Mars Hill, Maine, is blanketed with snow from early winter to late spring. It's a small town, with 1,480 residents. In the fall, maples buffer cottages with large front yards from the Prestile Stream. In the winter, everything's white. Winter activities in Mars Hil include skiing, snowmobiling and the pleasure of being "snowed in" in a small town.
Types
Visit Mars Hill for winter activities that range from restful to athletic, educational to entertaining. Wake up in a local bed and breakfast, read the Bangor Daily News in Al's Diner on Main Street and enjoy a homemade sweet roll. Ski the rest of the day at Big Rock Resort, or hike Mars Hill Mountain, snowmobile a vast system of area trails or ice fish in a local lake.
Drive U.S. Route 1 to see the 1:93 million scale model of the solar system, the world's largest 3-D scale model. The replica planets, affixed to poles, align along the highway for 40 miles. The Presque Isle Historical Society, in the next town north, provides information for self-guided walking tours.
Geography
The geography of Mars Hill, its elevations and landscapes, is the major draw for visitors looking for wintertime activity. The town is a short drive from Mars Hill Mountain, at 1,660-feet, with its skiing and tubing resort. The slopes offer expert-level runs. The town is divided by a snowmobile trail and the Prestile Stream.
A vast web of snowmobile trails in northern Maine invites enthusiasts to explore the Mars Hill area's hills, forest paths and fields. The Interconnected Trail System is a creation of the Maine Snowmobile Association and the state Bureau of Parks and Lands. There are more than 10,000 miles of trails in northern Maine.
History
Follow the footsteps of timber men on Mars Hill Mountain. The first "hikers" came from Canada in the 1800s, establishing a plantation to cut lumber. John Ayers cut and hauled wood in 1834 from the mountain for ship masts and other uses. The rustic logging town then began to add schools and a hospital.
In the late 1950s, a Mars Hill Junior Chamber of Commerce Fourth of July event on Mars Hill Mountain raised enough money to create the Mars Hill Development Corp. This, in turn, led to the purchase of 200 acres on the mountain for recreation.
Features
The town,easily accessible on U.S. Highway 1, offers accommodations at several local bed and breakfasts, inns and chain hotels. There are several locally owned restaurants, as well as chain lunch spots, as of autumn 2010. Mars Hill is 20 miles north of the intersection of Interstate 95 in Houlton and 100 miles north of Bangor. Mars Hill also has an intercity bus system and local snowmobile sales, rental and service shops.
Bigrock Ski Resort
At Bigrock Ski Resort, winter sports lovers can downhill ski, cross-country ski and snow tube. The resort cafe serves up homemade soups, sandwiches and snacks from a hot grill, according to Bigrock. Visitors can lock in special rates with several chain hotels and cabins, including My Sunset Cabins near Bigrock. The Hampton Inn deal, for example, entails a discounted rate, breakfast, two meals and two lift tickets, as of 2010.
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