Cliff was extremely accommodating. The camp sites are nice grown up camping. Sink with hot water (bonus), nice outhouse, outdoor shower. If you come here though don't come for the accommodations. Come to ride remote single track. Cliff has lot of experience and passion. He helped me set up my new bike and made some great suggestions. My 22 yo son came. He is hoping to get back this year. read more

Unlike the first review, I thought Cliff and our trail guide Sam were great. Apply "great" to sizing up the type of riding we wanted to do, the pace, and the conversation. And... I am anything but a hippy. The trails were all rake and ride, but with all of the miles of trails they have there is something for everyone. Including a "roller coaster" park that they built. Its remote, but definitely worth the trip! They even have a yurt you can camp in and a wood stoked hot tub. read more

I suppose depending on the type of person you are would depend on if you like Back Country Excursions or not. I can be just as happy in a tent as I could in a five star resort. My boyfriend...not so much. So I will write the review, and not allow him... The BF, and 2 other friends and I drove up late one Thursday night last month. As we got there we were immediately greeted at our car by Cliff, and his assistant. I don't remember his name. We'll call him Biff. Cliff and Biff showed us around the house...a cute, log-cabiney feel. We were introduced to the others who booked the weekend biking shenanigans, and then shown the picked over places to sleep. It was down to one of the small bedrooms downstairs, or the yurt. We got shafted with the yurt, since my friend Rob is a bit of a princess, and needs to be free from creepy crawlie things, and can't bear to go to an outhouse to do his business. The yurt...if a tent and a teepee had a baby, this would be it. But with a wood floor. There was a fan, one lightbulb, and a whopping four inches of mattress on the wood floor. Really, though...it was fine for me. It was cool at night. I became one with nature. BF=not so happy. In the morning we got up and met everyone in the kitchen. Cliff was busy whipping up an impressive breakfast. All the meals he made were great. We all helped either cook, clean, or both. Mountain biking...I have never been. I was happy to find out we got quite the introduction. One at a time we were educated on our bike. We had to test the breaks as the bike was lifted, then get on and Cliff would school us on how to stand up, go up and down hills, go up and down the gears. We didn't get going until we were all comfortable. They brought extra waters, electrolyte blocks and things. The trails were easy at first, and got progressively harder. We were split into groups after the first day...the JV and the Varsity. Cliff and Biff would ride behind each person for a bit, to be sure we were using the gears right so not to wear our legs out. Some people thought it to be a bit too much harping. I didn't mind it at all. The afternoons were the option of a second ride, or a swim at the nearby lake. We did the swims. the lake was warm, and the water was extremely clean. At night we would all do dinner together, or go to a nearby restaurant. Then we could do s'mores by the fire outside, and sit in the wood-burning hot tub on the deck. Oh, and there were 2 outdoor showers too, which I loved. By the end of the 3 day trip, I felt a world more comfortable mountain biking. We were all a little torn up and dirty from falling off a few times, but that's part of learning. It was a fun weekend away! Thanks, Cliff!! read more

Terrible. I am in good shape and totally up for a new experience (in my early 20s!) but he did nothing but insult me, my political views (which i REALLY didn't even want to talk about. He even said if he didn't live in such a remote area, he would probly go around bombing things...?!?!?!), my eating habits (um excuse me I'm sorry I don't grow my vegetables and make flaxseed pancakes with "3 kinds of organic flour!!"). He yelled at me so much - many times unwarranted (such as when he yelled about 8 times for me to go up a gear and would not stop to hear me say that i was already IN the highest gear!). Seriously if you love mountainbiking, you'll be fine. If you're into the organic/crunchy/hippie/anti-gov't thing, you'll be fine. Otherwise, maybe not... read more

My boyfriend and I spent 1.5 days mountain biking with Back Country Excursions. Here's the tale of our weekend. We arrived late Friday afternoon and stayed the evening in the lodge (you also have the option of the yurt or campsite if you bring your own equipment. The yurt was rather dirty) and our accommodations were modest (and that's a kind way of putting it). The rooms are very small and not clean. Some of the rooms in the lodge are open (as in anyone in the living room could see your room plain as day). There was extremely limited privacy. I went into this obviously not expecting a 5 star resort, but the quarters were basically as unkempt as it gets. Food they provided was great. It was a lot of organic and natural stuff which I and my boyfriend both and enjoy. As for the mountain biking, I left the experience feeling really insulted, discouraged, and immensely frustrated. This was my first time mountain biking and as they said much of their clientele are novices, it made me less nervous. Cliff was really not personable in teaching me and even yelled at me. They made me feel like I was a burden or hinderance to them and acted like they were annoyed to have to teach me. It's too bad because I had been really looking forward to this for a long time and knew even if I was bad at it, I'd still manage to have fun. The employees really kind of ruined the whole experience for me. My boyfriend who is a very talented athlete was very good at it (as expected, he's a first timer as well) and had a lot of fun, but agreed that the employees were not personable enough to be in a business in which you constantly work with people. Cliff even once made an unwarranted commented on one of the guests' weight. Moral of the story, if you're an experienced mountain biker and don't mind being in an extremely rustic environment, you'll probably have fun. If you're a novice or aren't the best at mountain biking, here isn't the place to do it. If I ever try mountain biking again, it definitely won't be here. read more

To start The accommodations(no I wasnt expecting luxurious suites but come on you cant make the rooms separate or something a little nicer) are not very good. For example some of the doorways are 3 feet tall and if you're not careful you will bump your head on the ceiling or doorway. There is little to no privacy in the house we stayed in the stairs cut through rooms or you go up on these really steep circular stairs. The house was built by the owner I wouldn't tell people this since people are more than 3 feet tall. wifi is only accessible from outside so that isn't very good. Now to the biking or the instructors Cliff gets pretty frustrated with novices although I caught on quick he seemed like it was a chore not an enjoyable thing. Tyler is alright I feel bad for him Cliff always put him down he had a good handle on things but Cliff needed the last word which is annoying. The trails are good except we stopped a lot starting on a hill is very difficult I dont care who you are! The place is overpriced for the accommodations and the not so great instructor the people on our trip were delight though. The dagger is Cliff he rubs me the wrong way just letting you know its strange. Oh and I almost forgot the bathroom door does not have a door knob and the fan and light are connect so your going to wake people up. Personal issues are personal you dont need to state the obvious and put your thoughts on people weather they agree or not people can make there own decisions Cliff! read more

I got a deal on Groupon for Back Country Excursions. If I hadn't found it there I'm not sure I ever would have found the place. Its a little in the middle of no where. I got a deal for myself (mnt biking novice) and my husband (mnt biking expert). We both had a good time. Cliff was very nice he greeted us at our car, even though we got there very late. The accommodations are minimal. We slept downstairs and the room was basic. There is a nice outside shower and a wood fired hot tub that was lovely after a full day of riding. Cliff did all of the cooking for breakfast and lunch, be prepared for whole grains! Thick pancakes and bean burritos for lunch. Dinner is on your own. One night we drive to a near by lake to do some swimming a little cold, we were there at the beginning of Sept. but you should defiantly check it out. Cliff was very nice, he made sure I was comfortable and knew what I was doing while still challenging my husband. There were 4 other people riding and it ended up being girls group and guys group in the afternoon, which was fine with me. Able to go at my own pace. At the end of the last day I worked up enough courage to do the see-saw! I am not sure if I would go back but we had a great trip! read more

I was nervous having never mountain biked before and went for a weekend with my sister. Agreed that the owner provided good direction initially, but by the end of the weekend I felt battered from the bike and his repeated caustic remarks :(. At one point the other students were cheering me on while the owner yelled- "I guarantee she can't do it!" The house was filthy- but the teamwork at meal time was fun and the company was otherwise good. I'll continue to practice mountain biking- but not here. read more

I am an avid outdoorsman and have done many rustic excursions in the past. The mountain biking was great with beautiful single tracks. As for the guide, Cliff was accommodating, but rude to several of the less experienced riders. Not the professional behavior one would expect of of a business owner. The accommodations bordered disgusting. The 'rooms' were non-existent open areas with single beds. The only bathroom with a shower had black mold everywhere. Be sure to bring shower shoes and a blindfold for that experience. The Yurt was another musty, moldy option. On the plus side, the food was great and even met several of the other folk's special dietary needs. But even there, we all had to pitch in and help setting things up beforehand and cleaning up afterward, yet were expected to give a 15% 'optional' tip. This trip was totally overpriced. read more

My husband and I went to Back Country Excursions for 4 days and had the best time. Meals were great, healthy and plentiful. Accommodations met all of our needs. The biking was the best, I am new to mountain biking starting about 6 months ago. I learned a lot especially on downhills. My husband was more experienced and he even learned a few things. We rode plenty and even got one on one instruction when the others went to the lake to swim and we chose the afternoon ride. Cliff recommended several places to stay and eat before we got there and was extremely helpful. Gabe took my husband on some challenging trails and he was very knowledgable. So glad we did this trip and I would recommend it. read more

As a novice mountain biker, I was a little nervous heading into the woods of Maine for a big riding weekend, but the staff at Back Country Excursions made me feel like a pro in no time! The staff is so professional and they have a great respect for teaching their students the right way and making sure that every visitor has fun and stays safe. If you like a family atmosphere where everybody helps cook and do the dishes, then this is the place for you! The scenery is beautiful and the trails are well kept with a variety of challenge levels. read more

I've been several times and have been meaning to write- this is one of the most fun things I've done ever. Ever! Cliff and crew, Tyler, are attentive and great at sizing riders up and giving just the right level of instruction and picking out trails that work with each rider's level. But more than that, they're just really enthusiastic and you can tell they love what they do. I've brought my own bike and rented- they have nice rental bikes and are in great shape. They have done a fantastic job making and grooming trails through the awesome terrain. I feel like Cliff has been a great coach to me to improve my riding skills. Whatever the group size, they break it into to different groups per riding skills for those who want more adventure and technical, or those who are more novice. I've only done daytrips and never stayed over, but everyone I've met seems really enthusiastic. Great place to get away from it all! read more