In recent years, several friends have recommended Nordic skiing on the Hammond Ridge Trails near Baxter State Park. About a three-hour drive from my home in Topsham, arranging a trip to ski the trail system is logistically difficult. A major mid-February storm that dropped 16 inches of snow on the area motivated me to plan two days of skiing in the vicinity.

On the first day, I skied the excellent Penobscot River Trails in Grindstone. While there, I met another skier, Andy Peake, who expressed interest in skiing the HRT the following day. Later that evening, longtime outdoor friend, Ken Gordon, a veteran of HRT, said he would join us. A trip was on!

The HRT is owned and operated by New England Outdoor Center (NEOC) and is located a few miles north of Millinocket near the southern entrance to Baxter State Park. According to the NEOC website and Maine Trail Finder, the trails were designed by Olympian and preeminent trail builder John Morton. They report the network is a mixture of exhilarating downhills, invigorating up hills and everything in between; further stating there are 16 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails on rugged terrain that offer spectacular views.

The three of us drove north out of Millinocket on Millinocket Lake Road for 8 miles and then followed Blackcat Road for a short distance to NEOC. After checking in, making trail donations and obtaining trail maps, we motored to a higher-elevation trailhead next to River Drivers Restaurant.

We began skiing east on recently groomed Saddle Loop until reaching Hammond Ridge Trail on the left where the fresh grooming ended. The skiing was more challenging as we angled right on Saddle Loop and coasted downhill on a hard-packed surface in a sparse predominantly hardwood forest. Although rated easy by NEOC, we found the loop moderately difficult — the firm snowpack was the reason.

After completing most of the 2.2-mile loop, we connected with Twin Pines Loop for a short distance and crossed Blackcat Road before joining Katahdin View Trail. We climbed steadily on the 1.6-mile Katahdin View Trail, also on solidified snow. The trail lived up to its name as we enjoyed wonderful views of Mount Katahdin at the top. Most of the remainder of the path was comparatively steep downhill. Given the unforgiving surface, I used the snowplow technique to control my speed for much of the exhilarating descent.

At the bottom, we rejoined Twin Pines Loop. The trail is confusing in this area. After some trial and error, we completed two road crossings and located the Lakeside Trail.

The 1.7-mile Lakeside Trail travels northeast and then loops back along Millinocket Lake. It appeared to have been groomed and tracked the previous day. Unfortunately, high winds had blown an abundance of small spruce branches and needles onto the trail slowing progress and requiring careful maneuvering. Despite the obstacles, we glided along on gentle grades back to Twin Pines Loop.

The remainder of our trek on Twin Pines Loop was on newly groomed trail in excellent condition. This sector offered very scenic pleasurable skiing. We passed a trail junction that leads to NEOC and again crossed Blackcat Road.

Soon after, a trail to Black Cat Peak was encountered on the right. The 2.8-mile Black Cat Peak Trail is rated the most difficult skiing in the trail network. Ken had skied the precipitous route during a previous visit and advised that it was a time-consuming endeavor. Since all of us had long drives home, we decided to forego the arduous adventure on this trip.

After passing the Black Cat Peak junction, we began climbing steadily on Twin Pines Loop. The well-groomed surface facilitated an efficient ascent and we progressed rapidly back to Saddle Loop Trail. A short ski brought us to the original trailhead.

We were disappointed with the condition of the trails — wrongly assuming all trails would be freshly groomed. That said, they were exciting, scenic and challenging. We hope to return to complete Black Cat Peak and Hammond Ridge Trails. However, we’ll call and confirm the grooming status before committing the time and travel.

My book, “Maine Al Fresco: The Fifty Finest Outdoor Adventures in Maine,” narrates some of the best Nordic skiing in Maine, including several trips into Baxter State Park.

Ron Chase resides in Topsham. His latest book, “Maine Al Fresco: The Fifty Finest Outdoor Adventures in Maine” is available at northcountrypress.com/maine-al-fresco or in bookstores and through online retailers. His previous books are “The Great Mars Hill Bank Robbery” and “Mountains for Mortals — New England.” Visit his website at ronchaseoutdoors.com or he can be reached at ronchaseoutdoors@comcast.net.