Introducing the Northern New England Adventure Trail

[Canuman]

Originally Posted by devo2002

Wow, just saw this at work, I can't wait to check out the files! Way to go Canuman, you planning on taking this route this year?

I've ridden and mapped the western portion from North Troy to "summit" and "summit" eastward ("summit" is the railroad siding on my property that makes a convenient waypoint) to the Forks in Maine in various vehicles over the years. The route is very solid from there. I've not done much east of Greenville, ME, but have done most of the route from The Forks through Moxie Pond to Greenville in a Landcruiser.

I've been all over the North Maine Woods on four wheels, but they are often not open to two, so some edits may be in order.

I'd like to get a few riders to verify this complete route this summer. The eastern tracks come from reliable sources, and the whole thing can be done in two to three days. It opens up a whole lotta territory.

[Canuman]

Originally Posted by BKMLWR

much of what you have in west / central Maine is not legal for motorcycles, you probably didn't notice the white rectangular signs which say Private Road- 35 mph then below it says No Motorcycles, No Dirtbikes while in your Landcruiser...maybe you should verify before releasing stuff on the internet publicly....

Intothenew's TET project has been ridden and verified across Maine and will be released at some point publicly

I've spent many years in Maine and the North Woods, and I do notice such things. The part of the route beyond West Forks came from a verified, ridden route posted here on ADV in the tracks section. I've been cautious about indicating this is a preliminary route, and I've been careful to include roads that have actually been ridden and reported on by inmates. Note the complete lack of anything north of The Golden Road, for example.

[Canuman]

Originally Posted by BKMLWR

Traveling east from Lake Moxie, just after turning off the Indian Pd RD onto the Brocha Rd there is a no bike sign right at the gate. Just because someone rode it does not make it ok...same for west end of Tim Pond Rd...and big sign on Morton Cutoff Rd just as you turn off Rt16

Strange, I had a camp on Aziscoos, and used to bike there without problems.

[devo2002]

I'll try my best to verify part of the trip!

[Canuman]

Originally Posted by devo2002

I'll try my best to verify part of the trip!

Thanks, Devo!

[Canuman]

Legal Disclaimer: as BMWLKR has indicated, some portions of the current route are gray or even illegal on motorcycle. Most are not. I've made an effort to avoid those that are. I've ridden to and stopped at plenty of gates. I'm certain my routes through Vermont and New Hampshire are solid and rideable. They also go through some very interesting country. Nice views. Ponds. Sunsets.

I've been on the Lincoln Pond Road and the Tim Pond road many times. Both are quite frankly boring as Hell, even when hugely washed out. Many of Maine's "resource roads" tend this way. These roads were cut with one purpose: to bring timber to the mills. Aesthetics were far down the list. Trees, trees, gravel pit, patch of "rough", washout, you get the picture.

An occasional camp breaks the monotony.

Maine has some utterly spectacular scenery, and much of it is paved. The brief for this post was to find a way on gravel.

[Hulked Up]

Even if some of the sections in Maine are not legal, this is still one hell of a resource. Thank you for putting it together. I hope to ride some of it this season. I'm sure the kinks in Maine can be figured out with some reasonable detours and paved sections.

[Canuman]

I spent much of the day today working on a route through the Eastern Townships of Quebec, which may avoid some of the sketchy sections in Maine. The route is in three segments. If one wishes to reenter the US, it is possible at three points. One leaves the US at Canaan VT/Hereford, QC. The first reentry point is at roughly Chartierville, QC/Third Connecticut Lake, NH. I don't think this is a goer, except for day/short tripping. Although the route is very fine, and the road is spectacular and lonely indeed (when last ridden a year ago or so in November), it doesn't solve the private land issues that BMWKLR mentioned.

The second leg, follows tightly along the Canada/US border reenters at Woburn, QC/Chain of Ponds, ME. This gives a real possibility of linking up the eastern portions of the NNEAT routes without too much difficulty, while not introducing much pavement. If the weather is good, and the roads moderately dry, I will attempt to verify this section next weekend.

The last leg is exciting, but I don't know when I will be able to verify it. It will be either boom or bust. One portion points toward Fort Kent, ME (And the other to the Trans Lab and The Rock), with links to the ferry over the St. Lawrence which leads to the TNE and the TCAT.

I like to do this stuff, but sometimes it ain't fun. There's not much more depressing than taking the bike up a route you hope not to backtrack over, and have to backtrack.

[Canuman]

Originally Posted by Hulked Up

Even if some of the sections in Maine are not legal, this is still one hell of a resource. Thank you for putting it together. I hope to ride some of it this season. I'm sure the kinks in Maine can be figured out with some reasonable detours and paved sections.

Thanks for the support.

[RidingUpAndDown]

Nice Lotta Work Here! So so many can benefit.
Thnx for doin all this. Hope to cross paths at some point.

Best regards!

Cheers, d

[Pantah]

Hey thanks. I'll try that route this spring. I have a new bike coming and this would be a good test. I rode some of those Maine roads that the timber companies own. I saw a no-m/c sign too, but I rode to Millenocket anyways.

I wonder why no bikes? If they let station wagons full of Cub Scouts run them, it can't be anything to do with logging trucks.

[intothenew]

I don't mean this as a plug, just an FYI.

TET does terminate in Vanceboro ME now, kinda, sorta. That leg is being released as beta for the moment. Here's an overview.



We have a leg across PA running roughly East to West to add, and NorthernTraveler is in the bush working on some changes to TETS now. A TETv2 will be released soon, how soon I just can't answer. But, the betas that comes with v1 gives you the actual track logs, gas, lodging, food, etc. We are basically just short on the documentation.

[Canuman]

Here's my most recent route to cut around restricted lands in Maine. Several riders from Quebec have reviewed it, and feel it has promise. There are some areas that charge access fees, but it mostly appears to be open access. If it wasn't snowing today, I was hoping to do the southern portion. That will have to occur next weekend, I think.

[Pantah]

Originally Posted by BKMLWR

I work for people who own part of the Stud Mill Rd. and last year motorcycles were not pulling over for loaded trucks and forcing them off the crown of the road which puts the trucker in a dangerous situation. Truckers were calling the sherrif and the riders were being ticketed for trespassing... years back dirt bikers made a bad reputation by vandalizing forestry equipment and we now suffer the consequences

Sounds like baloney to me. Nobody on a motorcycle is going to run a logging truck off the road. What about the station wagons full of Cub Scouts or the bus loads of school kids?

Nah, they just enjoy throwing their weight around. I mean it's not like Maine is the only place on the continent with logging operations. Loggers know how to drive those rigs and they are everywhere there are forests. I've ridden through many of them. Loggers share the land with motorcyclists everywhere I've been except Maine.

Those companies up there are poor citizens.

[devo2002]

Maybe some people want to ride through the woods before a "private" company clears it