Rangeley is a lake town in a land of lakes, and the lakes are the point. The Rangeley Lakes region, in the far west of Maine, is a chain of long, cold, clear bodies of water strung between forested mountains, and the town sits on the shore of Rangeley Lake itself, about nine miles long. From the nineteenth century onward the region was famous for its brook trout and landlocked salmon, and wealthy sportsmen came by train and stage to stay in big wooden lodges and sporting camps.
Today the town is smaller and quieter, but it has kept a certain frontier charm. The main street has a handful of shops, an old-fashioned movie theater and a lakeside park, and the Appalachian Trail passes nearby, so hikers with heavy packs come in for a hot meal and a shower. Saddleback Mountain looms to the south, with its bare, rocky summit and ski slopes, and the area is dotted with ponds and bogs where moose wade in the shallows at dawn. Loons call on the water in summer, a sound that makes the whole region feel wilder.
The roads that lead here are the draw. Route 4 and Route 16 run through the region with long, easy curves along the lakeshores and over wooded ridges, and the surface is generally decent. Route 17, going south from Oquossoc toward Rumford, climbs to a famous overlook at the Height of Land, with a wide view across Mooselookmeguntic Lake and the surrounding mountains. The roads are lightly trafficked, but logging trucks use some of them, so give them room, and moose are a real danger at dusk and dawn.
The town has fuel, a grocery store, restaurants and lodging, which makes it the practical hub for the area. Beyond it the services thin out quickly, so fill the tank here and carry a snack. The best time is September and early October, when the foliage is at its peak and the air is crisp, but June and July are lovely too, with long days and cool nights. Black flies are heavy in late spring, and winter brings deep snow, so the riding season is short and worth savoring.