Outdoors

ATV & Snowmobile Trails Near Stow, Maine

Trail access starts practically at the driveway.

One of the quieter perks of staying in Stow rather than a more built-up part of the valley: real ATV and snowmobile trail access right from the neighborhood, not a trailer-and-drive situation.

Getting on the trails

Trail access and routing in this network runs through the Polaris Command app, which maps the local trail system and permitted access points — worth downloading before you arrive if you're bringing your own machine. Take a left out of the driveway and follow the road down; there's a marked access point with room for trailer parking, which the loft itself also has space for.

Summer riding

In the warmer months, the same trail network opens up for ATVs and side-by-sides, connecting into a broader system that reaches toward the Maine backcountry and across into New Hampshire in places. It's a genuinely different way to see this part of the state than by car or on foot.

Winter riding

Once snow settles in, the same corridors become snowmobile trail, and this area is well connected into the wider western Maine snowmobile network — one of the better-maintained trail systems in the state. Evans Notch Road (Route 113) itself closes to cars in winter, and becomes part of the snowmobile route between Stow and Gilead.

What to bring

If you're not bringing your own machine, several outfitters in the North Conway and Bridgton area offer ATV and snowmobile rentals and guided trips — worth booking ahead in peak season (summer weekends, and the heart of snowmobile season in January and February).

Good to know

There's dedicated trailer parking at the property itself, so hauling in your own sled or ATV doesn't require finding overflow space down the road.