Find the top rated hiking trails in Maine, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Visiting Maine in August we found no place to rent bikes within 80 miles of the Trail. We decided to hike the section from Bingham south as we like free flowing rivers, not lakes behind dams. First issue was the Bingham Goodrich Rd trailhead. It is in the woods and out of sight from US 201 or houses. We chose to park at a more publicly visible location at a Supermarket across from North Country Rivers Outfitters where the Trail crosses a corner of the Outfitters property. We did get permission from the Supermarket and recommend parking here, not the Goodrich Rd. trailhead.
Second, the main issue for us was the Trail. This included the lack of views of this section of the river being obscured by Summer vegetation, the condition of the trail with muddy potholes and lack of a gravel surface and the permitted use of the Trail by ATV’s. The ATV drivers were respectful of hikers and slowed for us, but the vehicles were still noisy and created dust. We terminated the hike early and had ice cream at Here’s the Scoop in Bingham, sitting quietly on the bank of the Kennebec.
Headed south on US 201 to Arnolds Landing where the trail crosses the Kennebec. The trail is on the river bank and would have provided better water views had we hiked this section. Had to leave, as it is a slow drive from I-95. In summary, the Bingham area portion of the Trail would rank as our worst RTT experience from Maine to Virginia. We would not return even for ice cream on the river bank.
This is a paved trail for both bike and walk that follows the railway thru a part of the town of Ellsworth. Very flat, this is easily traversed and works well for those looking for a good trail for morning walks, runs or rides. Pet friendly but please clean up after your pet.
I have to say, these trails are amazing for everyone, every age, every level, and any size group. Get out and ride these very user friendly flat scenic wide trails.
I love this trail. Its quiet. Along river. Can here the wildlife. All ages out and about. Biking. walking. jogging. strollers. Next to a dairy joy👍
We were excited to accept the challenge of the 85 mile rail-trail. We bicycled from Ellsworth to Columbia Falls in 8-10 mile chunks parking at different entry points along the way, making a 16-20 mile ride round trip each time. Every time we rode we encountered an abundance of ATVer's who dusted us out each time we passed each other, and since they were approaching us at rather high speeds, we stopped and got off of the trail each time. We did the majority of our rides mid-week hoping to avoid a lot of ATV traffic but also tried riding on the weekends, same story. The scenery in many of the areas was very nice but on our final ride there was deep, loose gravel and we sadly abandoned the challenge to ride the entire trail. From research after we threw in the towel, it appears that the ATV folk have financed a large part of this trail and are enjoying it thoroughly. In my opinion, I don't think that the ATV/Bicycle mix is a good fit.
Not a good trail for biking. Was like biking through a sand dune. Looks pretty decent for anything else though.
Good trail but lists of off road vehicles, not the best choice for riders
The sunrise trail is great. It would be a lot better if the groomer didn't wait 2 or 3 days after it snowed. Considering we only get to ride locally a few times a winter. My thought is more people would donate or join clubs if trails where groomed more than once a week. That's just my 2 cents. The scenics are like no other.
So 15 degree weather does not stop us!
Started at otter pond and skied to Gambo Field.
Beautiful blue sky and crisp air. Maine the way it should be. Met a few snowmobiles and only a few other brave walkers. I love this trail and feel so blessed to be able to walk out the door and have this great place to play.
a wonderful thing about this trail is that it is handicapped accessible from the outer High Street parking lot in particular. The stone dust surface is impervious to wheels and motor driven and otherwise propelled wheel chairs are very easy to use on the trail.
That said... the trail is a wonder. There are three parking area access points. 1. downtown/intown where it intersects the Armistice Bridge walking bridge and Harbor Walk, 2. Upper Bridge (on High Street) and 3. out at the The Brooks Preservation railroad yard, station, and museum.
It is a remarkable 2.2 miles of natural world.
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