Mount Agamenticus, Southern ME
This ride is adapted from Mountain Biking Northern New England
(formerly The Mountain Biker's Guide to Northern New England),
by Paul Angiolillo. It's a compilation of sixty-nine rides in VT, NH,
and ME. A companion volume, Mountain Biking Southern New
England, covers MA, CT, and RI. Both are available in outdoor
stores and bike shops or from Menasha Ridge Press,
1-800-247-9437. Paul Angiolillo can be reached at 781-893-1341
(Waltham, MA) or by email at angiolillo@msn.com.
This southernmost mountain biking area in Maine has many miles of
trails, including the eight-mile loop described here. Most of the loop
follows moderately technical double- and single-track trails through
secluded woods, with about a mile on two-wheel-drive dirt roads. There
is an easier loop that connects with this one just to the west. Except
for a short stretch at the beginning and end of this ride on a dirt
road, you're in woods. Like all forests, though, this is more than
trees. Besides stands of hardwood and softwood trees, you pass a large
pond, a swamp, several brooks, and stone walls.
You can also ride or drive up the steep, paved access road at the
beginning of the ride to the summit of Mt. Agamenticus, where you can
climb a fire tower for a panoramic view and relax on a clearing. Then
you might descend on a short, steep trail at the northern edge of the
parking lot, which veers left and comes out on the access road after
eight-tenths of a mile. Four miles north of the ride is Maine's most
popular ocean beach, Ogunquit Beach.
General Location
York, ME, four miles west of Interstate 95.
Elevation change
This ride is on relatively flat terrain, with short climbs and
descents.
Season
Riding is good from June through winter, with some wetness during the
spring.
Services
All services are available along U.S. 1.
Hazards
These secluded trails can be tricky to follow at times--especially in
autumn, when leaves cover tracks. But the area is compact and bounded
on all sides by roads, so you can orient yourself. The trails are also
used occasionally by hikers, equestrians, and all-terrain vehicles.
Rescue Index
You can be about three miles from assistance at the
furthest.
Land status
Old roads and public trails on town water-supply land.
Maps
USGS, York Harbor, ME, 7.5'. Not all of the single-track trails on
this ride are mapped.
Finding the Trail
From the south, take the last exit before the toll on Interstate 95,
at York Village. Head north on U.S. 1 for 3.5 miles (a half-mile past
the junction with U.S. 1A). Turn left onto Mountain Road, following it
for four miles and watching so that you don't fork onto smaller
roads. After about three miles, fork left onto Agamenticus Road. Just
before the road becomes dirt, there is a turnoff on the right. You can
park here, or turn right and climb on pavement to a parking lot at
Mt. Agamenticus. Sources of additional information: A group ride
often meets at Mt. Agamenticus on weekend mornings. Bicycle Bob's
Bicycle Outlet, 167 State Road, Kittery ME 03904, (207) 439-3605 is a
full-service mountain bike shop.
Notes on the trail
You can begin by riding westward on unpaved Agamenticus Road. After a
half-mile, turn left sharply downhill onto a 4wd road. After one-tenth
of a mile, turn left. At one mile, you will pass a pond on the
left. The trail may become harder to follow for a while: keep going
straight (southeastward), veering left at 1.2 miles and passing a
reservoir on the right visible through the trees.
At 1.3 miles, you will reach the main north-south trail through this
area. Turning left on it takes you back to Agamenticus Road, for a
short loop. Otherwise, turn right onto a single-track trail
uphill. When you reach a pond on the right at 1.5 miles, turn
left. Turn left again uphill at 1.8 miles. This scenic single-track
trail follows along a pond, and then becomes wider and grassier. At
about three miles, turn right sharply. (If you miss this turn
northward, you will soon reach a paved road.) At an upcoming clearing,
veer left. At about four miles, turn right, then right again at 4.1
miles, and another right at about five miles. At six miles, veer right
at the reservoir through the trees, on the same trail you came up
on. You will reach the main trail junction at 6.3 miles. Turn right on
a double-track trail. At seven miles, you will reach paved Agamenticus
Road. Turn left and ride a short distance back to the access road for
Mt. Agamenticus.
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