Cross country skiing: Fort Kent

Skiing the trails of Fuller Farm in Scarborough was a lot of fun for us this weekend. But I'd caution beginner skiers to stay away from the trails leading to the river and stick to the one that loops along the treeline around the open field. We took the path of packed down snow over the bridge and onto the trail through the woods. When we came to this trail marker, we opted to turn and check out the trails near the river. It was more of a challenge than expected because we had to duck under some branches while passing over deep footprint holes and making a turn (which is tricky on xc skis) going downhill. I placed good odds we'd all land on our butt before we made it to the bottom. I was right. We followed the trail along more level terrain before we came upon another, more steep hill. L. opted to make her own tracks while G. took the uneven footpath that she half skied, half slid on her butt down to the bottom. It was a struggle to get back up this steep hill in wet, melting snow so L. took off her skis to make the climb. G. came up with her own way to manage the uphill climb. We turned it into a follow the leader game back to the trail near the open field. And continued the game for a while. The girls really enjoyed making their own tracks through the deep snow for a back-country skiing experience, something we haven't done much of previously. The open hills around the field did have some snowmobile tracks that made going downhill easy and fast. Fuller Farm trail and G.'s 'special way' for climbing hills TRAIL REVIEW Trail: Fuller Farm, Scarborough Length: 220 acres of open field and wood trails. There are marked trails through the woods. Grooming: No, this is back country skiing with only a few snowmobile trails through the fields (no snowmobiles are permitted on the wooded trails). Trail Map: available here Parking: Yes. Fee: None. Equipment Rentals: None. Bathroom: No Ski Level: all levels Dog-friendly: Yes, we made lots of new furry friends on the trails the day we visited. Kid-friendly factor: GOOD Making your own tracks through the open field was fun for the kids. The trails leading through the woods are marked but paths leading to the river (on the right off the main trail) has steep hills and would be a challenge for beginner skiers. Kid Rating: Both girls gave this trail 4 stars (on a scale of 1-the worst to 5-the best). G: I liked they had lots of hills and I liked climbing up the hill in my own special way. I liked skiing through the woods and the main trail was fun and easy. I liked there weren't any snowmobiles on the trails in the woods. L.: I liked making my own tracks in the snow and I liked going down the smaller hills in the field. Photos from the trail: On the trail at Fuller Farm Current Trail Conditions: Snow reports for cross country ski trails in Maine Directions:
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