There’s no better way to enjoy the great outdoors than riding your ATV in The Pine Tree State. Enjoy the scenery as you weave through rugged mountain paths, pine groves, lakes, bogs, streams, and waterfalls. Most of Maine’s ATV trails are multi-use and open throughout the year except during mud season.
Maine has so many options to ride your ATV. Head to Moose Loop Trail for a challenge, where you will experience some rock climbing and mud holes. There’s also Saint John Valley Heritage Trail. Experience the beautiful landscape of Aroostook County as you traverse through farmland and wooded areas.
Here’s our list of the top 15 best ATV trails in Maine:
- Pulpit Rock Trail
- Moose Loop Trail
- Four Seasons Adventure Trail
- Down East Sunrise Trail
- Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail
- Whistle Stop Rail Trail
- Kennebec Valley Trail
- Saint John Valley Heritage Trail
- Houlton To Phair Junction Trail
- Sherman to Patten Trail
- Lagrange to Medford Trail
- Coburn Mountain ATV Riders
- Dixmont Trails
- Katahdin Lodge
- Rocky Mountain Terrain Park (RMTP)
Whether it’s a short relaxing ride, a day of exploration, or an overnight excursion through remote country, ATV riding offers you a classic Maine adventure that you will surely never forget.
Explore the trails on your ATV and marvel at the incredible panoramas that Maine is famous for. Sightings of wildlife along the route are also a bonus.
Let’s check out the top ATV trails in Maine:
15 Best Maine ATV Trails
1. Pulpit Rock Trail
Pulpit Rock Trail is in North Waterford, Maine. It offers a network of ATV trails that brings you through many scenic and exciting destinations in Stoneham, Waterford, Lovell, and Sweden. The trail connects with the Norway trail system. For more information about fees, requirements, and activities, check out their website and Facebook Page.
2. Moose Loop Trail
The Moose Loop Trail offers 138 miles for ATVs. The trail, located in Northern Franklin County, passes through the picturesque villages of Stratton-Eustis, Rangeley, Kingfield, Avon, Salem, Strong, Phillips, and Madrid. These villages are ATV-friendly, which means riders can access food, gas, and accommodations for an overnight stay.
The Moose Loop Trail takes riders through scenic views, terrains that offer challenging adventures, and many opportunities to view wildlife.
3. Four Seasons Adventure Trail
The 29.8-mile Four Seasons Adventure Trail is in the Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties. It’s a multi-use trail connecting Newport, Corinna, Dexter, Sangerville, and Dover-Foxcroft. Also known as the Newport/Dover-Foxcroft Rail Trail, it treats riders to incredible views of several lakes as it weaves through forests and farmlands.
ATV use is highest during summer weekends, and so are horseback riders and mountain bikers. During winter, snowmobilers and cross-country skiers share the trail. There is also dog sledding and snowshoeing during winter. The trail beginning and end connects with the Maine Interconnected Trail System.
All motorized vehicles must be legally registered. The trail is open year-round. Camping facilities are available in designated areas, and several accommodations have direct access to the trail.
4. Down East Sunrise Trail
The Down East Sunrise Trail offers ATV riders with 87 miles of natural landscape winding through verdant forests and marshes that beavers, eagles, wild turkeys, white-tail deer, and the moose call home. The trail also passes through picturesque coastal villages of southern Maine.
It’s the longest off-road trail on Maine’s East Coast Greenway. What was once a rail corridor has become a scenic trail that is open to ATVs, snowmobiles, bicycles, hiking, horse riding, cross-country skiing, and dog sledding.
The trail can accommodate snowmobiles and ATVs up to 60 inches wide. When snow covers the trail during winter, ATVs and horseback riding are not permitted. For more information, check out the website.
5. Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail
The 6-mile Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail was an old rail bed that is now used year-round by ATV riders, bicyclists, hikers, joggers, horseback riders, cross-country skiers, and snowmobilers. It’s also a pet-friendly trail. It’s graded dirt and gravel allows for multiple uses.
Also called “Railroad Trail,” the trail runs east from Lebanon’s town line and passes through Sanford. The trail winds through woodsy areas and passes through Deering Pond. There are four entrances to the trail network in Springvale. These include Hanson Ridge Road, Oak Street, Main Street, and Pleasant Street.
6. Whistle Stop Rail Trail
Whistle Stop Rail Trail offers 14 miles of one-way multi-use trail that connects three towns. Riders get gorgeous views of the countryside and fields dotted with beautiful wildflowers. The gentle curves and slopes of the trail weave through the scenic foothills and forested Western Maine wetlands. The trail is open year-round for everything outdoors — ATVs, snowmobiles, biking, walking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, snowshoeing, and dog sledding.
Leash walks with pet dogs are also permitted. Just make sure to clean up. For more information, check the maine.gov website.
7. Kennebec Valley Trail
Kennebec Valley Trail in Somerset is a 14.5-mile rail-trail of prime ATV country. It is also open to horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. While traversing the trail, keep your eyes and ears open for various wildlife that inhabits the river, woods, and meadows surrounding the trail. Observing wildlife in their natural habitat will surely be a treat!
ATVs and mountain bikes are permitted on the trail until the first snowfall. The trailhead is on Goodrich Road on the southern side of Bingham.
8. Saint John Valley Heritage Trail
The 16.9 mile Saint John Valley Heritage Trail is in Aroostook County, the largest and northernmost county in Maine. ‘Aroostook’ means ‘beautiful river’ in the Native American dialect. It’s just one of the many trails of Northern Maine’s extensive trail system, which has over a thousand miles of marked trails.
Most of the Saint John Valley Heritage Trail passes through forests and farmlands dotted with lakes, rivers, and ponds. The rail-trail is mostly made up of crushed stone and is great for ATVs, mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding.
During winter, the trail becomes a haven for snowmobiling, dogsledding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. For more info, visit the Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands.
9. Houlton To Phair Junction Trail
The 37-mile Houlton to Phair Junction Trail is part of the Southern Bangor And Aroostook Trail. It extends from Houlton and passes through the towns of Monticello, Bridgewater, and Mars Hill. The trail goes through a forested area and permits ATV riding, off-road biking, hiking, and horseback riding.
During winter, the trail is alive with cross-country skier, snowmobiles, snowshoeing, and dog sledding. Only motorized vehicles legally registered as an ATV or snowmobile are permitted on multi-use trails.
The trail is open year-round except for mud season. Visit the maine.gov website for more information.
10. Sherman to Patten Trail
The Sherman to Patten Trail offers 6 miles of scenic fields and forested areas for ATV riders. In the past, it was a railroad connecting Bangor to Millinocket to Houlton. The multi-use trail has a gravel surface that is also open to horseback riding, off-road biking, and hiking.
During winter, the trail accommodates cross-country skiing, dog sledding, snowmobiles, and snowshoeing. Most of the trail goes around the perimeter of Thousand Acre Bog. It will take riders through very remote areas, which make for a great backcountry adventure.
There are also several side trails for ATV users providing more opportunities for exploring beyond the rail corridor. Permits for motorized vehicles must be obtained. ATVs or snowmobiles must be legally registered.
11. Lagrange to Medford Trail
The 11.4-mile Lagrange to Medford Trail provides a remote trail experience for ATV riders. In Medford Center, the route for ATVs and snowmobiles continues northwards to the remote Schoodic Lake. From the trailhead in South Lagrange, the trail weaves north through an area that’s heavily wooded, giving riders an occasional glimpse of small farms or houses. The trail also passes through the town of Lagrange, which is an old lumber mill town. A general store and service station can be reached via the Town Road crossing.
The out-of-the-way route offers glimpses of beavers, moose, waterfowls, and other wildlife living in the area. Because the trail leads into the remote country, riders are advised to carry provisions, including a good insect repellent, especially during spring and early summer. Other trail users include horses, mountain bikes, snowmobiles, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, and dogsleds during winter. It is open all year except the muddy season.
12. Coburn Mountain ATV Riders
Coburn Mountain ATV Riders is a large trail system in northern Maine. During summer, it’s open to ATVs while snowmobiles lord it over the trails during winter. Several lodging accommodations provide direct access to them. The trails are open year-round except during mud season.
Aside from ATVs and snowmobiles, UTVs and SXS are also permitted. Vehicles must have a Maine ATV Registration to use the trails, and camping is allowed in developed sites only.
13. Dixmont Trails
Dixmont Trails treat ATV riders with about 20 miles of adventures through trails that are mostly sandy and hard-packed. The trails offer something for all types of skill levels. But most of the trails are classified as ‘intermediate.’ Aside from ATVs, motorcycles, UTVs and SXS are also permitted. But SUVs, Jeeps, dune buggy, and sand rail 4x4s are prohibited. The trails have two staging areas and are open daily except during mud season. Vehicles must not exceed 60 inches in width and must be registered in Maine.
For more information, check out the website of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
14. Katahdin Lodge
Katahdin Lodge offers direct access to hundreds of miles of ATV trails that weave through scenic panoramas of verdant forests, stream crossings, waterfalls, and gravel pits. The trails connect to the Aroostook County ATV Trail System.
ATVs are allowed on the trails from May through late fall. Motorcycles, dirt bikes, UTVs, SXS, SUVs, Jeeps, dune buggies, and sand rails 4×4 are also permitted on the trails as long as they have a Maine OHV sticker. ATVs and motorcycles must also have a current Maine registration. For more information, including accommodations, check out the Katahdin Lodge website.
15. Rocky Mountain Terrain Park (RMTP)
Rocky Mountain Terrain Park has 700 acres of picturesque wooded trails. There are plenty of steep hills to maneuver, some small jumps and berms, as well as a few large jumps. It’s open to ATVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes, UTVs, SXS, SUVs, Jeeps, dune buggies, and sand rails.
No permit is required to ride the trail, but there are fees for riding and using the campsite. According to its website, RMPT is open every day and night for off-road recreation.
Conclusion: 15 Best Maine ATV Trails
So what are the best ATV trails in Maine? In summary, here are the top picks again:
- Pulpit Rock Trail
- Moose Loop Trail
- Four Seasons Adventure Trail
- Down East Sunrise Trail
- Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail
- Whistle Stop Rail Trail
- Kennebec Valley Trail
- Saint John Valley Heritage Trail
- Houlton To Phair Junction Trail
- Sherman to Patten Trail
- Lagrange to Medford Trail
- Coburn Mountain ATV Riders
- Dixmont Trails
- Katahdin Lodge
- Rocky Mountain Terrain Park (RMTP)
Maine has the longest interconnected ATV trail system in the country. Whether you want a full day adventure or multi-day excursion, Maine offers some of the best multi-use trails you can find in the country. For Maine ATV trails maps, head on to The Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry website.
Kris is an avid off-roader and outdoor enthusiast who loves to brave the elements and take on challenging terrain. He also enjoys sharing his passion and knowledge with others so that they, too, can appreciate the ride.
About Kris