Blaze the Trail South

Blaze the Trail South is a 11-mile segment from Kennebunk to North Berwick

We are thrilled to inform you that over the summer MaineDOT and the Eastern Trail Management District received a $4 million federal RAISE grant for engineering design and construction for the two end portions of this segment or 2.7 miles of trail total. This will create trail access immediately adjacent to the Kennebunk Savings Operations Center in West Kennebunk and Pratt and Whitney along Route 9 in North Berwick.

An asynchronous Public Meeting is currently open to share the design of the 2.7 miles of this 11-mile segment, and to provide the final opportunity for public input before the construction phase in late 2025/early 2026. Click here from now until August 7 to access the public meeting materials.

If you would like to contribute to this campaign, use the Donate button below to pay by Credit Card, or via a PayPal Account.
If you prefer to pay by check, please send a check to: Eastern Trail Alliance – P.O. Box 250 – Saco, ME 04072 and please indicate BLAZING THE TRAIL SOUTH on the memo line.

The Result: This extension will promote trail-associated economic development in York and Cumberland Counties by providing a safe and scenic transportation and recreation corridor between towns that promotes regional cooperation in economic and tourism development plans. Based on the 2018 ETA Economic Impact Study data, over 251,000 annual visitors visited 22 miles of the off-road Eastern Trail, contributing $3M to the local economy.

About: This project is being managed by the Eastern Trail Alliance (ETA) and the Eastern Trail Management District (ETMD).
Funding will require a combination of Federal/State, municipal, foundations and private sources. With support from multiple sectors, we can build this important section of trail south towards the New Hampshire border.

Here are some specific status details for the communities involved in the BTTS project:

KENNEBUNK AND WELLS

• The towns of Kennebunk and Wells are strong supporters of expanding the trail. They provided the matching funds required for the Private Public Partnership program and received funding from Maine DOT to cover much of the route’s existing conditions survey.
• Thanks to donations from Eastern Trail supporters, the survey for the remaining four miles in Wells was completed in October, 2019, preparing this section for feasibility and design.
• In January 2021, the towns and ETMD were awarded an MaineDOT for Planning Partnership Initiative grant for section of the trail in Kennebunk, Wells, and North Berwick. The feasibility work is matched by ETA and will provide a better understanding of the technical challenges and associated costs.

NORTH BERWICK

• ETMD has worked with the North Berwick Town Manager and representatives from Pratt and Whitney, Hussey Seating and Pike Industries on the off-road Eastern Trail route and has identified three alternative routes that would combine on and off-road sections should the totally off-road route not be feasible.
• North Berwick is engaged with ETMD, Kennebunk and Wells in the Planning and Partnership Initiative feasibility work.

Berwicks to the Border is a separate 18-mile segment between North Berwick and Kittery.  More information on this campaign is coming coon!

Thanks to a Planning Partnership Initiative with MaineDOT in collaboration with Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, in October 2023 we kicked off feasibility work to study route alternatives for the Eastern Trail from the Berwicks to the New Hampshire border. This section includes North and South Berwick, Eliot and Kittery, with a potential spur trail link to York. The analysis and development of route options is ongoing and a public meeting is anticipated for this summer.