By Carey Kish
PHOTO: Jim Bucar
The Eastern Trail is a 65-mile greenway extending from Bug Light on Casco Bay in South Portland to Strawberry Banke on the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The trail accommodates a variety of non-motorized, people-powered recreation uses, from hiking, bicycling, running and birding to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Generally following the abandoned corridor of the old Eastern Railroad, the Eastern Trail is a work-in-progress, a connected series of off-road and on-road sections that is now 30% complete. Significant off-road trail sections traverse South Portland, Scarborough, Old Orchard Beach, Saco, Biddeford and Kennebunk.
Eastern Trail along Scarborough Marsh.
PHOTO: Courtesy of the Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau
Much of the rest of the trail follows lightly-traveled local roads as far as possible. The Eastern Trail threads a scenic inland route in close proximity to the coast and dozens of sandy beaches, numerous museums and historic forts, a number of land trust nature preserves, several state parks and lands, a dozen national wildlife refuge units and a host of villages and towns. The trail is perhaps best explored by bicycle (road, hybrid or mountain), but on foot is popular as well. Many point-to-point trips are possible by spotting a car at one end, while a series of connecting on-road alternate routes make many loop treks possible.
The trail is open for year-round recreation use. Dogs are allowed but should be kept on leash when other trail users are nearby. The 28-page, full-color Eastern Trail Guide covers the entire on- and off-road trail network on seven detailed maps. In addition to the guide, other handy Eastern Trail traveling companions include The Maine Atlas & Gazetteer by DeLorme and Explore Maine by Bike, a MaineDOT publication. MORE INFO: www.easterntrail.org, 207-284-9260.
