Originally Posted by
bgrffdave
It's good to hear that other people are having trouble telling where trails are and aren't in that area... I'm not crazy!
My wife and I just got our first wheeler this spring... a LONG overdue purchase. I did the recommended thing and joined a club: Airline ATV Riders out in Eddington. In trying to get trail info for a number of areas, including around Chick Hill, I keep getting referred to the State ATV map. If you haven't seen it yet you're in for a disappointment. It's far too lacking in usable detail and doesn't even have parking areas so you could easily learn by exploration. The map itself even says it's more for reference and to contact local clubs. At least 1/3 of the clubs I've contacted say they're working on maps but to get a state map.
In talking with Airline club members recently going up Chick Hill is okay... but... apparently you're not supposed to park and unload in the parking area used by hikers and such now. Folks from the club told me that they unload down on the Stage Coach Road and ride up... where I don't know and up the road or some trail I'm not sure.
A bit off topic but... On a ride last Sunday, in the rain no less, we unloaded on the Stud Mill Road at the Horseback. There is a pit on the right (South side) of the Stud Mill Road. The trail crosses the road at that point and you can make a good little loop by Pickerel Pond, around by/up Chick Hill, and back to the pit... I'm guessing around 18-20 miles. All good trail. I was only able to track part of it on the GPS. On that ride I bumped into folks from the Airline Club and asked how to get from that area over to trails heading toward Deer and on up to Duck Lake. They said there wasn't a connector. I'm gonna have to go out and do some recon because I'm almost positive that I saw trails heading toward Pickerel and Chick Hill when I was out with my truck around Deer and Duck earlier this spring. Anyone know of trails to do this?
Dave . . . see me at work . . . I'm surprised that the Airline Club didn't give you a more detailed map of their trail system which helps out quite a bit. I have an older version . . . supposedly the clubs involved were working on a newer, updated version . . . while this map is old I know for a fact it would be an improvement over the State map.
The problem with the State Map is -- as you discovered -- pretty much worthless except as a guide to figuring out where trails are located and providing some contact information for Clubs. The idea is to look at a map, decide where you want to ride and then to contact that Club to get a more detailed map or riding directions . . . the issue however is trying to hook up with a Club member and the fact that not every Club has readily available maps (for example, we have maps . . . which some members have . . . I have however begun work on a trail-side kiosk which I hope to have stocked with our trail maps, Troy ATV club maps and membership info.)
To be honest, even the State's snowmobile trail map isn't the best . . . it is better than the ATV map, but only because the snowmobile map shows connecting ITS trails which allow you to plot a course from Point A to Point B. The State and ATV Maine are working on developing MAPS -- a numbered routing system that once implemented should allow you to do the same thing -- plot a general course from Point A to Point B. Neither map is detailed enough however to bring you to a specific location such as plot a course from a parking lot at the Airline to Chick Hill.
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