Happy Spring from the

ET Executive Director

 

Spring has finally arrived in Southern Maine. Based on my own observations on the trail

between South Portland and Kennebunk it appears that we will again have a record number of people using the outdoors and enjoying the Eastern Trail. Please keep in mind that we still need to ensure that we give each other sufficient space on the trail to stay COVID safe. Thank you for your support, and your good stewardship of the trail is greatly appreciated. Enjoy the trail and get outdoors!

 

Here are a few reminders for Spring that might be helpful:

  • E-bikes: Class 1 and Class 2 electric bikes are allowed on the trail, but Class 3 electric bikes are not allowed
  • Dogs: Please keep your dog on a leash when you are on the trail. Even if you dog is off-leash trained, the presence of a dog off-leash can be a challenge for some of our users. Also, please clean up after your dog and take it with you to properly dispose of it.
  • Passing on the Trail: Please remember that you should walk, run or ride on the right side of the trail regardless of the direction you are heading, and pass people and bikes on the left side of the trail.
  • Trash: Please take all trash out with you since most trailheads do not have trash cans. The limited trash cans available in a few locations along the trail are graciously provided by the communities that help us maintain the trail, so please be respectful and use the trash cans appropriately. If you see trash on the trail, we would greatly appreciate you help to pick it up for proper disposal.

Input from trail users is paramount to our long-term success whether it is praise or a complaint, we want to hear it all. Remember, the Eastern Trail is your trail so please feel free to speak up and voice your thoughts and ideas. You can contact me at jon.kachmar@easterntrail.org or 860-227-0914. Or you can use our online form to submit comments at: https://www.easterntrail.org/contact-us/.

2021 Maine Lighthouse Ride

 

 

The Eastern Trail’s 2021 Maine Lighthouse Ride is well underway, which will be held on Sept 11, 2021. We have more than 215 registrants thus far and space is limited to so register soon if you want to participate. We are excited to be able to offer a safe and fun outdoor biking event this coming September.

 

The ride will include an exciting re-routed 25 mile ride that is sure to please those who choose to ride this distance, and the ride will also include the always popular 40, 60, and 100 mile rides. We are also excited to announce that we will add a fun run/walk component of the Maine Lighthouse Ride that will be held on an off-road section of the trail, so look for more details soon.

 

The Maine Lighthouse Ride registration can be found at: https://www.easterntrail.org/maine-lighthouse-ride/. The ride is a significant fund raiser for the non-profit Eastern Trail, so if you love the trail, love it back by participating!

 

Opportunities to Sponsor the Maine Lighthouse Ride—Thank you to all the organizations and businesses that have sponsored the ride in the past, as well as those who have signed on to sponsor our 2021 ride. We depend on you to keep the existing trail going and work to build new trail south. Our Maine Lighthouse Ride sponsorship opportunities can be found here: https://easterntrail.org/documents/MLR2021SponsorshipLevels.pdf.

 

 

Other Upcoming Events

 

We have other events planned for users of the Eastern trail besides the lighthouse ride. We are also planning to hold the John Andrews 5K run to honor the trail’s founder and visionary. We are excited to have this event back for 2021 and plan to move the event south to Saco this year. The Eastern Trail would also like to thank our prior John Andrews 5K run sponsor—O’Reilly’s Cure in Scarborough—for their previous hosting and sponsoring of the event over the years. While we will hold the event for a new location, we are no less thankful for the past support from O’Reilly’s Cure. Please visit them for a great dining experience in Scarborough. Additionally, we will co-host the MEND Health and Wellness sponsored Autumn and Ale 10K run. WE are grateful for the support from MEND and look forward to this event this fall. Finally, we are planning a Bonfire and Beer event at Camp Ketcha this fall that should prove to be a fun, family friend event. For More Information.

 

Full Moon Walks

The Eastern Trail hosted full moon walk took place on March 27, 2021. We have started to gather these events a bit earlier in the past as we can show off the incredible beauty of Scarborough Marsh—the state’s largest saltmarsh at 3,100 acres—with views of both the setting sun and the rising moon. We will continue to hold these monthly events on the full moon of each month, and we recently increased the total number of participants to 20 people. Hopefully, we will be able to add even more spaces for participation as we get vaccinated.

 

You can learn more about these opportunities and sign up for the events HERE.  

Trail Building Update

 

We will soon begin working with VHB consulting engineers on new feasibility work for our Over the River campaign as well as our Blaze the Trail South efforts. This will allow the Eastern Trail to have a much better understanding of the opportunities and constraints for new and improved off-road trail through downtown Saco and Biddeford as well as between the southern terminus of the current trail and North Berwick. We are excited to learn more about the technical issues and associated costs. The Close the Gap section of the trail is Scarborough—connecting the Nonesuch River with Wainwright Fields in South Portland—is still on track to be put out to bid this summer in 2021. More to come soon as we start these important feasibility studies and kick off construction on the Gap.

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