across their Ragged Mountain property.