Your New Guide to 18 Delightful Fun Winter Activities

Maine is just chock full of fun winter activities. Here at the Wolf Cove Inn, a bed and breakfast in Maine, there’s a whole new world to explore once Mother Nature has covered our winter wonderland in snow. So grab your snowshoes, cross-country skis, alpine skis, skijoring gear (wait for it!), fat tire bikes, ice skates, sleds, or fishing gear and come on by. Read on to learn about our favorite winter activities in Maine. Here are some tips to help you enjoy Maine safely in all seasons.

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18 Delightful, Fun Winter Activities in Maine

1 – Romantic Sleigh Rides

You have multiple options for a cozy romantic sleigh ride:

• [This vendor is not operating for the 2022/3 winter season] Carousel Horse Farm in nearby Casco (about 10-15 minutes from Wolf Cove Inn) offers a number of sleigh ride options. Enjoy a romantic couples ride in their red sleigh. Or go out with a group in their larger sleigh. Please call (207) 627-4471 for questions or reservations.
• High View Farm in Harrison, about 30 minutes from the Inn. Please call (207) 595-1601 for questions or reservations.

2 – Snowshoeing

There are lots of great snowshoeing options in the area. Bring your own, hit up the local hiking trails and break new snow. You can also rent equipment and cover groomed trails at the following nearby locations:

• The trails at Oxbow Beer Garden in Oxford (rentals available on site on weekends) – 10 minutes
• Groomed cart paths at the Poland Spring Golf Course – 10 minutes
• Robert’s Farm in Norway (borrow snowshoes at the warming hut) – 20 minutes
• Pineland Farms in New Gloucester – 25 minutes
• Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal (bring your own snowshoes) – 30 minutes

3 – Nordic Skiing

There are a number of local nordic skiing sites in the area, some with rental shops on site:

• Lost Valley Ski Area in Auburn – 20 minutes from the Inn
• Pineland Farms (rentals available) in New Gloucester
• Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal
• Oxbow Beer Garden in Oxford (bonus, most days you can grab a beer or three after three at the brewery)
• Robert’s Farm in Norway (pick up equipment in the warming hut for free)

4 – Dog Sledding

Located in Canton, and a beautiful scenic 40 minutes from the Wolf Cove Inn, you’ll find the home base for the Ultimate Dog Sledding Experience. Alex is a professional racer who’ll take great care of you. He offers tours that range from one hour all the way to the Ultimate Experience, a three day adventure where you mush your own team on the third day. Read more …

5 – Skijoring

Yes, skijoring. X-C skiing with a dog assist! Grab your cross-country skis (no metal edges please) and head to New England Dog Sledding in Mason Township (near Bethel). There you can rent skijoring equipment, the dog(s) and use their trails. Plan for a little over an hour to get there from the Wolf Cove Inn.

6 – Snow Tubing

Get over to Lost Valley Ski Area for their new offering – snow tubing in Maine! Your fee gets you the tube and two hours to use their tubing lanes and rope tow. Available Friday, Saturday and Sunday, including under the lights on Friday and Saturday.

7 – Sledding

Pineland Farms in nearby New Gloucester has groomed sledding trails. So bring you favorite Flexible Flyer, toboggan or flying saucer disk and relive those childhood memories.

8 – Winter Horseback Riding

All great Maine winter activities should include a horse, right? Carousel Horse Farm offers winter horseback riding. Take in the great views on their farm trail system.

9 – Fat Tire Biking

You can fat tire bike at a number of locations in the area. Bring your own bike to any of these locations:

• Oxbow Beer Garden in Oxford
• Pineland Farms in New Gloucester (you can reserve bikes with them)
• Robert’s Farm in Norway

10 – Snowball Fights (Lovingly) On Tripp Lake

Well, the picture says it all. Enjoy a walk out on beautiful frozen Tripp Lake and engage in some playful competition right here at Wolf Cove Inn.

11 – Downhill Skiing

You have downhill skiing options near and far, from 20 minutes away to 2 hours for the big boy of Maine – Sugarloaf.

• Lost Valley Ski Area in Auburn Maine – A great learn-to-ski, beginner and intermediate experience (20 minutes from Wolf Cove Inn).
• Shawnee Peak Ski Area in Bridgton Maine – A mid-sized mountain with great scenery (30 minutes from the Inn).
• Sunday River Ski Resort in Bethel Maine – One of Maine’s biggest and most popular ski areas (50 minutes from the Inn).
• Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Resort in Carrabassett Valley – My favorite, the big boy of Maine with lots of challenging terrain( 2 hours from the Inn).

12 – Ice Skating

Ice skating is another of the great winter activities in Maine. Here are some options:

• Right out our door step on Tripp Lake if it’s not covered in snow,
• The Town of Poland rink in the town municipal area right off of route 26 (skate rental available),
• The Town of Norway has a rink on Cottage Street with lighting until 10PM,
• Lakeside Norway plows a section of Lake Penneseewassee. It’s just past the downtown section on route 117, 61 Lake Road,
• Pineland Farms in New Gloucester has a skating pond on site. Availability subject to weather and conditions.

Be sure to bring your own skates.

13 – Antiquing

Outdoors adventures aren’t your cup of tea today? Check out some of the area antique shops, a fantastic way to spend your winter days and explore Maine:

• The Willows – the largest flea markets in Maine
• The Barn On 26 – Alice has some really nice antique furniture and accessories
• And more…

14 – Ice Fishing

Enjoy ice fishing right out the back door of Wolf Cove Inn on Tripp Lake. The lake has large and smallmouth bass, pickerel and trout. Please remember to bring your own gear as the Wolf Cove Inn does not stock equipment to support this activity. Our friends at nearby Shaker Hill Outdoors can get you set up.

15 – Snowmobiling

Bring your own and use any of the many snowmobile trails coursing through the woods in our area. The local snowmobile clubs have lots of great information:

• Poland
• Raymond
• Norway
• Mechanic Falls
• Oxford

Or head to Fryeburg and rent equipment at Northeast Snowmobile.

16 – Norway Snowshoe Festival

Lots of fun stuff happens during this Norway Snowshoe Festival. Norway Maine was once the snowshoe manufacturing capital of the world (until China came along). Events celebrating this past history include:

• A world championship snowshoe wife carry
• A fireman’s snowshow tug of war
• A moonlight snowshoe up Noyes Mountain
• The Mellie Dunham Henry Ford Contra Dance

Yep, we know how to party here in Maine! And speaking of partying, be sure to stop at Norway Brewing Company to try what the locals have brewed up.

17 – Maine Beer Trail Tour

Want to check out the local craft brewing scene? Take our self-guided tour of 5 western Maine breweries within 30 minutes of the Inn and experience what’s brewin’ in Maine.

18 – Your Winter Wedding

You have many options for your elopement or intimate winter wedding. Few can rival the beauty of a lakeside wedding at sunset in a gorgeous snowscape. Wolf Cove Inn has many Maine elopement packages to customize your elopement or intimate wedding to your needs.

Make Wolf Cove Inn Your Home Base For Your Winter Activities

Wolf Cove Inn specializes in romantic getaways in Maine. For all these great adventures, you want to begin your day with a signature (and delicious) Wolf Cove Inn comfort breakfast. And after a day full of winter activities, relax in your romantic room, complete with fireplace and jetted tub to soothe those sore muscles. Take in a sunset (with gourmet style 1927 s’mores) around the fire pit. Furthermore, pop into the dining room and let our staff prepare the best pizza in Maine. Then relax and chill with a good book or great conversation with your BFF. Finally, if you want to score romance points, check off as many items as possible in our romantic Maine getaway guide.

Cheers, Roy

Wolf Cove Inn on the shores of Tripp Lake in Poland, Maine

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