Winter’s Earliest Blast

Sponsored by Aroostook County Tourism.

Winter comes early to Aroostook County, snow illuminating the rolling farm fields and wooded trails, a holiday glow lighting up the towns and villages. Along the quiet country roads of Maine’s northernmost county, potato-barrel “Christmas trees” are wreathed in garlands and greenery. From churches and downtown storefronts drift familiar melodies of carols, words of comfort sung in English, Swedish, and Acadian French.

No place in New England embraces the holiday spirit as fervently as the Crown of Maine, where layers of history and heritage, cherished culinary traditions, and a reliably wintry sparkle all make for a spirited end-of-year escape.

The season begins as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are cleared, with tree lightings and sleigh-bell parades from Houlton, in the south, to Madawaska, at New England’s northern tip, overlooking New Brunswick across the Saint John River. In Caribou, a pop-up artisan village magically appears on Small Business Saturday, with gifts galore through Christmas Eve. In Presque Isle, Victorian celebrations at the 1875 Vera Estey House are as lively as Christmas Eve at Fezziwig’s, with lavish period decorations, caroling, and plenty of wassail.  

On Saint Lucia’s Day, December 13, pageants celebrate the patron saint of light, with white-robed girls donning crowns of candles to brighten the shortest day of the year. This Scandinavian tradition is part of the holiday magic in Aroostook, where a wave of Swedish immigrants settled in the late 19th century. At Monica’s Scandinavian Imports in Caribou, schoolkids carry out the candlelit procession, while fiddlers and accordionists play old-world folk tunes and revelers pass plates of gingery pepparkakor cookies and the soft saffron buns called lussekatter.

Another revered tradition the Swedes brought to Maine: Nordic skiing. Some of the earliest snows in the East fall on Aroostook County, home to world-class cross-country trails that have hosted World Cup events and to family ski mountains where there’s no such thing as a lift line. BigRock Mountain, in Mars Hill, has 26 trails and some 1,000 feet of vertical, with skiers typically hitting the slopes by mid-December. At the Fort Kent Outdoor Center, Nordic skiers watch for snowy owls while exploring more than 19 miles of impeccably groomed backcountry. It helps to fuel up at one of the restaurants in the St. John Valley, the heart of Maine’s Acadian country, where a slice of tourtière, a spiced holiday meat pie, is a requirement for any joyeux noël.

Ready to gift yourself a joyful Maine winter vacation?

Lodging with a Backstory: Where to Stay in Aroostook County

The grand brick edifice of the Northeastland Hotel has anchored Presque Isle’s downtown since 1932. Highlights of its ongoing renovation: a state-of-the-art coworking space (settle in, business travelers) and a sleek lobby gallery highlighting local art and the landmark hotel’s fascinating history (Clark Gable and Eleanor Roosevelt have both enjoyed its hospitality). 

In Caribou, the Old Iron Inn Bed and Breakfast is one part comfy guesthouse, one part repository for innkeeper ​​Kevin McCartney’s more than 500 antique clothing irons—did you know some used to run on gasoline?

In the heart of the Saint John Valley, Madawaska’s Inn of Acadia first opened as a convent in 1956. Today, boutique-y touches include plush bedding, rain showerheads, and a local woodworker’s handsome custom furniture.

Three Squares: Enjoy Hearty Fare in Aroostook County

Do breakfast in Houlton, where Sadie’s Bakery has been selling out of its legendary cake donuts—plain, molasses, pumpkin, or chocolate—morning after morning since 1948. Around the corner, the County Co-op and Farm Store has breakfast sandos, creative quiches, and tables full of regulars doing the morning coffee klatsch. Both spots overlook the stately brick and stone facades of Market Square, on the National Register of Historic Places.

Head to the Saint John Valley for lunch. In Van Buren, Northern Maine Kolache Co. packs them in for pillowy little hand pies, baked fresh and stuffed with everything from pizza to pulled pork to pecan-pie filling. Up the road, in Frenchville, the menu at Dolly’s Restaurant is full of Franco diner delicacies: indulgent poutine, the savory pork spread called cretons, and fluffy ployes, buckwheat pancakes that complement any Acadian meal. 

Pubby eats at Caribou’s Northern Maine Brewing Company include hefty burgers you can wash down with Maine Logger pils. On the shore of Portage Lake, the lively dining room at Dean’s Motor Lodge is where to find big plates of homestyle comfort food: prime rib, grilled seafood, mom’s meatloaf. Look for the spot with the rows of snowmobiles parked out front—legions of Aroostook sledders can’t be wrong.

First Tracks: Early Season Skiing in Aroostook County

Early winter and state-of-the-art snowmaking summon skiers and snowboarders to Presque Isle’s BigRock Mountain and Fort Kent’s Lonesome Pine Trails during the holidays. BigRock’s brand-new Sunrise quad reaches some 1,600 feet on Northern Maine’s highest peak, with views to Mount Katahdin on a clear day, 29 varied trails and glades, and a tubing park that’s fast, fast, fast. Lonesome Pine buzzes during the day and glows in the evenings, with lit-up trails for terrific night skiing. Plus, it’s the rare in-town hill, a 10-minute walk from the lodge and T-bar to après drinks at the Swamp Buck or 47 North downtown. 

Happy Trails: Aroostook County’s Best Places to Get Outside

Cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and fat bikers will find three of New England’s finest trail systems within a few dozen miles of one another. Some 19 miles of ski trails at Fort Fairfield’s Nordic Outdoor Heritage Center include lighted loops for evening outings and warming huts with blazing wood stoves. In Madawaska, the Four Seasons Trail network includes a sledding hill (with a ski tunnel running through it) and terrain park. Both offer ski and snowshoe rental packages, as does the 10th Mountain Lodge at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center, where a huge fieldstone fireplace beckons worn-out winter adventurers.

More Maine winter vacation planning ideas and tips await at visitaroostook.com.