New England Off-Roading

[StngrayJLUR]

I am leaving California next spring. Among other places, my wife and I are considering moving to her home state of Maine. I’ve spent A LOT of time trying to find out if there’s an off-road community in the north-east, and I’ve only found that you’re either rolling around in a tube frame with a TJ/YJ body thrown on top, or you’re full beater mode in an XJ with no doors, hitting jumps at off-road parks. I think I fit somewhere in between.

It seems like every “trail” is actually private property, and most aren’t too fond of people just rolling through trying to do some wheeling. The other option seems to be logging roads, which I don’t think necessitates a Jeep with a lift and 37s..

Basically, what I’m getting at is, do I just need to look harder for rock crawling/wheeling/dirt biking in the North East, or am I looking for something that’s not really a thing?

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[Sheepjeep]

The is very little public land in new England and what there is more for conservation than general recreation. That being said there is still plenty of places to go you just need to know where to look.

First look into joining a club that is part of the nea4wd, the clubs and nea work with land owners to allow access to private lands for their members.

Vermont (class 4) and new Hampshire (class 6) have a road classification system where they have public unmaintained roads some that can give 37s a run for their money most are easier. They are ancient roads that have not been maintained by the towns for years but due the towns to keep the land they must keep them public roadways and allow people passage. IDK if maine had a similar system in place but I'm sure they have plenty of washed out logging roads.

Maine north woods is a massive collection of private logging mostly just logging roads nothing crazy but they allow people in to camp for a price.

jericho mountain state park in new hampshire is the only public park that I know that allows full sized jeeps and has some buggy trails

Field and forest in new hampshire is a campground with some of the hardest trails in the north east, they tend to only book for nea4wd clubs but do a few public events each year

rocky mountain terrain park in maine is a off road park that is open to the public as well

 

[MEHillwalker80]

When you get up here, give me a shout.

 

[MSteeves]

I am leaving California next spring. Among other places, my wife and I are considering moving to her home state of Maine.

When we were up in northern Maine some years back, we spent a lot of time out in the North Maine Woods. It was then a magnificent area for camping, fishing, and hunting. I don't recall a lot of rock-hopping type four wheeling, but our old Scout was most useful in getting into some of those places - and more important, getting out.

https://www.northmainewoods.org/

 

[VNT]

Cant help you on the wheeling, but where you looking to settle if you come here.

I have a link at home for someones webpage and their wheeling in the area above Bangor. Looks like as I recall they were in a club and did some nice trails. I am just too busy with too many things, so at this point havent really done much.

I am on the coast in Brunswick, if you can deal with the snow, it is very nice area.

 

[JlDieseltoy]

I moved out of Maine I have 60 acres of land still there as I live in the south now and selling the land

 

[AP_Rubi_18]

I am leaving California next spring. Among other places, my wife and I are considering moving to her home state of Maine. I’ve spent A LOT of time trying to find out if there’s an off-road community in the north-east, and I’ve only found that you’re either rolling around in a tube frame with a TJ/YJ body thrown on top, or you’re full beater mode in an XJ with no doors, hitting jumps at off-road parks. I think I fit somewhere in between.

It seems like every “trail” is actually private property, and most aren’t too fond of people just rolling through trying to do some wheeling. The other option seems to be logging roads, which I don’t think necessitates a Jeep with a lift and 37s..

Basically, what I’m getting at is, do I just need to look harder for rock crawling/wheeling/dirt biking in the North East, or am I looking for something that’s not really a thing?

Did you end up moving? Anything interesting that you can share? I’m in CAand moving to the north east so really interested on your experience.

 

[StngrayJLUR]

Did you end up moving? Anything interesting that you can share? I’m in CAand moving to the north east so really interested on your experience.

Yep, just got out here. Nothing very noteworthy so far in Maine. All private land or snowmobile trails. I checked out Jericho Mountain in NH. Looks pretty nice and difficult - maybe a little bit more difficult than Gold Mountain in Big Bear for reference - but not something I’d run solo. I plan on joining a Jeep club, though.

 

[AP_Rubi_18]

Yep, just got out here. Nothing very noteworthy so far in Maine. All private land or snowmobile trails. I checked out Jericho Mountain in NH. Looks pretty nice and difficult - maybe a little bit more difficult than Gold Mountain in Big Bear for reference - but not something I’d run solo. I plan on joining a Jeep club, though.

Thank you for the response. I should be in MA in the next couple months but I have a friend that lives between MA and Maine so I’ll be there often. I’ll let you know, maybe we can hit the white mountains together!

 

[VNT]

Where abouts in Maine did you locate too??

 

[StngrayJLUR]

Thank you for the response. I should be in MA in the next couple months but I have a friend that lives between MA and Maine so I’ll be there often. I’ll let you know, maybe we can hit the white mountains together!

Hell yeah, I’d be super down. I’ll still be scoping things out.

 

[StngrayJLUR]

Where abouts in Maine did you locate too??

We ended up in the Biddeford/Saco area.

 

[VNT]

Nice area, did you relocate for employment, wait until the winter

 

[entropy]

I am leaving California next spring. Among other places, my wife and I are considering moving to her home state of Maine. I’ve spent A LOT of time trying to find out if there’s an off-road community in the north-east, and I’ve only found that you’re either rolling around in a tube frame with a TJ/YJ body thrown on top, or you’re full beater mode in an XJ with no doors, hitting jumps at off-road parks. I think I fit somewhere in between.

It seems like every “trail” is actually private property, and most aren’t too fond of people just rolling through trying to do some wheeling. The other option seems to be logging roads, which I don’t think necessitates a Jeep with a lift and 37s..

Basically, what I’m getting at is, do I just need to look harder for rock crawling/wheeling/dirt biking in the North East, or am I looking for something that’s not really a thing?

Maine is a beautiful state, and it is right next to Vermont, New Hampshire, and Quebec. But man. you are gonna be COLD. And yeah, everything there is private property. Be it wheeling, hunting, etc... But you can buy your own land for not much. In SoCal forget about buying a nice size piece of land.

I lived in VT for many years and used to go to Maine often for vacation. It doesn't compare with the west coast and the vastness of open land we have here. I am sure you'll find places to wheel, but you gotta be in a different mindset. We are just spoiled here. I am never moving back there, that winter would kill me before a wildfire does.

Why don't you look into Colorado? beautiful state, lots of private land, much cheaper than California. Here in California we have lots of places to go wheeling, but man I feel like I work to pay freaking sales tax to "fix" the homeless problem...

 

[StngrayJLUR]

Maine is a beautiful state, and it is right next to Vermont, New Hampshire, and Quebec. But man. you are gonna be COLD. And yeah, everything there is private property. Be it wheeling, hunting, etc... But you can buy your own land for not much. In SoCal forget about buying a nice size piece of land.

I lived in VT for many years and used to go to Maine often for vacation. It doesn't compare with the west coast and the vastness of open land we have here. I am sure you'll find places to wheel, but you gotta be in a different mindset. We are just spoiled here. I am never moving back there, that winter would kill me before a wildfire does.

Why don't you look into Colorado? beautiful state, lots of private land, much cheaper than California. Here in California we have lots of places to go wheeling, but man I feel like I work to pay freaking sales tax to "fix" the homeless problem...

We considered Colorado, and taking everything into account, it really wasn’t much cheaper than California.

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