Quarry Road adventure
For those Colby students on the Nordic ski, crew, or cross country teams, the Quarry Road Trails are a common gathering spot used for training. But for the rest of us, myself included, Quarry Roads is just a place we hear about from time to time. I decided to change that, and took an adventure to Quarry Road. So here is your guide to everything you need to know about Quarry Road so you can seem like a seasoned pro when you get there. It is definitely worth a visit!
From campus, Quarry Road is 1.7 miles away, which is a 30-minute walk or a 4 minute drive. Once you arrive, there is a little brown yurt that has all the rental equipment or anything else that one would need for a successful outdoor adventure.
Quarry Road is known for Nordic skiing but offers so many more activities. The trails can be used for downhill skiing (which is a new feature this winter), backcountry skiing, fat biking, snowshoeing, and dog walking.
When I arrived at Quarry Road I opted for snowshoeing. I had only been Nordic skiing once so snowshoeing seemed like the less daunting option, a decision I’m very glad about.
Quarry Road has rental Nordic skis for the student price of $10, and snowshoes are free of charge to rent.
There is a window at the Yurt, from which all the rental gear is checked out. Before the pandemic consumers could go into the yurt to rent gear but now all transactions happen through the window.
There was an older man and woman working the Yurt, who were both very friendly and gave helpful instructions. After I told them that I was a novice and was unsure what path to take, the man went to get me snowshoes, and the woman grabbed a map of the trails to point me in the right direction.
She showed me which trail to snowshoe on and told me to look out for the youth ski race that was going on. She told me I shouldn’t run into any of the kids skiing, as they were on another path.
The man had me sign out the snowshoes and then the woman gave me the map which I tucked in my pocket as I headed off to find the path. There were a lot of people out on the trails and I stopped an older couple, who helped point me in the direction of the path.
I ended up snowshoeing for over an hour, and the whole experience was invigorating. The path was beautiful and quiet, taking me along the river and through the woods. It was easy to navigate, and I did the loop and then returned the snowshoes to the Yurt. My friend came to pick me up at the trailhead and we headed back to campus.
The overall experience was amazing and I would highly recommend all Colby students to visit at least once before graduating. Being in Maine comes with both pros and cons, but having the opportunity to explore Quarry Road is definitely one of the pros!
~ Maryrita Curcio ‘23J
