Rangeley

With 100-plus lakes and ponds linked by rivers and streams, the vastly forested Rangeley region has a rough, wilderness feel and has long attracted winter-sports enthusiasts, hikers, and anglers—it's been hailed for centuries as a "fly-fishing mecca." The four-season resort town of Rangeley stretches along the north side of its namesake lake. Right behind Main Street, Lakeside Park ("Town Park" to locals) has a large swimming area, a playground, picnic shelters, and a boat launch. Come winter, Saddleback Mountain (set to reopen in 2020) lures downhill skiers, many of them families. Other winter activities in these parts include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fat-tire biking, snowmobiling, and pond skating. In late January, the Rangeley Snowmobile Snodeo offers thrilling snowmobile acrobatics, fireworks, a parade, and a cook-off for which area restaurants enter their chilies and chowders. Seven miles west on Route 4, tucked at the east end of Rangeley Lake near Mooselookmeguntic Lake, tiny Oquossoc is another hub for outdoor activities and dining. At the main crossroads, the Outdoor Heritage Museum beckons visitors; nearby Bald Mountain is a family-friendly day hike. South of the hamlet on Route 17 is the western gateway to the region, Height of Land—a must-see overlook with distant views stretching to mountains on the New Hampshire border.