Saddleback is near Rangeley, in the Rangeley Lakes Region of western Maine. The summit is 4,120 feet and the base 2,460 feet, which the resort says is the highest base elevation of any ski area in the Northeast. That gives 2,000 feet of vertical over more than 600 acres, including 88 acres of hand-cut glades. The mountain averages 225 inches of snow a year.
There are 68 trails in three separate areas, which keep experts apart from beginners, and two terrain parks. The longest run is 3.1 miles. Six lifts serve the mountain: four quads, the Cupsuptic T-bar and a moving carpet. The Kennebago Quad serves 960 vertical feet of expert and intermediate terrain, the Kennebago Steeps, and the Rangeley detachable quad climbs 1,177 feet in just over four minutes. The trails are named after fishing flies created in Rangeley, and the lifts after fly-fishing rivers.
Saddleback opened on December 31, 1960, with a single T-bar on the Wheeler Slope. The Appalachian Trail crosses the mountain. The area sat idle for several winters in the late 2010s, and reopened in December 2020 under the Arctaris Impact Fund.
The Top of the World Cam, at the top of the Kennebago Quad, looks out over the Rangeley Lakes and the mountains of western Maine. The Top of the Rangeley Cam looks down the Grey Ghost trail from the top of the Rangeley quad. The Lodge Cam shows the base area and looks up the Wheeler Slope. Compare the Top of the World Cam with the Lodge Cam to see the difference between the upper mountain and the base. On wind-hold days, the resort says the Sandy Quad still gives access to the Cupsuptic T-bar, so check the upper cams for wind before you go.
From Portland, Portsmouth or Boston, take I-95 and the Maine Turnpike to exit 75 in Auburn, then Route 4 north through Farmington to Rangeley. You can also leave I-95 at exit 112B in Augusta, take Route 27 north and US 2 west, then Route 4 north at Farmington. Just east of Rangeley, turn onto Dallas Hill Road at the IGA and follow the signs. Put “Saddleback Ski Area” into your GPS: “Saddleback Mountain” leads to the Appalachian Trail trailhead instead.
Portland (PWM) and Bangor (BGR) airports are both about 125 miles, or 2½ hours, from Rangeley. New England 511 shows road conditions.
Saddleback is on the Indy Pass with no blackout dates. It isn’t on the Epic or Ikon Pass.