Category: Maine Local

Town of Damariscotta
Thank you Tony Barrett for letting us know about this trail.
Town website   Conservation Trust phone 207-563-1393
The Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, headquartered at Round Top Farm , maintains “Trails [which] meander across open fields to the shore of the Upper Damariscotta River. Picnic tables are placed for ideal viewing of wildlife and wild currents. An accessible northbound connector trail allows access to Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site. This trail is 8′ wide, gently graded and finished with stone dust, ideal for strollers, bikes and wheelchairs as well as for those on foot.”

Town of Dresden
Thank you Tony Barrett for alerting me to the Dresden trail.
The trail on the historic Pownalborough Courthouse grounds is 1500′ of hard-packed gravel with no more than a 5% grade.
Town website  Phone 207-737-4335

Town of Farmington
Thanks to Tony Barrett for telling us that Farmington has accessible trail to the river.
The Sandy River trail, a project by the High Peaks Alliance and University of Maine  is a .51 mile crushed stone fully -accessible trail to the banks of the river.  Map of Sandy River Multi-Use Trails.  Parks and Recreation website.  Phone 207-778-3464.

Town of Harpswell
Thank you to Tony Barret for sending this information about the Harpswell area:
? Giant’s Stairs not built to ADA standards but wheelchair users do enjoy this 0.3 mile access trail along the rock Atlantic shore.
Cliff Trail. The first 1/2-mile along Strawberry Creek to the Head of Tide and overlook just finished to ADA standards.
Harpswell Town Office phone  207-833-5771.  Website

Town of Cape Elizabeth
Portland Headlight and Fort Williams Park
“Cape Elizabeth is the home of Portland Head Light.  Situated along the spectacular shores of Fort Williams Park, at 1000 Shore Road, the popular landmark is owned and managed by the Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The Park is open year round from sunrise to sunset.”
Here is the Park website.  Phone  207-799-2661.
The Cliff Walk to the Portland Head Light is an “easily followed crushed stone path that winds along the scenic cliffs and historic remains of Fort Williams. A highlight is the Portland Head Light located right on the path.”  From Main Trail Finder.
Thank you, Eric Rathbon, for letting me know about this trail and for the photo.

Boothbay Regional Land Trust
Penny Lake Preserve
Penny Lake Preserve is a freshwater wetland with adjoining woodlands and open field.   “An abundant variety of wildlife may be viewed, including migratory and nesting birds, turtles, beaver, deer, and even a very occasional moose. In addition, numerous plants thrive in this varied natural habitat, from wildflowers to cattails and from hardwood trees to evergreens.”  Penny Lake Preserve is part of the Boothbay Regional Land Trust .   Trail Map and brochure.   Information and map from Maine Trail  Finder.  Call the Trust for more information 207-633-4818.
Here are links to information on other trails within the Boothbay Trust, many of which sound as if they would be easy walking.
The accessible trail is 0.5 miles.

Mowry Beach
Mowry Beach is a “A 48-acre conservation property offering access to sandy beach frontage on the Lubec Narrows and to a wheelchair-accessible trail and boardwalk linking the beach to the Lubec Consolidated School.”  Here is Main Trail Finder’s description and map.
 There is a 0.8 mile round trip path described as, ” A short stretch of gravel path [which] leads to a 1,700-foot long boardwalk that passes through typical coastal scrub-shrub woodland and skirts sphagnum bog and cattail swamp.”  The beach is part of a larger network of hiking trails in known as Cobscook Trails, a cooperative project of conservation landowners and community partners.”    For more information, contact the Downeast Coastal Conservancy.  Phone 207-255-4500

Bethel Pathway
The paved Pathway’s main trailhead and parking lot is at the Davis Park picnic area on ME-26 on the east edge of Bethel Village, on the south bank of the Androscoggin River.  Description and map from Maine Trail Finder.
The Bethel Pathway has a 0.9 mile section going west from Davis which is wheelchair accessible.  From Maine Trail Finder: the trail “goes past the skate park, over a miniature covered bridge, and out to US Route 2 where there is another parking lot. The pathway then goes over the impressive single span bridge over the Androscoggin, loops back on itself, and continues along the other shore of the river, past the parking lot and water slide of the Big Adventure Center. It currently ends soon after, on the North Road.”  There is another crushed stone, hard, and flat section which goes eastward to the upper end of Sunset Road.

City of Bangor
Brown Woods.  1 mile accessible loop where you can still see old-growth Eastern White Pines in their forest habitat.  The trail is managed by Bangor Parks and Recreation, phone 207-992-4490.  Here is a map from Maine Trail Finder.

City of Portland.   Portland Trails maintains a use-searchable list of trails in the Portland area.  You can screen the trails by “wheelchair accessible” or “stroller friendly”.   It lists 13 wheelchair accessible trails.  The phone for the nonprofit Portland Urban Trails Land Trust is 207-775-2411.
Baxter Woods Nature Preserve is a 30 acre area that offers “… towering pines, river views and quiet, shaded trails” within Portland.  The trail is about 0.75 miles and is suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. Very popular with dog walkers.
  Fore River Sanctuary is a 85 acre nature preserve within Portland.  It came up in my search for wheelchair accessibility, but the trails are not described on the website.  Try calling Portland Trails at 207-775-2411 for information on this and other Portland trails.
The Riverton Rail Trail cuts ” a straight line through rock outcroppings and thick forest … the trail is mostly flat and level until a steep gully interrupts the old rail line near Riverside Industrial Parkway.” “Most of the trail is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.”