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Dear Friend of the Eastern Trail,

Over two decades ago, our visionary founder John Andrews and a small group of dreamers set out to create a long-distance walking and biking trail through southern Maine. Thanks to their dedication and collaboration with municipalities and local supporters that dream was transformed into the Eastern Trail we cherish today.

Every step and cycle we take along the trail is a testament to what we can achieve together.

Because of supporters like you, this year the Eastern Trail weathered the most severe and unseasonable damage it has ever sustained. Your generosity made it possible for our team to maintain and repair the trail, partnering with local municipalities as needed, ensuring safety and accessibility for all. Thank you for helping the trail thrive despite new challenges. Your participation restored community events like the Maine Lighthouse Ride and the John Andrews Memorial 5K to their pre-pandemic glory, connecting communities and inspiring a love for the outdoors, active transportation, and overall well-being. Thank you for helping the Eastern Trail Alliance foster a spirit of connection amongst families, outdoor enthusiasts, and local businesses.

Please make a tax-deductible donation now

Our work together is far from over. The Eastern Trail is on the brink of tremendous growth. Over the next two years, the trail will be the site of three exciting new construction projects: 1.6 miles of new trail in Scarborough-South Portland, 2.7 miles of new trail in Kennebunk-Wells-North Berwick, and a new connector trail for school children in Saco.

The steadfast support of trail users like you has guided us to this incredible moment. Recently awarded federal grants provide a unique opportunity to expand the Eastern Trail. To access federal funds, we must secure up to 20% in local funds to match. We need to raise $500,000 in local funds alone to construct 2.7 miles of new trail and access those federal funds. Half of that amount is due shortly. Please join us in making this possible. Your support is the key to unlocking federal funding. Your year-end contribution will help us meet these matching requirements and empower us to confidently pursue other transformative trail-expanding projects as further opportunities arise.

You are the dreamer the Eastern Trail needs today. Dream big with us about the future of the Eastern Trail, and please consider making a donation before the year ends. Every contribution counts in our efforts to secure the trail’s future.

Together, we can continue improving the Eastern Trail and enriching the lives of all who use it.

With immense gratitude,

Chelsey Berlin
Executive Director
Eastern Trail Alliance

This December, support the Eastern Trail by purchasing a $2.50 reusable Community Bag at Hannaford in Saco.

Every community bag purchase, for the entire month of December, will send Eastern Trail Alliance a $1 donation.

No better way to carry your groceries home this holiday season – Thanks!

Join the Eastern Trail Alliance for its December 2024 full moon walk in the Scarborough Marsh. This month’s full moon will be a Cold Moon!

The December Moon Walk will be held Friday, December 16th 5:00 – 6:30 pm. The walk leaves from the Eastern Trail’s Pine Point parking area. Registration is required (no cost), go here for more information and to register.

The walk is limited to 25 people and is first come first serve.

Pets and flashlights are not allowed for this event so as to ensure guests are able to best appreciate the marsh and full moon. Please email info@easterntrail.org with any questions you may have.

Visit our EVENTS page for information on other events.

Fall is here and with it comes hunting in Maine – Please be aware that hunting is permitted in Maine on many private and public lands — some in close proximity to the Eastern Trail and other local trails.

The discharge of firearms, bows or any other devices that launch a projectile is prohibited on the Trail, except in Scarborough Marsh where hunting is allowed according to the rules for the Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management area managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W).

During the weeks ahead, please take proper precaution by wearing blaze orange clothing and putting a blaze orange vest on your pet. Also, we suggest you wear a blaze orange hat as well and NOT use a white hat or white bike helmet.

Hunting season in Maine runs primarily from early September to mid-December. Deer season with firearms runs from October 31 to December 10 this year.

Here are two other websites with more information on hunting in Maine:

Maine 2024 Hunting Season Dates
Maine Hunting Laws and Rules

We need your help, trail users! Are you a photographer? Have great photos?

We are looking for photos of the Eastern Trail and supporters enjoying the trail to publish on our website, social media, and in other materials.

For more information or to submit your images, please contact communications@easterntrail.org.

We are happy to announce the creation of a new web page on this site to provide updates on known conditions along the Eastern Trail.

This will include updates on temporary trail closures and detours, changes in surface conditions and other issues following storms or other events, and other situations that trail users should be aware of.

Our small team relies on trail users to share their trail observations and report problems by filling out this form. Trail conditions are always subject to change, be alert and use caution while on the trail.

On July 15, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) launched its public project on the two end segments (2.7 miles of new trail) of the Eastern Trail’s Blaze the Trail South campaign.

From now until August 7, the public will be able to learn more and comment on this process. Go here to get more information, which will include an asynchronous virtual meeting, a storymap, and other information to help you learn more about the project and to submit input prior to construction in late 2025/early 2026.

MaineDOT wants to hear from you. Click here to submit your comments formally.

Stay tuned on our Facebook Page and on this website for updates about this project.

The Eastern Trail Alliance is recruiting new board members to join our board this year. If you are looking for a way to make a difference in southern Maine and have a passion for trails or active transportation, we’d like to hear from you!

Click here to access the board member application form. Please then complete it by the May 13, 2024 for full consideration. In particular, skills and experience sought include accounting/audit, fundraising, and previous board service. Given our active trail-building campaigns south of Kennebunk, residents of southern York County are encouraged to apply.

Led by the planning/engineering firm VHB, the Eastern Trail Alliance and Eastern Trail Management District in collaboration with the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC), MaineDOT and the municipalities of Kittery, Eliot, York, South Berwick, and North Berwick are proud to release the Eastern Trail Connectivity Feasibility Study Story Map.

This story map will allow you to see information about the initial feasibility study currently underway in the Berwicks to the Border Project, considering locations for future segments of the Eastern Trail between North Berwick and Memorial Bridge in Kittery. The different types of potential route alternatives may include shared-use paths along utility corridors, shared-use paths alongside a public road, boardwalk segments over wetlands and small streams, striped bike lanes or wide shoulders on roadways, and travel lanes shared by all users on rural roads with low traffic volumes and/or speeds. The detailed information is tied to geographic information which gives the public a view of both where and how these preliminary route alternatives may be used.

This 18-month study began in late 2023 and is expected to finish in early 2025. The ultimate goal is to recommend a route for a continuous off-road trail from North Berwick to Kittery. From there, the Eastern Trail Alliance, SMPDC, and individual municipalities will seek additional funding through grants and other sources to implement the priority recommendations from the study.

To learn more, please go here to visit the Story Map.

Additionally, an Eastern Trail Connectivity Study Community Workshop will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at Eliot Town Hall, 1333 State Road, Eliot, ME or via this Zoom link.