POWNAL – Even during the winter months, Bradbury Mountain State Park is busy, with activities from hiking to snowmobiling to skiing to snowshoe racing – even camping out.

It’s likely to be even busier next weekend, when Bradbury Mountain is among the many outdoor recreational areas participating in the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend, Feb. 15-16, sponsored by the Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands. Events also are on tap throughout the weekend in Freeport.

The big event at Bradbury Mountain is called the Bradbury Mountain State Park Ski & Snowshoe Weekend. The ski and snowshoe trailer will provide free equipment to all who would like to try out the 20-plus miles of trails. Six miles of trails will be groomed for the event. There will be a bonfire in the field and hot cocoa available to all. Pets are allowed if kept on a leash and under restraint.

The weekend launches Feb. 14 at 7 p.m., with a two-mile moonlight snowshoe hike hosted by the staff of EMS.

Parking will be limited on Feb. 16, due to a scheduled snowshoe race at mid-day, which is not connected with the weekend. The snowshoe race is part of the Bradbury Mountain Snowshoe Series, organized by a year-round hiking group called Trail Monster Running.

Ian Parlin of Falmouth, who grew up in Freeport and is active in the group, loves what the mountain has to offer.

“It’s the variety of the terrain, from the mountainside versus the east side trails across the road, which are flatter,” Parlin said.

Using shoes smaller than the standard size, Parlin and other members of the Trail Monster runners run snowshoe races from three to five miles in length. When they started the snowshoe races in 2011, the Trail Monsters had 32 participants. At the most recent race on Jan. 19, there were 70 participants. People as young as 18 and as old as their mid-70s compete.

While foot races are held on the snowmobile trails during the warm-weather months, the snowshoe races are held on the regular hiking trails.

“The fun of snowshoe racing is dealing with all the obstacles,” Parlin said.

How does one run on snowshoes?

“It’s really not that much different than walking,” he said. “You need to have a wider stance, and you really need good cardiovascular strength. There’s no specific technique. Anybody who can run can put on a pair of snowshoes and run.”

The Trail Monsters have a slight lull at Bradbury Mountain in early spring and late fall, but soon after the snow is melted, they can start up their group runs. Again, the terrain’s the thing.

“That’s one of the good things about this park is the variety of the terrain,” he said.

Anyone with an interest in trail running is welcome to join them for any of the Trail Monster group runs.

Bradbury Mountain State Park, which is bisected by Route 9, is open from 9 a.m. until sunset, just like it is during the warmer months. Jake Rideout, the park ranger, said the hiking trails are not as difficult to use as one might think this time of year.

“Just the foot traffic alone will pack down a lot of the trails,” he said.

At three-tenths of a mile, the Summit Trail is the shortest to the Bradbury Mountain peak, which overlooks Casco Bay. The Northern Loop is a mile. The Boundary Trail goes a third of a mile on the Northern Loop, and extends another 11?2 miles to the peak.

Rideout said he was enthused by all the snowfall in December, but then came the ice, and then the January thaw.

“We had all that snow and we lost it all,” he said.

However, snow is forecast for this week.

Members of Trail Monster Running race the trails recently on snowshoes at Bradbury Mountain State Park.