#mainetrails — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #mainetrails, aggregated by home.social.
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‘The gap is gone!’ New stretch of #EasternTrail opens 15 months early
The 1.6-mile segment of the Eastern Trail linking #ScarboroughME and #SouthPortlandME opened Thursday.
by Salomé Cloteaux, August 7, 2026
SOUTH PORTLAND — "Finally, the gap is closed. After over a decade of planning, setbacks, fundraising and permitting, the 'Close the Gap' project opening a key segment of the Eastern Trail is finished, 15 months ahead of schedule.
The 1.6-mile section of the Eastern Trail connecting Scarborough and South Portland opened Thursday in front of a few hundred cyclists, walkers and runners who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony."Closing the gap — between the Wainwright Sports Complex in South Portland and the Nonesuch River in Scarborough — created a continuous 16-mile trail without on-road gaps from Bug Light Park to downtown Saco. It was a long-awaited step to fully connecting the #EasternTrail, a 65-mile off-road trail from South Portland to #KitteryME.
" 'It’s also about more than just opening a section of trail; it’s about connecting communities and fulfilling a vision that has been years in the making,' South Portland Mayor Elyse Tipton said. “The gap is gone!' "
Archived version:
https://archive.md/htxMX#SolarPunkSunday #AccessibleTrails #MaineTrails #RailsToTrails #BikeTooter
#BikeTrails #MaineBicycleCoalition
#EastCoastGreenway #HikingTrails -
#Maine - New section of #EasternTrail opens 15 months early
by Katie Delaney
Fri, August 7, 2026"A new section of the Eastern Trail is now open.
"It's the final link connecting Bug Light in #SouthPortlandME and downtown #SacoME. The 1.6-mile addition to the trail goes through Scarborough and South Portland. Now people can walk, run, and #bike along 16 miles of uninterrupted #OffRoadTrail.
"It's part of the greater #EastCoastGreenway, which goes from #Maine to #Florida.
"Bit by bit, gaps between paths are being filled until it becomes a complete off-road journey along the coast. The new Eastern Trail section is the latest step toward that goal.
"At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, South Portland Mayor Elyse Tipton said it's about more than just connecting trails.
" 'It's about connecting communities and fulfilling a vision that has been years in the making,' she said.
"The project was completed 15 months ahead of schedule.
" 'Which is something frankly just unheard of,' Tom Hall, the town manager of Scarborough, said. 'All the credit in the world goes to this group of folks that got together to really deliver a first-rate project.'
"Avery Seuter, from Wells, was eager to try out the new trail.
" 'First reactions, this is just gorgeous, like you couldn't have picked a better area to come through,' he said, walking along the trail."
[...]
"The executive director of the #EastCoastGreenwayAlliance said their next goal to get closer to completing the Eastern Trail is to close the gap over the #SacoRiver and down to #KitteryME."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/section-eastern-trail-opens-15-155200326.html#SolarPunkSunday #BikeTooter #BikeTrails #WalkingTrails #SpendTimeInNature #SpendTimeOutdoors #EastCoastUS #MaineTrails #RailsToTrails #MaineBicycleCoalition #EastCoastGreenway #AccessibleTrails
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So, the news isn't all doom and gloom... The #SouthPortlandME to #SacoME portion of #EasternTrail is about to be completed (August 6th is the date). That means folks can walk / bike from #BugLight in South Portland, ME to #KitteryME! Wow!
Eastern Trail "Close the Gap" Project
"The Eastern Trail is a vital multi-use trail of state-wide significance in Maine. The trail extends 65 miles from South Portland to #KitteryME, and travels by scenic #woods, #TidalMarshes, and classic #MaineVillages. Since its Scarborough developments from 2004-2006, the trail has provided millions of people with a recreational and transportation resource that connects them to the beautiful Maine landscape.
"A key piece of trail is missing in Scarborough. A 1.6-mile 'gap' interrupts off-road travel between South Portland and Saco. The construction of this critical trail segment will close this gap and provide 16 continuous off-road miles reaching from South Portland’s Bug Light to Downtown Saco. The cost to close this gap is $7.1 million dollars. Funding was sourced from the Town of Scarborough, City of South Portland, Maine Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and #EasternTrailAlliance individual and corporate donors.
"After several years of work to raise the necessary funds, complete the project design, align stakeholders, and acquire the necessary permits and land rights, the project went out to bid in Spring 2025 and construction began in June."
Read more:
https://www.scarboroughmaine.org/stay-connected/municipal-projects/close-the-gap#SolarPunkSunday #MaineTrails #RailsToTrails #BikeTooter #BikeTrails #MaineBicycleCoalition #EastCoastGreenway #AccessibleTrails #HikingTrails
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A Mountain of Mystery
#BurntJacket’s Future and the #Billionaire Rumor
June 12, 2025
By Emily Patrick"In our October 31, 2024 Edition of the Moosehead Lakeshore Journal, we broke the story of the #BurntJacketMountain sale and the closure of its popular hiking trails, publishing a Letter to the Editor written by local author and trail enthusiast, Chris Keene.
Chris wrote, “A large landowner on Burnt Jacket Mountain…is taking steps to close all three trails on the mountain. That means the Blue Trail, the Green Trail, and the Red Trail will be closed down permanently.” He continued, “To have an entire trail network wiped off the face of the earth would be a mighty blow, not just for hikers, but for regional businesses.” These trails, though crossing through private property, were open to the public for at least 20 years prior to the recent sale, as the recovered logbooks prove.
We followed up on the story in our November 14 2024 Edition after obtaining a building permit from LUPC outlining the new owner’s plans for the parcel. Here’s an excerpt: “A building permit for a portion of the property was submitted by Sevee & Maher Engineers out of Cumberland, Maine, on behalf of Burnt Jacket Holding I, LLC for a ‘proposed barn off Burnt Jacket Road in Beaver Cove.’ The project summary for permit number 17544 reads as follows: ‘Agricultural barn. Includes Tractor and Equipment storage, feed storage, hayloft, greenhouse, and chicken coop.’ Another portion of the project with permit number 17544-A describes a, ‘Year-round dwelling with attached garage, detached garage, driveway, and one shed. Install well, septic system, and utility lines.’ Both appear to have been approved by LUPC representative Billie J. Theriault on August 22, 2024.
Recently, the Moosehead Lakeshore Journal reached out to the Natural Resources Council of Maine for comment, and #NRCM’s Staff Scientist and Woods, Waters, & Wildlife Director Luke Frankel poignantly shared, “The loss of Maine’s longstanding tradition of public access to private land is one of the greatest threats facing the #NorthWoods. This case at Burnt Jacket Mountain is a potent example of what we’ve been hearing from other parts of the state.
Changes in landownership and a rise in development pressure since the pandemic have changed the landscape of the Unorganized Territories. Our land trusts, outdoor recreation clubs, and other local community-based organizations play a critically important role building strong relationships with landowners to solidify the trust that is at the core of Maine’s tradition of public access. We also need to begin a statewide conversation about this emerging threat to identify solutions and pathways for ensuring equitable public access is a value held by everyone.”
Though the story of Burnt Jacket Mountain has caused quite a stir and exemplifies a statewide issue, six months later, we still don’t have answers, and not for lack of trying. Recently, however, a new pending project on the parcel has raised some eyebrows, and whispers of the true identity of the landowner have narrowed down the list of possibilities as the Journal has uncovered new clues.
The new Burnt Jacket project, which is still awaiting permit approval from LUPC at the time of publication, is for a “…proposed driveway…4059’ long and 16’ wide with a minimum of 2’ wide shoulders on both sides; it is located entirely on private property…Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2025.” The permit application says the driveway will be used for “residential and land management” uses.
Perhaps more interesting than a pending driveway permit, one name has risen to the top of the list of rumored buyers. Though it remains speculatory, the Moosehead Lakeshore Journal has uncovered evidence that seems to point to billionaire tech CEO Mark Zuckerberg, one of the property’s rumored buyers.
Though, much to my chagrin, it seems anyone and everyone involved in the Burnt Jacket project has signed a non-disclosure agreement, I found that Zuckerberg very publicly keeps his business holdings in the State of Delaware. While searching through the State of Delaware’s website, I came upon an interesting clue: Burnt Jacket Holdings I & II both list Incorporating Services out of Delaware as the Registered Agent.
While this in and of itself doesn’t mean very much, I decided to search META, which we know is owned by Mark Zuckerberg, in the same database. In my search, I found that at least three of the dozens of META companies associated with Mark Zuckerberg actually list the very same Incorporating Services as the Registered Agent. While this information doesn’t prove Zuckerberg is the Burnt Jacket mystery buyer, it does little to dismiss it. Of all the holding companies in the world, the same Incorporating Services serves as the registered agent of Burnt Jacket Holdings and several companies we know are associated with Mark Zuckerberg. Coincidence? You decide.
It may seem unbelievable to some that Mark Zuckerberg might soon be our neighbor here in the Moosehead Lake Region, but it really isn’t that far of a stretch. One of Zuckerberg’s former associates owns property in the Moosehead Region, Zuckerberg has been known to vacation in Maine, and Mark Zuckerberg held a highly publicized meeting in 2017 with members of the Katahdin Region in Millinocket to discuss the future of the area. As many know, the Katahdin Region is right in Burnt Jacket’s backyard, at least as the crow flies."
Source:
https://www.mooseheadlakeshorejournal.com/burntjacketmystery/#MarkZuckerberg #BeaverCove #BurntMountain #Zuck #MarkZuckerberg #TaxTheBillionaires #ZuckSucks #Maine #MaineTrails #TaxTheRich #PenobscotLand #Landback
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"The Eastern Trail is a 62 mile multi-use, non-motorized greenway, that connects Bug Light in Casco Bay, South Portland to Kittery, Maine. Approximately thirty percent of the trail is off-road, and the trail is a part of the #EastCoastGreenway which will eventually connect #CalaisMaine to #KeyWestFlorida, approximately 3000 miles. The Eastern Trail is currently composed of 21 miles of off-road trails on the former Eastern Railroad bed with the remainder 41 miles on public roads.
"The entirety of the Eastern Trail is built to ADA standards. The trail surface varies between pavement and stone dust/gravel. Most of the trail is 10-12 feet wide, with some sections with an 8-foot width. There is a 30-inch opening between the bollards at entrances to keep out motorized vehicles, but wide enough to allow access for wheelchairs.
"The off-road section connecting Scarbrough to Saco privdes access to the 2200-acre Scarborough Marsh, which is Maine's largest salt marsh. Heading north on the trail from Pine Point (ME-9) or south from Eastern Road in Scarborough provides access to this 2.5 mile stretch of trail.
"Heading south from Pine Point Road, the trail crosses the York County and Cumberland County boundaries and users can walk/bike from Scarborough, through Old Orchard Beach to Saco, where the current-off-road trail ends at Thornton Academy in Saco, approximately 6 miles from the Pine Point kiosk.
"There are kiosks at 3 parking areas, that give some history and points of interest along the trail. For example, the Eastern Trail is built on the old Eastern #Railroad line that was built in 1840 and abandoned in 1945. Also, Charles Lindberg flew into the now abandoned Scarborough airport several times. And, a trestle once carried open air trolleys from the rail line to Old Orchard Beach for summer tourists."
Source and FMI:
https://www.mainetrailfinder.com/trails/trail/eastern-trail-saco-to-scarboroughEastern Trail Guide (downloadable PDF and booklets): https://www.easterntrail.org/eastern-trail-maps/
#SolarPunkSunday #MaineTrails #MaineByFoot #MaineByBicycle #Nature #SouthernMaine #AccessibleTrails #BikePaths #EasternTrail #AbandonedRailroads #RailsToTrails #EastCoastGreenway