By Rex Turner
Outdoor Recreation Planner
Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
In preparation for an upcoming presentation at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, which will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 24-25, in Rangeley, I got to thinking about the allure of long-distance trails. Long-distance trails possess a magic in that from any point on the trail, one can envision the route continuing “just around the bend” for days and days, if not weeks. Around each river bend or summit crest, new discoveries await.
To our benefit, Maine has a number of distinctive long-distance trails to seek out. Perhaps the most well-known long-distance trail in Maine is the Appalachian Trail (AT), which runs from Georgia to Baxter Peak on Mt. Katahdin. This footpath, which saw its formation largely in the 1920s and 1930s, travels across more than 2,100 miles of peaks and ridgelines as it winds its way to and through our state of Maine.
Grafton Notch State Park, located north of Bethel on Route 26, provides a tremendous point to start exploring the trail. A total of 18 miles of the AT fall within Grafton Notch State Park and the adjoining Mahoosuc Public Lands. Other notable Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) properties further north along the AT include the Four Ponds Public Lands off Route 17 at Height of Land south of Rangeley, the Bigelow Preserve in the Carrabassett Valley region, and Nahmakanta Public Lands in the remote “100-mile Wilderness” section of the AT between Baxter SP and Monson.
If the Appalachian Trail is the most recognized long-distance trail in Maine, then water trails such as the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and the Northern Forest Canoe Trail are likely the oldest. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway was created in 1966 and added as the first state-administered component of the National Wild and Scenic River System in 1970. The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) is now celebrating 10 years of life as a water trail. The routes underpinning these water trails, however, are ancient – serving as travel corridors for American Indian travelers and traders for thousands of years.
The Allagash is a 92-mile wilderness canoe route managed by BPL. It is a remote and wondrous leg of the longer 740-mile, non-profit managed NFCT, which connects the major watersheds across the Adirondacks and Northern New England.
Other places to venture forth on the NFCT for a day or for weeks include Richardson Lake Public Lands, Rangeley Lake State Park, the Bigelow Preserve, Holeb Public Lands (Moose River Bow Canoe Trip), Moosehead Lake — with destinations such as Mount Kineo near Rockwood, Lily Bay State Park, or public lands and publicly accessible campsites along the eastern shore of the lake — and the Penobscot River Corridor, which connects via portages to the Allagash.
Maine’s fresh water is not the only source of long-distance water trails. The Maine Island Trail is a 375-mile coastal waterway extending from the New Hampshire border to (currently) Machias Bay. It includes more than 180 islands and mainland sites along the route, available for day visits or low-impact overnight camping. The trail is comprised of both public and private islands and is managed by the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) (www.mita.org), which performs island stewardship and recreation management activities in addition to putting out an invaluable 250-page guide.
Finally, BPL’s Off-Road Vehicle Division helps manage a vast network of interconnected snowmobile and ATV trails across the state, on both public and private land. This trail network includes, among other trail types, rail beds converted to recreational trails. Trails such as the newly emerging Down East Sunrise Trail from Ellsworth to near Calais, the 28-mileAroostook Valley Trail that connects the communities of Presque Isle, Caribou, Washburn, Woodland, and New Sweden, and the Whistle Stop Trail between Jay and Farmington, and the Four Season Adventure Trail from Newport to Dover-Foxcroft are links in regional trail systems as well as assets in and of themselves. The efforts of motorized trail enthusiasts and BPL, as well as private landowners, enable Mainers and visitors alike to literally ride thousands of miles of trail all across Maine.
Whether paddling a canoe to riverside campsites, crossing an ocean bay in a kayak, hiking ridges and topping peaks, or powering along snowmobile or ATV trails, there are thousands of miles of long-distance trails and trail networks across the state. Maine’s state parks and public lands serve as portals to these routes.
To learn more, start at www.parksandlands.com. And to learn more about the upcoming Northern Forest Canoe Trail celebration in Rangeley, visit www.NorthernForestCanoeTrail.org.
The Northern Forest Canoe Trail will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Saturday and Sunday, July 24-25, at Ecopelagicon Nature Store and Haley Pond Park in Rangeley with lots of canoe and kayak activities. Rex Turner, BPL outdoor recreation planner, will speak at 3 p.m. about camping along the NFCT at Maine state parks and other public lands. Turner will discuss participation in the new Maine State Parks Passport program and also will highlight the rich natural and cultural heritage at specific parks and lands while providing tips for those interested in visiting these special places. For more information, go to: http://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/
