The Camden-Rockport area abounds in trails for virtually every biking level and interest, from easy glides along the harbors to challenging mountain trails that’ll test even the most proficient expert.

At the Camden Snow Bowl about 3 miles west of town, there are several miles of single-track mountain biking trails maintained by the Mid Coast Maine Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association.

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The Camden Snow Bowl has mountain biking trails for all skill levels, and there are also several popular routes in the Camden-Rockport area for those who prefer the road. Camden Snow Bowl photo

Three well-marked trails start at the base of the ski area, ranging in difficulty from the 3.5-mile advanced Pitch Pole loop that climbs more than 600 vertical feet to the top of the chair lift, to the half-mile long Chute loop that’s perfect for beginners. An intermediate circuit, the Jibe trail, is about 1.5 miles long and climbs about 300 vertical feet. You can see all the details at www.camdensnowbowl.com/mountain-biking.

Up in Camden Hills State Park, about 3 miles north of town on Route 1, there are also mountain biking trails for every skill level. The easiest, and most popular, is the appropriately-named Multi-use trail, for not only bikers but hikers and horseback riders as well. It’s 5 miles of a relatively flat, well-graveled and graded double-track surface running from the camping area on Route 1 to a parking area on Route 173 between Lincolnville and Lincolnville Beach. At its midpoint is a recently-completed replica of a ski lodge that was constructed some 70 years ago at the base of a now-overgrown ski trail that still is open for hikers. Birds and wildlife abound on this pleasant ride through mixed forests and adjacent bogs.

Three other trails are open for mountain bikers, and the most technical riders will head for the 2-mile Frohock Mountain Trail, off the Multi-use trail, to test their skills on a challenging surface of rocks and roots, working their way up and down some steep slopes on three mountain peaks and through mixed oak and spruce forests.

So much for you mountain bikers, of which I’m one, but I find myself increasingly eschewing bumpy back-country terrain and preferring to cruise on my skinny-tired road bike.

And for those of us who like to spend a day pedaling, I can’t think of a better area than Camden-Rockport. I’d recommend you pick up a copy of the Camden Hiking and Biking Trail Map by going to www.mapadventures.com.

You’ll find complete descriptions of a variety of interesting routes, ranging from a 22-mile circuit of Megunticook Lake to what, for me, is the perfect ride along the shore of Penobscot Bay, with abounding views of the Maine coast at its best.

This route is referred to as Beauchamp Point in the aforementioned map, and its 8.4-mile circuit is well-marked.

I always make a counter-clockwise circuit starting right at the Public Landing in Camden heading toward Rockport on Bay View Street, past the Camden Yacht Club. A short distance along, you’ll pass Laite Memorial Beach, where you might want to return for a dip when your ride is completed. You’ll stay on Bay View Street for a 1.5-mile flat and winding ride to its intersection with Chestnut Street. Along the way you’ll catch glimpses of Curtis Island guarding Camden Harbor, and other views across the bay to Vinalhaven and North Haven.

Turning left on Chestnut Street you’ll soon be treated to the sight of Belted Galloway “Oreo Cookie” cows grazing in a field that runs down to Lily Pond at the Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s Aldemere Farm.

Then it’s a left down Calderwood Lane past Megunticook Golf Club and around Beauchamp Point. You’ll be tempted to spend a few minutes in the quiet seclusion of the Children’s Chapel before continuing up the north side of Rockport Harbor along Beauchamp Avenue into the village.

You’ll return to Camden on the traffic-free Union Street Pathway, passing under the historic archway that you may have seen in the 1957 movie, Peyton Place.

I can even remember seeing the last of the trolley tracks on that street, which was once Route 1, along which plied the Camden-Rockland-Thomaston trolley early in the century.

All told, there are enough biking options within a few miles of each other to satisfy every member of your family on multiple visits.

John Christie is an author and year-round Maine explorer. He and his son, Josh, write in Outdoors about places to enjoy beauty only Maine has to offer. He can be contacted at:

jchristie@fairpoint.net

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