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| BCM Newsletter: Winter 2004: The Dirt: Mountain Biking in Maine |
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Maine Cyclist
The Voice of Bicyclists in Maine
Winter 2004
The Dirt: Mountain Biking in Maine
Scott Arndt
sarndt@maine.rr.com
764-0730
"The Dirt" is a section of Maine Cyclist focusing on mountain biking. If you have news or events, or want to submit articles for this section, send to Scott Arndt at the email listed above.
Editor's Note: In the fall issue of the Maine Cyclist, I penned an article titled "Herding Cats." The article was intended to inspire road cyclists to reach out to their mountain biking brethren and embrace them as part of the cycling community. By the responses from readers, received by the BCM and myself, I failed in that endeavor. That is the bad news. The good news is that the BCM was able to connect with several mountain bikers that are obviously passionate about the sport. We as an organization need to harness that passion to further our goals of access, safety and education for all cyclists.
--Scott Arndt
The Dirt
Rail Trails of Northern Maine
By Scott Arndt
While talking with an old friend who now lives in Southern Maine, he mentioned the great rail trail system in Aroostook County. What he said surprised me: "As a person from southern Maine, the trails in The County are a dream. I've always wanted to do a Houlton to Van Buren trip with an overnight stay."
"On the rail trails?" I thought to myself. Having lived with a rail trail crossing my property for 10 years now, I've always had access to them. Not unlike many other things, those gems that are "in our backyards" are often underappreciated.
Rail trails do offer many advantages. You can cover vast distances, off road, at a relatively high speed. The trails connect many communities throughout The County. They are fairly well maintained and have access to amenities that are needed. These things all lend the trails to be an excellent opportunity for off road bike tours.
Due to their use as both ATV and snowmobile trails, rail trails often have easy access to lodging and food. Some abandoned rail lines are state owned and maintained, while others cross private property, and while they are traveled, are often not maintained to the same standard. Some of the trails that are privately owned have been gated by the individual landowners and sometimes alternate routes are not readily available. For this reason, it is suggested that riding be kept primarily to the state owned rail corridors.
Maps of the ATV trail network are available for many of the trails from the Maine Department of Conservation. The Aroostook County Snowmobile Trail Map, available from Aroostook County Tourism (1-888-216-2463), is a great resource for lodging and restaurant options. Be careful not to use the snowmobile trail map for your mountain biking trail guide. Most snowmobile trails are not open for riding in the non-winter months. Stick to designated rail trails.
Rail trail travelers should bring all necessary repair items, as only Presque Isle and Van Buren have bike shops. Many stretches of the trails are remote with many miles between towns.
Lodging is available in most communities, with options ranging from campgrounds to full service hotels or bed and breakfasts. There are trailside cabins located at several locations, including Presque Isle and Washburn.
The trails are generally shared by bicycles, ATV's and horses in the spring, summer and fall seasons. There can be fairly heavy ATV traffic on weekends, but weekdays usually have few users.
Upon further review, my friend Matt was correct. The trails are a dream?nd a reality. I am putting them on my list of places to ride (the sooner the better) and hope you will too.
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