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Eastern Trail News Page - Current and Archive

Many articles about the Eastern Trail are organized on this news archives page. The most recent articles appear immediately below, with the first part of each article displayed. Click on any article title, or the "Read More.." link to read the full text of that article. A list of additional article titles appears at the bottom of the page.

Scarborough Marsh Surf & Turf

By Ron Chase | Published October 9, 2018

My favorite part of the Eastern Bike Trail has always been the sector that traverses Scarborough Marsh. The Sokokis Indians of the Abenaki nation who hunted and fished the wetland called it Owascoag, meaning “a place of much grass.” For years, I’ve ridden the trail enjoying the beauty and serenity of the marsh often observing kayakers and canoeists paddling a stream that meanders through the expansive bog near the Pine Point Road Trailhead. Each time, I’ve had a sense of envy wondering what I was missing.

The 3,100 acre estuary is the largest salt marsh in Maine and habitat for a variety of plants and wildlife. Owned and managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, birds abound and numerous species can normally be encountered.

It’s Worth the Trip: Scarborough’s a sensational place to visit

There are trails to walk or bike on, marshes to paddle in, beaches to swim off or relax on and plenty of spectacular natural beauty to see.

[Ed. note: The Eastern Trail gets some nice plugs throughout this article]

This summer marks the 45th anniversary of the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center on Pine Point Road in Scarborough – an incredible resource that puts Maine’s largest salt marsh right at visitors’ fingertips.

Maine Voices: East Coast Greenway a true gem, and Maine could help it reach full potential

The goal is a 3,000-mile bike and walking trail safe from vehicles, but only a third of it is off-road so far.

BY DICK WOODBURY - SPECIAL TO THE PRESS HERALD (Dick Woodbury, a resident of Yarmouth, served 10 years in the Maine Legislature and is on the board of the East Coast Greenway Alliance). Posted August 21, 2018.

YARMOUTH — My biking adventure began in Calais, just this side of the St. Croix river from Canada. Calais is at the northern tip of the East Coast Greenway. From there, I biked the Greenway corridor through Machias, Ellsworth, Bangor, Waterville, Augusta, Lewiston, Brunswick, Portland, Saco, Biddeford, and Kittery; and on through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and into Connecticut. My wife, Debbie, and son Sam joined me for much of this journey.

Man’s dog banned, euthanized after attack on Eastern Trail

ARUNDEL -- After a dog attack left a man seriously injured on the Eastern Trail, the town has reached an agreement with an abutting property owner who owned the dog, prohibiting him from having any dogs on the trail.

A June 4 order in Biddeford District Court follows a history of incidents involving dogs owned by resident William Hallczuk, said Town Manager Keith Trefethen. The dog has since been euthanized after it was determined it could not be rehabilitated.

Cycling, Rail Advocates On Collision Course Over Proposed Portland-Yarmouth Bike Path

Maine Public - All Things Considered - By FRED BEVER, DEC 15, 2017

[Ed. note: The Eastern Trail gets a nice plug about one-third into the article]

A proposal to create a new bike path along an existing rail line between Portland and Yarmouth is drawing strong interest from the communities it would pass through. It’s also raising worries that it would interfere with a plan to extend passenger train service from Portland to the Lewiston-Auburn area.

Eastern Trail raises $4.1M to 'Close the Gap'

By Juliette Laaka on January 4, 2018 - The Forecaster

SCARBOROUGH — The Eastern Trail Alliance reached a $4.1 million fundraising goal to complete a nearly 2-mile section of trail, including building a bridge to traverse the Nonesuch River.

The fundraising campaign spanned five years and included donations large and small. Carole Brush, ETA executive director, said in December alone the organization pulled in $100,000 in donations and grants.

MAINE MINI ADVENTURE: LOOKING FOR A LONG WALK ON THE BEACH? PINE POINT IS THE PLACE

Southern Maine just might have more than its fair share of gorgeous beaches. But when it comes to walking — really walking for miles across packed sand without needing to dodge chairs and umbrellas and small children making a sprint for the ocean — Pine Point beach deserves a spot at the top of the list.

[Read on in this article for an excellent section on the Eastern Trail]

Biking the Eastern Trail

BY RON CHASE - Seniors Not Acting Their Age
The Times Record - September 22, 2017

Cycling is one of my favorite activities and a primary source of aerobic exercise. The older I get the more I enjoy it. A runner for almost forty years, a knee replacement compelled me to quit. The knee guy said that if I kept running, I’d soon be back for another one. A certified sissy, I’m not suffering that very painful rehabilitation again if I can avoid it.

Taking stock of Eastern Trail’s value

By Michael Kelley, Staff Writer | Scarborough Leader Online | July 21, 2017

Three environmentally-focused groups are coming together to connect with strollers, bicyclists and runners on the Eastern Trail to gauge what the trail, and the Scarborough Marsh, which the trail cuts through in Scarborough, means to them and educate passersby about the value of the marsh.

WHEEL FUN: THE EASTERN TRAIL IN SOUTHERN MAINE — A SPECIAL KIND OF RAIL TRAIL

By Sally McMurdo | The Conway Daily Sun | June 2, 2017

This spring, Peter and I explored the southern Maine coast from Cape Elizabeth to Cape Neddick. After our daily weekday trips from Conway to Scarborough for medical treatments, we picked places to go afterwards, depending on the weather and our energy. Sometimes, we chose a beach day at Higgins, Ferry, Wells, Crescent Beach or Kettle Cove, where we'd bird watch, sea glass hunt or just walk.

On foul weather days, we might head inland to explore. But the one place we visited the most was the Eastern Trail in Southern Maine. We especially liked the section from Black Point Road in Scarborough to Pine Point Road. There was something about walking out this rail trail across the marsh that called to us. Maybe it was the ease of the walk and later the ride, maybe it was the abundant bird life we saw or maybe it was just the constant flowing and ebbing of the tide that calmed and renewed our spirits.