“SPRING ON THE TRAIL” Ride – Friday, May 18, 2012

A 31 mile bicycle ride on the Eastern Trail

1. 1. How do I register?

Registration is now closed. Please not that there is no on-site registration on May 18th.

1. 2. Where and when do we meet?

All riders will meet at Bug Light Park in South Portland, Maine no later than 10:30 AM on Friday, May 18, 2012. Your bike will be loaded into a truck, and you will depart for Kennebunk by bus at 11:00 AM sharp. Click here for directions.

1. 3. What kind of bike should I bring?

The ride is over 60% off-road on a hard-packed, fine gravel surface. A hybrid, mountain bike or touring road bike will do fine. Leave the $2,000 carbon fiber rig in the garage.

1. 4. Are bikes available for rental?

Rental bikes will be available by advanced arrangement. Summerfeet, a Maine-based bicycle touring company, is making available their hybrid, trail/road-ready, bicycles for this event at a fee of $25.  The rented bike and helmet will be provided at the Kennebunk Elementary School start point — to be dropped off at the end ride at Bug Light park in South Portland.  E-mail your request for a bike rental, along with your height (how tall you are) to mainegreenways@comcast.net

1. 5. What about food and drinks?

A bag lunch will be provided at the first rest stop in Saco, about 10 miles from the start. A veggie option will be available. Snacks and water will be provided at the end of the ride at Bug Light Park.

1. 6. How long will the ride take and what is the level of difficulty?

We will begin our ride at noon at the Kennebunk Elementary School just off the new section of the Eastern Trail. With a lunch stop in Saco and a brief stop in Scarborough to see a “future” section of rail, we expect to return to Bug Light Park between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. The total ride distance is 31 miles. The trail is almost all flat, so the level of difficulty is easy to moderate. This is planned as a one-way ride.

1. 7. Can I find my own transportation to Kennebunk and start there?

Unfortunately, there is limited parking at the school. If you want to find your own transportation to the school, and from Bug Light Park back home that’s fine, but please let us know.

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SPRING ON THE TRAIL!

 Friday, May 18, 2012

A 31-mile bicycle adventure
on the off-road sections of the Eastern Trail

• Riders will Meet at Bug Light Park in South Portland

• Bikes loaded at 10:30. Bikes and riders transported to the ride start in Kennebunk

• Leave at noon to bike back to South Portland on the Eastern Trail.

• Experience nearly 20 miles of off-road greenway – including two new bridges – and see the work that remains ahead

• Lunch is included
• Advanced registration required (registration for this ride is now closed – please note that there is no on-site registration Friday)
  
• Meet like-minded trail users
• Click here for more information (FAQ sheet)
• Click here for directions to Bug Light Park
  

Celebrate Spring on the East Coast Greenway!

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This page will organize information about current conditions on the Eastern Trail.

The information below will provide a combination of known conditions provided by trail user reports, reports from the municipalities that maintain the trial in their area, and other sources.  User reports are very helpful, and we urge you to submit condition reports when appropriate.

We will try to keep this page updated. Please also check the Eastern Trail Facebook page for condition updates

Trail condition reports on this page are organized with Trailwide conditions first, then specific town sections:  South Portland, Scarborough, Old Orchard Beach, Saco, Biddeford, Arundel, Kennebunk, Wells, North Berwick, Berwick, South Berwick, Eliot, and Kittery.

General Trail Conditions

While the all of the snow pack is likely melted by now, trail surface conditions will vary during the spring — please use caution by walking your bikes or horses through any sections where the surface is wet and might be a little soft. Riding on sections in this condition poses safety concerns and may cause trail damage. Take your time, and of course, please be mindful of other trail users.

Also, please remember to clean up after your pets. You may notice that some waste has been revealed by the retreating snow. If you have an extra bag to collect some of these leftovers, we would really appreciate you doing so. As always, the best way to alert us with any trail concerns is to fill out the form below, and contact the local municipality. Be patient with the municipalities’ response time, as they no doubt have long to-do lists this time of year.

South Portland trail conditions:

A trail user in South Portland recenty posted this on the ET Facebook page: “On the Trail west of where Broadway and Rt 1 cross, a short section (about 50 feet) is no longer paved. There is large loose gravel. If you have skinny tires, you will likely have to get off and walk. This appears temporary and part of some scheduled maintenance.”

The response from the South Portland Department of Parks & Recreation: “Our Water Resources Department is performing a maintenance update to a section of their system that runs along the trail itself.  We opted for winter work based upon scheduling needs.  Once the weather allows for asphalt plants to provide the materials to repave the area it will be restored to original conditions.   We have been attempting to get the word out and also redirect people safely around the project – at this time they can pass at their own risk”.

Scarborough trail conditions: No trail condition reports at this time.

Old Orchard Beach trail conditions: No trail condition reports at this time.

Saco trail conditions: No trail condition reports at this time.

Biddeford trail conditions:

Unitil will be performing regular gas pipeline maintenance along the Eastern Trail between Bass Lane in Arundel and West Cole Road/SMHC in Biddeford for an hour or so on either April 16 or April 17. These dates could change, depending on the weather. Please heed closure notices posted on the trail. and look for updated closure notices on this website or on the ET Facebook page. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we’ll see you on the trail after this maintenance is completed.

Arundel trail conditions:

See Unitil Gasline maintenence notice in the Biddeford section above, and also the Kennebunk section below

Kennebunk trail conditions:

Unitil will be performing regular gas pipeline maintenance along the Eastern Trail between Alewive Road (Route 35) in Kennebunk and Limerick Road in Arundel. This section will be CLOSED for two days, most likely starting April 16. These dates could change, depending on the weather. Please heed closure notices on the ET on those days, and check for updates on this webpage or on the ET Facebook page.  We apologize for any inconvenience, and we’ll see you on the trail after this maintenance is completed.

Wells trail conditions: No trail condition reports at this time.

North Berwick trail conditions: No trail condition reports at this time.

Berwick trail conditions: No trail condition reports at this time.

South Berwick trail conditions: No trail condition reports at this time.

Eliot trail conditions: No trail condition reports at this time.

Kittery trail conditions: No trail condition reports at this time.