Explore the best rated trails in Madison, ME. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Whistle Stop Rail-Trail and Four Seasons Adventure Trail. With more than 10 trails covering 79 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Lovely, flat, well kept. I started a bit further back at the Belfast Boathouse, walked all the way out and back for almost 6 miles.
Started at Capitol park entrance enjoying the walkers passing by. All were saying good morning! Great walk paved with asphalt. Follows the Kennebec River. A little disappointed it was by the waste treatment facility.
This, so far, has been the roughest trail I have been biking on since arriving in Maine. As stated in other reviews, portions of the trail, especially on the southern end, are tremendously sandy. This makes it very difficult for biking, even with a good mountain bike. I actually was getting bogged down so bad today that I gave up about 4 miles from the end (I started on the north end at Farmington).
In addition, this trail seems to be a "highway" for ATVs. I probably would have dealt with less traffic riding along US Route 2. In some cases, I had convoys of 5 or 6 ATVs passing me at a time. Getting blasted with exhaust fumes, and being pelted with sand and grit as they sped away was not my idea of a good time. Granted, most everyone was friendly and slowed down while passing me (with just a few exceptions). During my ride, I only encountered one other bicyclist.
Finally, the scenery is so/so. For Maine, its nothing specially. There are a couple of nice bridges. And, I did encounter a beaver den and dam. But otherwise, I have enjoyed several of the other trails much more.
Last weekend we did this so-called shared trail (bikes, hikers, horses, 4 wheelers). Unless you like to inhale the whiff of gasoline from ATVs and the din of their engines, avoid this trail like the plague. We had the bad idea of ¿¿doing this trail back and forth...I believe we must have passed at least 60 ATVs. If some drivers showed civility, by slowing down when they passed us, the majority demonstrated that the words civility and courtesy are not even part of their vocabulary. They make it clear to you that you are not welcome on THEIR path. The majority pass by you without slowing down and I do not recommend this trail for families with young children for obvious reasons. In addition, it is a very rocky trail that requires at least a hybrid bike with good tires, or even a mountain bike.
I'm trying to find a positive to this trail but even trying to be objective I can't find one. There are no infractrustures (no picnic tables, no toilets, nothing). I imagine my review is going to be deleted as it probably won't appeal to everyone but until then hopefully it helps other people not to waste their time on this tasteless trail.
Twas a lovely way to start the day, walking above & beside the river with the dogs. Very accessible hard packed stone dust path & fairly smooth bridges. Highly recommend for those visiting Belfast.
Initial trail has a lot of barberry blocking it, then the entire trail became deep mud, and finally it was reasonably clear for the rest of the path. The path had about 5 bridges, 2 were completely rotted through, but I just passed under them since the stream was only a trickle. One area was marked with a Poison Ivy sign, but I did not see any, I think it’s just starting to come out so I may have been lucky and gone early enough to miss it. Evidence that a beaver was munching on some rather large trees. Beautiful view of the river near the end.
Even with a mountain bike, the trail was simply unridable in parts due to the sand. I started about a mile or two north of the southern end and rode north. The first three or four miles were doable but after that, it wasn’t rideable and I had to turn around. Perhaps the trail is rideable based on the time of the year, and maybe the northern section is better. But the southern end wasn’t worth the trip.
There’s a lot to like about this trail: •easy ride and it has some hills and curves to make it interesting •scenic •easy parking •well marked •well maintained with a few bumps But there are a few negatives with the major one being the gap in Hallowell. For roughly 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile, the gap in the trail requires one to ride on busy Water St through the downtown area. It’s certainly not the worst road to ride on, but traffic can be heavy and you need to watch for car doors opening. The trail is also very narrow in spots making it difficult to pass through. But overall a nice trail that is worth a visit.
Rode this on September 1, 2021, from Newport, ME area. Rode 12 miles out on my gravel bike. This is a beginner friendly trail. Not road bike friendly. There are a few sections of loose gravel that can be challenging. Also some sandy spots, but you can power through them. Lots of pot holes and riding on the edges can be helpful.
Rode this 15 miles from Anson area, on August 27, 2021, on my gravel bike. Really not suited for a road bike. Some bumpy sections and a few sand stretches. Plenty of pot holes. This is a very beginner friendly gravel trail.
The Belfast Rail Trail is well maintained, clean and provides nice views of the water.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
