www.new-england-rail-trails.org

Rail-Trails of Maine


Mountain Division Rail-with-Trail Study

Westbrook to Fryeburg ME - 43.4 miles - initial planning stages.

In 1994, Guilford Transportation Industries abandoned the line, and the Mountain Division Alliance was formed to preserve the corridor. In 1997, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) purchased the corridor and track from Route 202 in Windham to the Maine/New Hampshire border in Fryeburg. The MDA is currently coordinating a two-year, five-part study of the feasibility of preservation and development of the Mountain Division as a multi-use transportation corridor.


Portland Trails

Portland Trails is a dynamic urban conservation organization and land trust founded in 1991. Their goal is to create a 30-mile network of recreational trails within Greater Portland, ME by 1999 as well as to serve as a public advocate for trail development and greenways within the city.

Supplemental information about the Eastern Promenade Trail


South Portland Greenbelt

Open for public use

A paved path roughly paralleling Broadway in South Portland in both directions from the Mill Creek Shopping Center in South Portland using the bed of an abandoned industrial spur.


Eastern Trail Alliance

Eastern Trail (Supplemental information)

Kittery to South Portland, ME - 47.1 miles - initial planning stages.
On-road route open for interim public use

This trail will utilize the roadbed of the long abandoned Eastern Railroad for most of its length. Note that this Trail will become part of the East Coast Greenway, a multi-user trail that will run from Maine to Florida as the 'urban equivalent' to the Appalachian Trail. As such, the entire ECG has been designated as a Millennium Trail.  


Old Narrow Gauge Volunteer Trail

Randolph, ME - approximately 1.25 miles - open for public use

Hiking Trail Bicycle Trail

This trail was established in 1985 as a nature trail and follows the route of the old narrow gauge Kennebec Central Railroad.


Carrabassett River Trail (Woodabogan Trail)

Carrabassett - Bigelow, ME - open for public use

Hiking Trail Bicycle Trail Cross-Country Skiing

This trail uses the railbed of the narrow gauge Sandy River & Rangely Lakes Railroad.

Franklin County Rail-Trail

A proposal for an eighty mile loop in Franklin County using the roadbed of the narrow gauge railroad.


Aroostook Valley Trail

Washburn-Caribou-Van Buren, ME - approximately 75 miles - open for public use

Hiking Trail Bicycle Trail Cross-Country Skiing Snowmobiling Horse Trail Trail Bike Trail All-Terrain Vehicle Trail

One Y-shaped trail follows the roadbed of the Aroostook Valley Railroad from Washburn to New Sweden & West Caribou, while an inverted Y-shaped trail utilizes an abandoned roadbed of the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad from Van Buren to East Caribou and Washburn. A proposed extension will run from Washburn to Mapleton.


St. John Valley Heritage Trail

Fort Kent to St. Francis - 16.6 miles

Hiking Trail Bicycle Trail Cross-Country Skiing Snowmobiling Horse Trail Trail Bike Trail All-Terrain Vehicle Trail

News articles about the trail:


Houlton to Phair Junction Trail

Houlton-Phair, ME - approximately 40 miles - open for public use

Hiking Trail Bicycle Trail Cross-Country Skiing Snowmobiling Horse Trail Trail Bike Trail All-Terrain Vehicle Trail

This trail follows the roadbed of an abandoned portion of the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad.


Jay to Farmington Trail

Jay to Farmington, ME - approximately 14 miles - open for public use

Hiking Trail Bicycle Trail Cross-Country Skiing Snowmobiling Horse Trail Trail Bike Trail All-Terrain Vehicle Trail

This trail follows an abandoned roadbed of the Maine Central Railroad.


So. Lagrange to Medford Trail

South Lagrange to Medford Center - approximately 12 miles - open for public use

Hiking Trail Bicycle Trail Cross-Country Skiing Snowmobiling Horse Trail Trail Bike Trail All-Terrain Vehicle Trail

This trail follows an abandoned roadbed of the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad.


Memorial River Walk

Guilford, ME - one mile - open for public use

Hiking Trail

This walk follows the old Bangor and Aroostook Railroad bed for about a mile along the beautiful Piscataquis River.


Calais Waterfront Walkway

Calais, ME - one mile - open for public use

Hiking Trail Handicapped Access


Downeast Trail & Brewer to Ellsworth Trail

A proposed Rail-with-trail from Brewer to Calais


Norway

A proposed Rail-trail


Kennebec River Rail Trail

A proposed Rail-with-Trail between Gardner and Augusta.

Related information on the Web:


Fairfield to Waterville

A proposed Rail-with-Trail.


Newport - Dover-Foxcroft

A proposed Rail-Trail

From the archives of The Bangor Daily News:


Carriage Roads of Acadia National Park

45 miles of scenic roadways on Mt. Desert Island

Hiking Trail Bicycle Trail Cross-Country Skiing Horse Trail

This 45 mile network on the southeastern quarter of Mt. Desert Island designed and constructed strictly for the exclusive use of horses & carriages. To this day, all motorized vehicles are prohibited from this extremely scenic roadway system within the boundaries of Acadia National Park.


Green Mountain Railroad Trail

Hiking Trail

This rather steep trail follows the route of the cog railroad that once took visitors to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Note that the Island Explorer bus to Jordan Pond provides seasonal free bus service to the trailhead with connecting busses from most parts of Mount Desert Island. 


Lewiston - Lisbon Rail-Trail

A potential rail-trail

A status report on the potential Rail-trail between Lewiston and Lisbon.


Lewiston-Auburn

A planned park with connecting bicycle-pedestrian trail


Westford - Sanford - Rochester, NH

A potential Rail-Trail


Pittsfield

A potential Rail-Trail

News about the proposal from the archives of The Bangor Daily News.


Camden-Rockport

A proposed trail would use an old railroad track as part of its route.


Solon-Bingham Trail

A 7 mile section of the Trail from Solon to Bingham is described in section 8 of  the Official Rails-to-Trails Conservancy New England Guidebook by Cynthia Mascott published in 2000 by Globe Pequot Press. This trail listing contains a photograph, historical description, trail head directions and parking, a trail map, trail details, a local trail manager contact, and much more. 

Note that Bike Tour 10 - "Kennebec River Valley" is an on-road bike tour suggested by the Bike and Pedestrian Section of ME-DOT that both crosses and parallels the Solon-Bingham Trail for part of it's route.


The Old Canada Road

Historical research is underway to determine the precise location of the 200 year old Canada Road from Jackman to the Quebec border.


RTC listing of Rail-trails in Maine

This comprehensive but old listing of trails is at the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Web Site.


Sign images are from the Manual of Traffic Signs by Richard C. Moeur.

Updated on September 13, 2001 by Kenyon F. Karl <[email protected]>.
  Unintentional errors are likely!

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