OK, winter, let’s do this!

Sure, we’ve got our mountains for downhill skiing, but if that’s not your bag, cross-country might be the ticket to getting out on the white stuff. Speaking of those big mountains, Lost Valley Ski Area in Auburn, Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, Titcomb Mountain in Farmington, Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley and Sunday River in Newry all offer cross-country skiing.

Here are some cross-country skiing spots to visit this winter. It’s always a good idea to call or check online for current conditions before heading out.

Bundle up and have a blast!

PORTLAND

City of Portland

Multiple locations.
Portland is an absolute cornucopia when it comes to places to go cross-country skiing, including a small, groomed trail loop at Deering Oaks park. Groomed trails can also be enjoyed at Riverside Golf Course, which has a side-by-side pair. Portland also boasts several great spots for cross-country skiing in ungroomed locales. Some may include rocks, logs and other obstacles, which may be better suited for skis with metal edges or snowshoes. The list includes Evergreen Woods, Presumpscot River Preserve, Baxter Woods, Canco Woods, Fore River Preserve, Virginia Woods, Oatnuts Park, Capisic Pond Park, Riverton Trolley Park and the Western Promenade.

GREATER PORTLAND AREA

Gilsland Farm

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth. Admission is free. 
Maine Audubon’s headquarters are on a 65-acre sanctuary with more than 2 miles of trails winding along a pond through a forest, meadow, orchard and salt marsh, open year-round. Hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are welcome. Leashed dogs are permitted. The visitor center and nature store are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Wolfe’s Neck Center

Open from dawn to dusk daily. 184 Burnett Road, Freeport. Admission is free.
Wolfe’s Neck Center is open daily from dawn to dusk. More than 3 miles of free trails are open to the public all winter for hiking, skiing and snowshoeing.

Sebago Lake State Park

Multiple trails. Off route 302 in Casco and Naples, adult rates differ, $1 for ages 5-11, free for 65 and older and under 5, bring cash. Sebago Lake State Park is a sweet spot for both cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. For skiing, there are 5.5-miles of groomed trails on the Casco side (Access Road). Tracks are set on 3.7 miles with an additional 1.5 miles groomed for skate skiing. Rated easy to moderate, the trails wind through the forest and by the Songo River as well as part of Sebago Lake. On the snowshoeing front, head to the Naples side (Campground Road) for 5.5 miles of groomed trails and another half dozen miles that are ungroomed.

Tracy Burke of Cape Elizabeth enjoys the trails at Pineland Farms. Aimsel Ponti/Portland Press Herald

Pineland Farms

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Outdoor Center, 25 Campus Drive, New Gloucester; $20, $15 after 1 p.m., $16 seniors and youth, $12 after 1 p.m., free for ages 6 and under.
Pineland has over 5,000 acres of woodlands and fields that are open to the public for year-round outdoor activities. For your winter adventures, there are 30 kilometers of professionally designed trails for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. Equipment rentals are also available, so don’t let a lack of it stop you from getting out there. If you’re a newbie to cross-country skiing, Pineland offers private lessons. And be sure to hit The Market after you’ve gotten your fill of the trails to get your fill of coffee, baked goods and sandwiches.

SOUTHERN MAINE

Buzzell trail at Harris Farm in Dayton. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

Harris Farm

9 a.m. to dusk daily. 280 Buzzell Road, Dayton; $15, $8 students and seniors, free for 6 and under Monday through Friday; $18, $10 for ages 7-18 and seniors on weekends, holidays and school vacation weeks.
At Harris Farm, you’ll find 40 kilometers of trails that will bring you across gorgeous open fields, thick forests (complete with babbling brooks) and a 600-acre dairy and vegetable farm. There’s also a full-service rental shop with skis and snowshoes. Fat-tire bikes are also allowed on the trails when conditions permit. Head to the lodge afterward, where you’ll find a wood stove to warm up by as well as several snacks, including hot dogs. Rehydrate and recover with the farm’s chocolate milk. If skiing isn’t your thing, there’s a terrific sledding hill in front of the lodge (bring your own sled).

Wells Reserve at Laudholm

7 a.m. to sunset daily. 342 Laudholm Farm Road, Wells.
Easy to moderate trails are open to the public from 7 a.m. to sunset all winter for hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. A trail map is available online.

WESTERN MAINE

Carter’s XC Ski Center in Bethel. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Carter’s XC Ski Center

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. 786 Intervale Road, Bethel; $22, $18 seniors, $12 youth. Carter’s XC Ski Center offers 55 kilometers of trails that will keep beginners and expert skiers happy – as well as dogs, which are welcome with a $15 Doggie Day Pass. The center also offers rentals for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Should you want a skiing lesson, you can schedule a private or semi-private one with longtime instructor Ann Speth, who coached high school Nordic skiing for 26 years. For an even grander adventure, you can book a stay in one of the center’s rustic, off-grid cabins. Carter’s XC Ski Center, on the banks on the Androscoggin River, is on land that has been in the Carter family since the late 1700s.

Mountain views from Rangeley Lakes Trails Center. Photo courtesy of RLTS

Rangeley Lakes Trails Center

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 524 Saddleback Mountain Road, Rangeley; $24 (full day), $18 (half day), $18 for seniors, military and ages 7-18, free for kids 6 and under (lower rates for snowshoeing).
You’ll find the Rangeley Lakes Trails Center at the base of Saddleback Mountain’s alpine ski area in the heart of the western mountain and lakes region. With 55 kilometers of mapped trails for skiing and snowshoeing, you’ll have plenty of options for your excursion. Duck into the yurt lodge for snacks, drinks and hot soup, or to rent equipment. Another perk is that there are plenty of places to stay at different price points, should you want to make it a multi-day excursion. Lessons and guided tours are available by reservation.

Inland Woods & Trails

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. 21 Broad St., Bethel; $24 for adults ($19 after 2 p.m.), $20 seniors ($15 after 2 p.m.), $16 youth ($11 after 2 p.m.), free for ages 6 and under and students who attend SAD 44, RSU 10 and SAD 17. The Inland Winter Trails System’s center uses The Bethel Inn Resort’s golf pro shop as its winter headquarters. There, you’ll find rentals for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and fat-tire biking. Skiing lessons are also available. As for the trails, there are just under 25 miles of them for cross-country skiing, categorized as easy, intermediate and difficult, so you can plan your adventure accordingly (and safely). The names of several of them are whimsical and include Dick’s Best Guess, Percolator and Harecut.

Black Mountain

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. 39 Glover Road, Rumford. Weekend and holiday fees are $15.
Black Mountain is home to the Chisholm Ski Club, so be sure to check the website for events that could close the trails. Nordic skiing is free on Thursday through Sunday thanks to a sponsorship from L.L. Bean. Grades K-2 and seniors 75 and over always ski free. Snowshoeing is free all winter long.

Trails at Oxbow Beer Garden

Open from dusk to dawn. 420 Main St., Oxford. Free to the public.
The Oxbow Beer Garden is adjacent to an extensive Nordic skiing trail system, formerly known as Carter’s XC Ski. The area is a use-at-your-own-risk network of beautiful mixed-use trails that run through the fields and forest behind the new beer garden. Nordic skis and snowshoes are available to rent on-site from the nonprofit organization Portland Gear Hub.

COASTAL MAINE

Acadia Carriage Roads

Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island. Free to use. 45 miles of trails, at least 30 groomed. The Carriage Roads were a gift of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and family, that weaves around the mountains and valleys of Acadia National Park. His construction efforts from 1913 to 1940 resulted in roads with sweeping vistas and close-up views of the landscape.

CENTRAL MAINE

A skier takes advantage of both the warm temperatures and man-made snow for an afternoon of Nordic skiing at Quarry Road Trails in Waterville. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Quarry Road Trails

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends, night skiing until 9 p.m. 300 Quarry Road, Waterville. Packages are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and $35  for a family of 2 adults and 2 students ($7 for extra students).
In Waterville, you’ll find 8.2 miles of expertly groomed Nordic ski trails along with 5 miles of single-track trails for mountain biking and snowshoeing. What makes this spot different is that it makes its own snow for part of the trail system, which guarantees primo conditions all winter long. Ski equipment and snowshoes are available for rent at the Quarry Road Welcome Center Yurt until 3 p.m. weekdays; 4 p.m. weekends. Equipment rental is not available after the Welcome Center closes, so if you plan on night skiing, bring your own equipment. If walking and hiking are more your thing, the 200-plus acres are open to the public free of charge (donations appreciated).

Hidden Valley Nature Center

Open dawn to dusk. 131 Egypt Road, Jefferson; free.
Find nearly 1,000 acres of contiguous forest with two marked, 3-mile loops. Rentals available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, starting at $15 for adults who are nonmembers. Snowshoers are also welcome and dogs allowed on trails with leashes.

A pair of snowshoers move past snow-covered trees at Viles Arboretum in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Viles Arboretum

Open from dusk to dawn. 153 Hospital St., Augusta. $15 rental fee. Rentals free for members or anyone under 17.
Viles offers two loops of ungroomed trails. Use of the trails is free as well as access to the visitor center. Rental equipment is on a first come first serve basis.

NORTHERN MAINE

New England Outdoor Center

200 Katahdin View Drive, Millinocket. $20. The 15-mile trail system was designed by Olympian John Morton and developed by Katahdin Area Trails. The terrain is perfect for beginners to pros with trails consisting of easy-to-moderate, intermediate, and challenging. The center also offers dining at its pub, with a full menu, a well-stocked bar, and a big stone fireplace. They also offer rentals 7 days a week.

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Open from dusk to dawn. Swift Brook Rd, Stacyville. Use of trails is free. The north entrance of the monument offers miles of packed and groomed trails that are perfect for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The trails move along the East Branch Penobscot River and through rolling forested terrain. Grooming begins in the north end of the monument in mid-January. The trails offer a variety of routes for all ages and abilities. Trails are groomed for classic and, conditions permitting, skate skiing. Snowshoers and leashed pets must walk outside of the ski tracks. Visit the winter trail conditions page for the current status of cross-country ski trails.