East Branch
- 0.7 mi
- round trip
- 561 ft
- climb
- 1,740 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Aug–Sep
- best months
East Branch is a cross-country ski route in Maine, about 2 miles from the town of Bigelow. It is a short out-and-back, roughly 1.4 miles long, with a high point of 1,740 feet and a low of 1,467 feet. The climb is moderate, with a total gain of 561 feet for the round trip, and the steepest stretch comes right at the start, about 13% grade. Winter is the natural season for this route. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Long Falls Dam, which sits about 580 feet lower than the high point, show January highs around 23°F with lows near 4°F, and February is similar at about 26°F and 5°F. Temperatures on the higher ground run cooler than those figures. West Branch, another cross-country ski route, lies just 0.1 mile away. Mountain bikers can find Inferno and Widowmaker within half a mile. Climbers can head to Tufulio's Boulders, about 4.4 miles off.
Best time to go · Aug–Sep
Best time to visit East Branch
Best months: August–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
23° / 4°
12 wet
Feb
26° / 5°
10 wet
Mar
35° / 14°
12 wet
Apr
47° / 28°
12 wet
May
62° / 40°
14 wet
Jun
71° / 50°
14 wet
Jul
77° / 55°
14 wet
Aug
76° / 53°
12 wet
Sep
68° / 46°
11 wet
Oct
54° / 35°
13 wet
Nov
40° / 25°
13 wet
Dec
29° / 14°
14 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Long Falls Dam, ME, 12.4 mi away at 1,160 ft. The station sits about 600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more snow worth the drive
Photo: Bubblecuffer, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)Sugarloaf
~2 min drive
Sugarloaf is a 15-lift downhill ski area in Maine with 127 runs.
SKI
West Branch
Next door
West Branch is a 0.68-mile out-and-back ski trail in Maine with 12 feet of elevation gain.
SKI
Fifty
~3 min drive
1.74-mile out-and-back ski trail in Maine with 502 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Zapolsky Trail
~25 min drive
0.75-mile out-and-back route in Maine with 65 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Maine Huts Trail
~37 min drive
6.25-mile out-and-back route in Maine with 1,243 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Merrymeeting
~1h 3m drive
0.7 mi
SEE
Saddleback Mountain
~23 min drive
Saddleback Mountain in Maine has 5 lifts and 63 runs with 1,847 ft of vertical drop.
SKI
Inferno
Next door
0.42-mile out-and-back route in Maine with 108 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Larry Hall Trail
~24 min drive
0.43-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 17 ft of elevation gain.
SKI
Lower FIS2
~25 min drive
0.43-mile out-and-back ski route in Maine with 45 ft of elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
