Saddleback voted "Best Family Resort" in Northeast by OnTheSnow

[dlague]

Maine back roads are fun in a WRX. I'll do that hour rally style with a shit-eating grin as long as I don't get stuck behind a bunch of slowpokes. I'll be at the Loaf for 5 or 6 days so I think taking a day to hit up Saddleback is definitely in order.

Good luck with that rally style, the frost heaves will have you bottoming out fast!

 

[tipsdown]

In all seriousness, Rt 4 has all been repaved (the stretch from Farmington to Rangeley). The Pacific Coast Highway it is not. But's vastly improved from a few years ago.

 

[steamboat1]

I think he was talking about the road over to Sugarloaf from Rangeley.

 

[Smellytele]

I think he was talking about the road over to Sugarloaf from Rangeley.

I drove it last year and it wasn't bad nothing like 242 from Jay to Montgomery used to be a few years ago.

 

[Cornhead]

Maine back roads are fun in a WRX. I'll do that hour rally style with a shit-eating grin as long as I don't get stuck behind a bunch of slowpokes. I'll be at the Loaf for 5 or 6 days so I think taking a day to hit up Saddleback is definitely in order.

I've got a Rex too, but I was real glad I hadn't taken my snows off yet on my first trip to Maine, the shock absorption, and added ground clearance, of the non low profile snows was appreciated. Can you say frost heave? OMG! I think that road was laid on permafrost.

 

[C-Rex]

Frost heaves? Hit them right and they become jumps! I hit one of those wide speed bumps at around 50 mph once and jumped it as if I meant to do it. Didn't even bottom out on the landing. But seriously, I know what you mean. I miss my old car with the height adjustable coilovers. Jacked up STi + snow tires = a nearly unstoppable and seriously fun ride to and from the hills.

Anywhooo, Saddleback looks like a fun mountain. Can't wait to check it out.

 

[steamboat1]

For the most part it's a good road. Been a few years since I've driven it, don't know if it's been improved. Remember one time driving behind my friends Jetta & he hit one of those frost heaves pretty good. Sparks were flying.

 

[xwhaler]

Rte 16 between Rangeley and Stratton/Carabassett is a real pretty drive...watch out for moose though! Especially March/April timeframe.
Coming West from Sugarloaf you get a really cool shot of Saddleback off in the distance---gives perspective as to how massive it is---pretty eye-opening for those who haven't skied the 'Back before.

 

[steamboat1]

Rte 16 between Rangeley and Stratton/Carabassett is a real pretty drive...watch out for moose though! Especially March/April timeframe.
Coming West from Sugarloaf you get a really cool shot of Saddleback off in the distance---gives perspective as to how massive it is---pretty eye-opening for those who haven't skied the 'Back before.

Yes it is a pretty drive. Coming from Sugarloaf gives you beautiful view of Saddleback. Only thing is when you first see Saddleback it's at least another 1/2 hour to get there because you have to go all the way around & come up from the other direction.

Never saw a moose up there but one night we were on that road & there was a huge deer standing in the middle of the road that wouldn't move. I was able to drive up right along side of him, roll down my window & pet him. He was still unfazed & didn't move.

I forget whether it's north of Stratton or north of Rangeley but there's a general store that feeds the deer every afternoon around 4pm. Hundreds of deer come from all around to feed there. It's really quite a sight to see. It attracts a lot of people also. Forget the name of the town but it has an Indian name if I remember right.

 

[C-Rex]

A friend and I headed up to the Loaf after work for a long weekend a few years back. It was around midnight and we were about 45 min from our hotel when we got pulled over for speeding. Oops. The cops were looking for a guy with a car like mine that they suspected of trafficking drugs in from Canada. They asked me a bunch of questions and even walked around the outside of my car with a drug dog. That made my starfish pucker since we did have some illicit substances in the car which I had denied having moments earlier. Somehow the dog didn't detect anything even though we had smoked about an hour prior. The cop realizes that I'm not the guy he's looking for and decides to let me go with a warning. He tells us to have fun at the loaf and then warns us to drive slow since a lot of moose had been spotted recently. Not 20 min down the road we passed a huge moose just off the side of the road. That was a crazy night and the start to an awesome weekend. It was late April but the next night we got 14 inches of fluffy fresh. I love those little adventures.

 

[C-Rex]

A friend and I headed up to the Loaf after work for a long weekend a few years back. It was around midnight and we were about 45 min from our hotel when we got pulled over for speeding. Oops. The cops were looking for a guy with a car like mine that they suspected of trafficking drugs in from Canada. They asked me a bunch of questions and even walked around the outside of my car with a drug dog. That made my starfish pucker since we did have some illicit substances in the car which I had denied having moments earlier. Somehow the dog didn't detect anything even though we had smoked about an hour prior. The cop realizes that I'm not the guy he's looking for and decides to let me go with a warning. He tells us to have fun at the loaf and then warns us to drive slow since a lot of moose had been spotted recently. Not 20 min down the road we passed a huge moose just off the side of the road. That was a crazy night and the start to an awesome weekend. It was late April but the next night we got 14 inches of fluffy fresh. I love those little adventures.

I'm not sure what this has to do with anything...I guess just that we saw a moose in Maine and I felt like telling a story.

 

[Cornhead]

I saw my first moose on the way home from SL. Yeah, you wouldn't want to hit one. Here's a Volvo crash test hitting a simulated moose. Moose in your face, no thanks, be careful!

 

[salsgang]

Yea we are big Saddleback homers and nice to see the mountain get some ink. Sometimes there is a perception that it is a longer drive to Saddleback than Sugarloaf but it really isn't. I talked about it on my blog last year at this post.

http://www.maineskifamily.com/2013/01/is-saddleback-really-longer-drive-than.html

If you get a chance to go to Saddleback you should! Well worth the trip!

 

[Skimaine]

As the crow flies, Saddleback is 12-13 miles from Sugarloaf. Driving, as noted, is long hour.

 

[C-Rex]

As the crow flies, Saddleback is 12-13 miles from Sugarloaf. Driving, as noted, is long hour.

This makes me think of a dream I had where I had my own helicopter shuttle. I was at a mountain and the conditions and crowds left much to be desired so some friends and I just jumped into my helo for a quick flight of the ridgeline to better riding. Then I woke up...

 

[canobie#1]

I love he mountain but that stupid double needs to go! It's the main lift and it gets huge lines. A high speed is what the place really needs.

 

[bigbog]

A fun area......

 

[dlague]

A fun area......

+1