backcountry excursions, llc - day tours

this was exactly what i was looking for as a weekend getaway. the lodge is a but rustic but eco-friendly and more than sufficient...the meals provided were healthy and hardy...but most importantly, the biking was amazing. cliff and company have hand made miles of trails that cover a wide range of difficulty. i had very minimal mountain biking experience, but i was provided with equally supportive and challenging guides. all of the rental bikes in excellent condition; i rode a bike that was only 2 months old. and the wood fire heated hot tub is a nice touch at the end of the day!my soul was rejuvenated after the weekend of mountain biking, surrounded by autumn leaves, along miles of single track. highly recommended for anyone looking for an outdoor adventure. now it appears i need to go buy a mountain bike....

This experience is not a leisurely ride in the country. Cliff is passionate about mountain biking and his organic, energy-efficient, sustainable life style. Cliff wants novices, like me, to appreciate the sport and enjoy the total experience of the weekend. He is attuned to your ability, but expects you to want to get better at mountain biking so you can enjoy it. I did the two day package, which was enough for my physical condition and experience. Cliff was constantly coaching me to help me get better, but he was also considerate enough to ask if I was close to finished for the ride. For two of the three rides I left for the hot tub while the other riders headed for another half hour of challenges. I enjoyed Cliff, my fellow riders who had very different backgrounds from me and the whole experience. The lodge is very idiosyncratic. Reminded me of a hostel. You should not expect privacy or luxury. You should expect a sense of accomplishment and enjoyable company while enjoying a beautiful area.

This was a remarkable experience!!Cliff is the owner of Back Country Excursions. I signed up for the 3 day weekend package, arriving Thursday evening and staying through Sunday late morning. We had about 10 riders in our group whose riding skills varied from quite good to inexperienced. Cliff (and Tyler, the junior guide) assigned each person a mountain bike and gave each rider a personal lesson on how to operate it. This is important, because MTB is different from road cycling. It involves a lot of gear shifting and repositioning weight to efficiently climb and descend the hills in Maine's White Mountains.On Friday morning, we went on our first ride as a single group. This first ride was really a warmup and allowed people to get to know their comfort and skill levels maneuvering. For the afternoon ride, we then broke up into two groups -- skilled riders and the novices. During all the rides, Cliff was very patient and gave a lot of suggestions on how best to ride on particular terrain.Cliff and Tyler know the trails quite well as they helped develop and maintain them. This involves clearing obstacles such as large fallen branches from a recent storm or making certain the many log bridges are secure. It seems like a lot of work but really benefits the riders.Many of the trails have names. "Anaconda" doesn't involve a lot of climbing but snakes through the woods with lots of sharp turns. "Half Pike," as the name suggests, is a steep descent followed by a similar ascent. There seem to be dozens of these trails on the 8,000 acre property used by Back Country Excursions for every skill level. I was told about "The Wall," which apparently only 20 people have been able to climb, including Cliff and Tyler.When not riding, I was typically back at the lodge relaxing and helping prepare the meals. Back Country Excursions is about an hour drive from Scarborough Beach and similar proximity from Portland. I forfeited my Saturday afternoon ride to spend time in both of those places, since I don't get to see the ocean often due to my Midwestern roots.If you decide to try out this outfit, here are some suggestions. I recommend bringing long sleeves and a base layer for your legs to wear under your MTB shorts. This will protect them from the inevitable scrapes you'll get from tree branches and pine needles, as the tracks are narrow in some places. For this trip, I don't think a camel back is necessary. A large water bottle will suffice. Other important issues to bring up. As the name of the company states, this is back country, meaning you will not have reliable cell phone service and won't be able to use your cell phone's GPS to find Cliff's shop. Instead, use a Garmin-type GPS to find your way and you'll be fine.This seems obvious to me, but I will say it anyway. I do not recommend this mountain biking trip to someone who does not know how to ride a bike. This seems obvious, I know, but if you don't know how to ride, this is not the place to learn. The other thing worth pointing out. The accommodations can best be described as rustic. The lodge is very simple and in no way resembles a resort-like experience. Expect to share bathrooms with other guests. Although the accommodations are rustic, the riding experience was spectacular! I can't describe it any other way but exciting. It was a lot of fun snaking through the trails -- climbing hills, and coasting at a breakneck pace downhill For me, the climbing was somewhat challenging, but it was incredibly rewarding to become familiar with the techniques that will enable me to improve at climbing and able guides who are willing to teach you some of those tricks as well as (and importantly) make you aware of your potential limitations.

I just want to thanks to Cliff and his team on an incredible MTB adventure weekend. My son (10) and I had a great time, Cliff and his staff was exceptional guides and enables us and the group to explore and enjoy this amazing place. I had an amazing time with my son who was one of his youngest riders to date at Backcountry to date; we were able to concur trails and stunts with some guidance from the Backcountry guides. The accommodations were not what I expected upon arrival but, as I started to pack up at the end of this amazing weekend it began to make since to me. It's about the ride and who you are with, not where you sleep. Don't get me wrong the place was nice but rustic, but that is what made it fun. My son and I have ridden in several places and this place was EPIC, one for the books and one that we will do again! We will defiantly be back again next year for another adventure!

Lets start with the good:The trails are generally goodThe bikes we rented were nice (full suspension) and in pretty good conditionThe yurt was cool and about 95% waterproof The wood fired hot tub was awesomeCliff is in really good shape for his age (early sixties)And now the bad:Cliff wasn't very professional or courteous; not something you'd expect from someone wanting their customers to tip or return.When we were washing the dishes he went to do something else leaving us to wash them all ourselves Generally pretty grumpy, except when he's on the trail, that puts him in a good mood.The property the trails are on isn't his, but he treats it like it is; the entrances to some of the trails aren't bushwacked "So other people (non paying riders) don't ruin the trail." This results in many scratches and cuts from thorns.Don't come here if you're very experienced or fast.The trails aren't super flowy, frequent climbing interrupts descents.Expensive/Overpricedoh and he brought up politics within an hour of us arriving stating that "we're going to be socialist in a few years"

My buddy and I found the trip on theClymb.com. We had no idea what to expect and in no way are we experts at mountain biking. We arrived and were greeted by a friend staff (who ended up being our tour guides). The accommodations are shared but we had our own sleeping area. We were fed 3 great meals a day and had a lobster boil the last night! The best part of course was the riding! We were provided with bikes and were guided on tours twice a day. They did a great job breaking up the groups by skill level to insure everyone was comfortable on the ride. The scene was gorgeous and the trip was amazing overall. Highly recommended!

I've just returned from three days mountain biking with Cliff of BackCountry Excursions in Parsonsfield, Maine. Cliff has designed and built over 26 miles of trails outside his front door. There are trails for all levels and Cliff tailors the tour based on fitness, experience and ability of the rider. There are sweeping trails for the speed freaks, see-saws for the trick inclined and enough up hills to get the heart rate going. Cliff has the biggest collection of cycling magazine I’ve ever seen which are great for chilling out after a few hours riding. In summary I’d thoroughly recommend heading to Cliff with a group of mountain bikers for a few days riding. I’m just upset I missed the microbrew festival – that sounds perfect!