How to Go Skiing in Black Mountain, Maine

In western Maine's Longfellow Mountains near the town of Rumford, Black Mountain offers Nordic and Alpine skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing. Visitors can ski 20 different trails and marvel at the 1,150 vertical drop.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer with Internet access

Plan Your Ski Trip to Black Mountain

1. Book accommodations for your ski trip to Black Mountain online. Use the Maine Tourism Association Web site (see Resources below) or call them at [phone].

2. Stay at an inn in the Rumford area. Some such establishments offer suites that come with a kitchen. Both the suites and the standard rooms are moderately priced.

3. Reserve a room at a local bed and breakfast in Rumford. These tend to be a little pricey, especially if the establishment in question has spent a lot of time and money designing and decorating the guest rooms.

4. Explore the lodging options in Bethel. Less than an hour away, Bethel offers a range of accommodations, including country-style inns and vacation rentals as well as motor lodges and luxurious resorts.

5. Fly into the nearest full-service airport, Bangor International Airport, then make the rest of the trip by rental car.

6. Find Black Mountain on Glover Road, just four miles west of Rumford. Travelers coming from Portland will want to take I-95 north, while those traveling from Bangor will need to take I-95 south. Those coming from Bethel should take US-2 toward Rumford.

Enjoy Your Ski Trip to Black Mountain

7. Review local weather conditions and a snow report before you head out to ski Black Mountain (see Resources below).

8. Be spontaneous and go skiing for just a few hours. Half-day tickets are available for either morning or afternoon, except for the tube park.

9. Be a night owl. Black Mountain offers well-lit night-skiing.

10. Shred the 300-foot half pipe in Black Mountain's terrain park, where 12-foot walls make it easy to do tricks.

11. Purchase a season pass if you plan to do a lot of skiing at Black Mountain. Both alpine and cross-country season passes are available.

12. Experience the thrill of one of the regularly scheduled racing events, or cheer on your favorite skier.

Tips & Warnings

• Nearby accommodations are limited, so plan to book your lodging online and do so early.
• Black Mountain of Maine is a no-smoking facility.
• To use the tube park, you must sign a liability release form. You can download it from the Black Mountain Web site and fill it out before you go (see Resources below).
• Make sure to drive a vehicle that can make it through snowy terrain to the Rumford area.