First West Branch Cutoff
- 0.3 mi
- round trip
- 126 ft
- climb
- 1,525 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Sep
- best months
First West Branch Cutoff is a short cross-country ski route in Maine, set within The Roaches CE, a land unit managed by a non-governmental organization. The route is an out-and-back of about 0.7 miles, with a total elevation gain of about 126 feet, and it sits at a high point of about 1,525 feet. The climb is back-loaded, with the steepest stretch at about 0.27 miles in, where the grade reaches about 4%. The cutoff makes a quick addition to a day spent exploring the surrounding trails, and it pairs easily with other routes in the area. Winter is the natural season for this ski route. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show January highs around 23°F with lows near 5°F, and the station sits several hundred feet below the cutoff, so temperatures on the route run a bit cooler. Nearby, First West Branch and Hedgehog Mountain Trail are both about 0.9 miles away. Frenchtown Road and East Side Trail, two other cross-country ski routes, are each about a mile off.
Best time to go · Sep
Best time to visit First West Branch Cutoff
Best months: 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° / 5°
13 wet
Feb
25° / 7°
12 wet
Mar
34° / 17°
13 wet
Apr
46° / 29°
13 wet
May
62° / 41°
14 wet
Jun
70° / 51°
14 wet
Jul
75° / 57°
15 wet
Aug
74° / 56°
13 wet
Sep
66° / 48°
11 wet
Oct
52° / 37°
13 wet
Nov
39° / 26°
14 wet
Dec
28° / 15°
16 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Greenville Maine Forestry Svc, ME, 16.9 mi away at 1,037 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more snow worth the drive
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First West Branch Cutoff
~2 min drive
0.55-mile out-and-back ski route in Maine with 29 feet of elevation gain.
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Frenchtown Road
~2 min drive
Frenchtown Road is a 0.69-mile out-and-back route in Maine with 72 feet of elevation gain.
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Skyline Trail
~8 min drive
3.32-mile out-and-back route in Maine with 1,240 ft of elevation gain.
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Frenchtown Road
~2 min drive
0.33-mile out-and-back ski route on Frenchtown Road in Maine.
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Frenchtown Road
~2 min drive
0.37-mile out-and-back ski route in Maine with 43 feet of elevation gain.
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Indian Mountain Circuit
~10 min drive
0.40-mile out-and-back route around Indian Mountain in Maine with 48 ft of elevation gain.
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Pleasant River Trail
~3 min drive
2.41-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 448 ft of elevation gain.
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East Side Trail
~4 min drive
East Side Trail is a 1.42-mile out-and-back route in Maine with 278 feet of elevation gain.
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Indian Mountain Circuit
~10 min drive
0.26-mile out-and-back ski circuit on Indian Mountain in Maine.
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Pleasant River Trail
~4 min drive
1.09-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 89 ft of elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
