Welcome to BETHEL

The centerpeice of winter sports is Sunday River, with eight mountain peaks connected by 135+ trails and glades that are accessed by 15 lifts. It’s a family-friendly place, where kids love the slope-side entertainment and snow tubing at South Ridge and teens appreciate the six terrain parks. Crosscountry skiers find trails and equipment right in town at

Bethel Nordic Ski Center, at the start of 30km of classic and skate tracks, through forests and across fields with views of the Mahoosuc Mountains. Miles of snowshoe trails and a skating rink make this a one-stop winter recreation center. Plenty of scenic trails are available, too, for those who prefer to explore the woods and fields on a snowmobile.

events | Bethel

Be sure to check activitymaine.com for the most up-to-date information.

DECEMBER 3, 10 & 17: Country Christmas in Bethel – Experience the Christmas Season in the postcard-perfect village of Bethel. Shop locally, meet Santa, enjoy the lights, take in a performance, horse-drawn wagon rides through historic Bethel village – all FREE! Meet on the corner of Church Street and Main Street, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce. bethelmaine.com/country-christmas, 207-824-2282

JANUARY 1: 37th Carter’s Last Stand Carter’s XC Ski Center – Ring in the New Year with a Nordic ski or snowshoe! Log your kilometers with Strava and post to social media with our specific tags to be entered to win a prize. Also log the most KM on our trails that day and win a prize! Prizes will be given to top 3 finishers! cartersxcski.com, 207-824-3880

JANUARY 2: Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation – Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation offers adaptive ski, snowboard and snowshoe lessons and volunteer opportunities at Sunday River, Pleasant Mountain, Mt Abram, Black Mountain of Maine, Sugarloaf, and Saddleback on a number of days throughout the winter season starting on January 2, 2023. For more information contacts at info@maineadaptive.org or 207-824-2440.

FEBRUARY 3-5: Pride Weekend Sunday River . Our LGBTQ weekend features stellar skiing and riding, special events, including a themed party, fireworks, and après-ski socials. In association with The OutRyders, New England's largest GLBTQ ski and snowboard club. sundayriver.com, 800-543-2754

MARCH 31 – APRIL 2: Spring Fest at Sunday River . Spring Festival is a celebration of the return of spring, complete with a huge toutdoorl party, concerts, and great spring skiing and riding. sundayriver.com, 800-543-2754

For rooms, dining and an après-ski scene in one place, The Sudbury Inn (thesudburyinn.com), is a family-friendly inn with a French bistro and lively Suds Pub, featuring more than 29 beers on tap. The free Mountain Explorer (mountainexplorer. org) shuttle takes skiers right to Sunday River and home again, so you can leave your car right at the inn.

No winter getaway is complete without some quality après-ski time. Check out Rooster’s Roadhouse, a chef-owned casual restaurant and pub, located just one mile outside the village of Bethel. Their pub fare includes Rooster’s char-grilled halfpound burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, buffalo wings, nachos, wraps and specialty pizzas. The upstairs pub sports a full bar, local beer on tap, an excellent wine list, multiple TV’s, and Free WiFi.

As you can see, there’s plenty of winter fun in Bethel; stop by the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce (bethelmaine.com) at Station Place in the center of town to learn more or call (207) 8242282.

Mt. Abram is geared up for the season with new expansions, operational upgrades and more winter recreational opportunities for adventure seeking guests this Winter! Snowmaking has begun and with cooperating weather, opening day is targeted for December 17, and will open for Christmas week. Mt. Abram lifts run weekly from Thursday through Sunday.

$35 LIFT TICKETS INCLUDING WEEKENDS & HOLIDAYS!

made possible by the L.L.Bean’s Winter Across Maine partnership

• $99 Carload Fridays (seat belts required)

• $19.60 Maine Day every Thursday (excluding holidays)

• $5 Uphill Tickets made possible by the L.L.Bean's Winter Across Maine Partnership

Expanded Community Pass Program

All residents of SAD #44, including private and home-schooled students, are eligible for free season passes. Deadline is January 31, 2023; FMI mtabram.com. This offer is provided by an initiative started by Mt. Abram and supported by the Friends of Mt. Abram and Mt. Abram Ski Club.

ON-MOUNTAIN IMPROVEMENTS FOR 2022-23

• Upgraded snowmaking system: New pipes and equipment will make an immense improvement in snowmaking quality and efficiency.

• Additional community terrain park: Outfitted with a rails, jibs, and jumps.

• Mini-T-Bar is Back: With substantial upgrades to system.

• Uphill Expansion: Ski touring and split-boarding are a rapidly growing sector in the winter outdoor recreation industry and Mt. Abram is committed to embracing trends that will grow and evolve with the uphill community. (See Inclusive Ski Touring below).

OFF-MOUNTAIN AMENITIES & UPGRADES

• Expanding Parking: Provides extra room for customers to have their own space on arrival and departure.

• Live Music Every Thursday & Saturday at the Loose Boots Lounge

Inclusive Ski Touring offers group programs every weekend January - March. This season they will be offering a weekly Women’s Program and Sunday Program as well as a bi-weekly Intro to Backcountry Program rotating with a DEI focused program to provide opportunities to underrepresented individuals. Find out more information on their programs at www.inclusiveskitouring.com.

Carter's X-C Ski Center, Inland Woods + Trails

Bethel Village Trail System & STEAM MILL BREWING

Story & Photos By CAREY KISH

Situated along the placid Androscoggin River and surrounded by rugged peaks, Bethel is often referred to as “Maine’s most beautiful mountain village”—and it’s easy to understand why. Outdoor enthusiasts certainly know Bethel as a year-round hub for recreation: hiking, paddling, and mountain biking in the summer to downhill skiing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing in the winter.

Bethel sports two cross-country ski centers with miles of wonderfully groomed and tracked trails for classic and skate skiing and plenty of outstanding scenery to match.

WHEN-YOU-GO RESOURCES

X-C SKI: Carter’s X-C Ski Center www.cartersxcski.com

Inland Woods + Trails www.woodsandtrails.org

BREW:

Steam Mill Brewing www.steammillbrew.com

Carter’s XC Ski Center is home to 55 kilometers of cross-country ski trails on 200 acres sandwiched between Farwell Mountain and the Androscoggin River. Family-owned and operated since 1991, Carter’s features lovely skiing over the open fields and through the tall white pines of the intervale or on the slopes of the hardwood hillside. The trails are open for snowshoeing and fat biking, too.

At the historic Bethel Inn Resort in the center of town, Inland Woods + Trails’ Bethel Village Trail System features 24 kilometers of cross-country ski trails and another nine kilometers dedicated to fat biking and snowshoeing. The pretty trails wind through open grounds of the Bethel Country Club and along the wooded valley of Mill Brook. Kick and glide to the top of Grover’s Grind for nice mountain views. And when you’ve enjoyed your share of fun and exercise on the snowy tracks, there are refreshing craft beer and delish eats at a wildly popular brewery close by for après-ski.

Steam Mill Brewing takes its name from the location of an old steam mill in the mid-1900s and the neighborhood where friends Scott Fraser and Brent Angevine began homebrewing after college. Years later in 2018, when the pair of locals opened their brewery and taproom in downtown Bethel, it was the realization of a long-held dream.

Using locally sourced ingredients, Steam Mill produces a great lineup of brews with names inspired by local landmarks, such as the C-Surplus IPA, Alder River Red, and Intervale Ale. Last year, having outgrown its original space, the brewery moved to a larger venue on the road into Sunday River Ski Resort. The warm and spacious new brewpub has a large bar, beer garden, elevated pub fare, and, of course, the same great beer.