Skiing

The 800-pound gorilla of Maine [1] ski resorts, Sunday River Ski Resort (Sunday River Rd., Bethel, 207/824-3000, www.sundayriver.com [2], $74 adults, $63 youth 13–18, $51 seniors and children 6–12, free children under 6) has eight peaks and more than 125 trails to test the mettle of every level of skier, from beginner to advanced.

In fact, Sunday River probably offers more diversity of terrain that any other resort in the northeast, with each peak taking on a distinctive character, from the precipitous White Cap (home to “White Heat,” known as the “longest, widest, steepest trail in the east”), and wooded Oz with its fine glade skiing.

Due to its location deep in Maine’s [1] western mountains, Sunday River gets plenty of natural snow—when that fails, however, it is also has one of the best snowmaking systems in the northeast. The only drawback with the resort is its inaccessibility, a grueling 3.5 hour drive from Boston [3]; for some, however, that’s a plus, since the drive weeds out casual Sunday skiers, and keeps more powder for the die-hards.