Snowmobilers Bring Flurry Of Activity To Some Of Maine’s Most Remote Outposts
Snowmobilers cross a frozen lake. Photo by Nick Woodward for Maine Public
Maine winters can be long, cold and difficult for small businesses. But there’s one recreational pursuit that has been quietly — or loudly, as the case may be — putting money into some of the most remote tills in the state.
On the trails of western Maine, the whir of snowmobiling provides an economic engine all its own.
Jonny Wakefield of Rangeley works in sales at Oquossoc Marine on the shores of Rangeley Lake. In the summertime, the business outfits recreational boaters who come to fish and water ski on the lake. But in winter, it’s one of a growing number of local businesses that rely on power sledders to see them through the less hospitable months.