January 7, 2009
Big Squaw a trek worth making
by Tony Chamberlain/
Even in the dead of a New England winter, we get the wanderlust — maybe because of the winter, for that matter.
But for the sheer adventure of getting there, and being in some pretty different surroundings once you do go, Big Squaw Mountain in Greenville, Maine, sits right on the edge of true northern wilderness.
As much as I have frequented the area in summer and fall, winter is a whole new experience on the shores of Moosehead Lake.
Let’s start with the getting there. From the time you enter Maine at Kittery, Greenville is some 210 miles north, about 160 of them along the well-maintained Route 195 before you leave the highway at Exit 157 (new lineage) and head for Dexter.
Yup, it’s up there, all right. But a combination of features makes this adventure worth the effort for the adventurous.
For starters, you’ll recoup most of the gas money you spent getting there by finding prices such as $25 daily adult lift prices and $50 hotel rooms. You can pretty much calibrate prices of other goods and services — lessons, rentals, etc. — from these benchmarks.
Greenville is on the southernmost shore of one of New England’s largest lakes, and it's a sportsman’s paradise for most of the year. As deer and moose season close out, the town does get quiet, though snowmobile traffic is pretty heavy through the winter.
The mountain itself has one of the most stunning views in all New England ski country, with nearby cliffs of Mount Kineo rising nearly a thousand feet out of Moosehead. Nearby Spencer Mountains and Mount Katahdin — Maine’s highest point — are all part of the scenery from Big Squaw.
The area is cut in the old-fashioned New England way, with 33 trails designed by Sel Hannah, who liked twisting narrow trails, and a sense of trekking the mountain. New (I have not tried them yet) are the Glades trails said to have been “personally hand-crafted by an expert boarder,” in the words of resort literature.
The upper mountain is pretty wild and natural, with a 1,750-foot vertical drop to the base. The lower 750 feet are the tamer, more cruisy blue runs designed by Hannah, the Dartmouth and Olympic skier who became a premier resort designer in the 1940s.
Hannah is said to have commented on his own creation of the central blue run down the lower half of the mountain:
“Of all the trails I have designed, the Penobscot Trail at Big Squaw is by far the most scenic.”
Moosehead itself, at 40 miles long by 20 wide, spreads out vastly at the base of Big Squaw.
Big Squaw makes snow on about 70 percent of its terrain and grooms the lower mountain. But in this far-flung part of the world, natural snow is rarely a problem.
The mountain is open on weekends beginning Jan. 10, but it’s always a good idea to call ahead — (207) 695-1000 — especially to make hotel reservations.
And aside from the low prices and exotic wilderness setting, here’s something else to relish about the Big Squaw experience: No crowds.
