New Maine ATV map now available

    AUGUSTA — Spring is in the air, the trails are drying out, and just in time for the upcoming riding season, the new Maine ATV Trail Map is now available, according to a Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands official.     “The new map, featuring 6,000 miles of three-season ATV trails throughout Maine, is being mailed this week to ATV clubs and dealers statewide,” said Brian Bronson, ATV program coordinator for the BPL’s Off Road Vehicle Division.
    Maine now has the largest connected ATV trail system in the U.S., with approximately 2,300 miles of interconnected ATV trail. That particular section of linked trails runs from Washington County to the top of Aroostook County, Bronson pointed out.
    “For the first time, you can go from Machias to Fort Kent – there are thousands of miles of linked trails,” the program coordinator said, estimating that it could be up to a seven-day trip one way.
    “Direct comparisons aren’t always possible. It’s like comparing apples and oranges,” Bronson said. “We speculate that we have the largest ATV trail system in the country, but we can’t prove it. We do know we have the largest connected trail system in the country.”
    The BPL Off-Road Vehicle Division is the only state agency that oversees the maintenance of ATV and snowmobile trails. About 94 percent of the ATV trails are on private land, and ATV clubs do most of the actual maintenance, Bronson said.
    Interest is on the rise and the division has been getting a lot of telephone calls from riders who want to get out there, but ATV trails currently are all closed for mud season.
    While the trails are drying out, there still is quite a bit of deep frost in the ground, making the trails “soupy” for riding, Bronson said. Club officials and landowners will determine when the trails once again are suitable for use, he said.
    Bronson said he anticipated that this would be a good year – and an early season – for ATV riding. Asked where he thought the most popular trails would be, the program coordinator smiled and said, “Maine is the popular place.”
    Bronson said riders should get their copies of the new map from either local ATV clubs, or dealers. Interested people also can contact the Off Road Vehicle Division for a copy. An online .PDF version should be available soon, he said, but the format may be too small for good use since the map is quite large.
    The program coordinator gave one last bit of advice for the upcoming season: “Stay off the trails until they’re open, and when they’re open, stay on the marked trail – that’s the bottom line.”
    For more information about the new ATV map, contact Brian Bronson, ATV program coordinator, at (207) 287-4958 or Brian.N.Bronson@maine,gov.