Trails North / Trails West / Trails East
Trailman's
Portland South
Mountain Bike
Trail Report
(Last update: Thursday, October 28)
Trails North / Trails West / Trails East
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Trailman's (Last update: Thursday, October 28)
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Still miss that old Million Dollar Bridge, even if it was a bit hairy crossing on that elevated section with no guard rail protecting you from oncoming traffic! The new Casco Bay Bridge is safer, no doubt - which is the most important improvement - but it has more quirks than it should in light of all the planning worked out by the PACTS Bike / Pedestrian Committee and Greater Portland Council of Governments that was largely ignored.
Off Broadway in South Portland, the dirt path beyond the paved portion of the East Coast Greenway through the neighborhood near Elm Street is still thriving. An occasional car or two blocks the skinny dirt path but it's usually all good. By the oil tanks heading west along the tracks, a section of woods and trail that was cut off by a cyclone fence is now gone! The tank farm is about to be expanded and there goes another tract of urban wilderness. You can still go further down and around the fence to enjoy the remaining wooded section. Some well-established trails run throughout.
The trail parallel to the tracks heading near the SoPo Dump is always great fun. The clay puddles at the beginning stretch behind the former Michael's Variety are full after all the recent rain. Catching the raised whoop-de-do section to the side of the main trail is a nice addition to the run. Two downed trees from recent heavy downpours and winds will slow you down, but what looks like a four-wheeler path has sprouted for a go-round. The Orange River continues to seep even more pollutants. The old beam over the contaminated stream has been recently rearranged and you'll want to be careful. Yet another expansion of the dump appears to be in progress and the tractors have made their way as far as this crossing. We better do something fast to protect this trail access: the continuity of the trails toward Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth is in jeopardy...
The woods that used to head steeply uphill to the dump's edge have been clear cut and are now part of the dump. A "No Trespassing" sign (click photo) was added but has recently disappeared. It posted a warning about the amount of contaminated landfill underneath you that seeps out as the orange runoff that's polluting the groundwater throughout this vicinity. But, anyhow, veer left where the singletrack is wearing in, with the cattails growing up to your left, and you'll find a great route through woods at the dump's edge bringing you to the back of Highland Memorial Cemetery. It smells much nicer than cutting through the dump anyhow! Just remember, keep hugging the woods on your way, when in doubt keep veering left and you'll find the right path. Many apparent exits actually lead to the dump, which is even further expanding toward this wooded section...
The pole line and trails across the street from the dump on Highland Ave. are becoming more difficult to access as more housing development begins taking shape. Cul-de-sac-style house lots are now being built upon. And it looks like construction will not stop there! Inroads already encroach further onto the trail system for possible future housing. We need some support and cooperation to maintain this vital link to the Cape Elizabeth trail system!
If you go right at the "No Trespassing" sign at the back of the dump, connect with the railroad tracks for a stretch, passing the beautiful, green fields where they grow grass for the New England Patriots' Foxboro Stadium, I was told. Shortly beyond, a wide, curvy trail through a wooded section on the left brings you to the back of an upcoming industrial wasteland where there's room for a great opportunity to extend the continuity of the East Coast Greenway if action is taken fast. Proceed through the softer sand to the dead end of Pond View Drive, which connects to Pleasant Hill Road in Scarborough. Taking the road for a quarter-mile or so, you can duck in at some obscure points off Chamberlain Road to connect again with the rail line. A forgotten stretch of trail across the tracks would take you directly to Old Eastern Road and Eastern Trail if someone didn't chain saw up the nice telephone pole-thick bridge across a narrow point of the Nonesuch River! Instead you have to take some less-inspiring railroad track to Black Point Road. At that point, I suggest you ride the tar to Old Eastern rather than continue on the same tracks across the marsh to Pine Point Road. If the train to Boston ever starts running, you'll need to use Old Eastern anyhow.
There is a way! to bypass most of Pleasant Hill Rd. to Chamberlain and still connect to Old Eastern, but it's gonna' take some work establishing the trail. You enter off to the side and behind APA Transport and bush whack your way to the same sawed-up bridge crossing without having to cross the B&M Railroad tracks! A few foot bridges across small streams, one bridge across the Nonesuch and we are there, headed off-road to Florida, all the way from the ocean at Spring Point in South Portland!
Eastern Trail is free of loose railroad rock and is not an active rail line. It's much more scenic without the overpowering scent of oily railroad ties, although the smell of the mud flats can be just as overpowering. Most of this route, which can take you to Old Orchard Beach and Saco and potentially as far south as Key West, Florida, is not challenging riding by woods standards, but it's a nice distance to be able to travel that's practically automobile-free. One barricaded bridge crossing (click photo) built for a natural gas line stops you on your bike. Eastern Trail is part of the nationwide East Coast Greenway which is currently being established. Contact our local Eastern Trail Alliance to get invloved!
Taking the right route makes the trip shorter than you'd think. If the bridge was restored in the woods off Old Eastern Road, the route would be even shorter and much more enjoyable...
It's moist and fall-like on the trails through Hinckley Park in South Portland (click photo). The outermost route - accessed by bearing right after passing the power transformer when entering from Highland Ave. - is best to take during busy times when more walkers are in the park. It's usually the sloppiest part, too. The left-most of those uphill pole line trails heading to the park's Stillman Street Trail Head has some technical rock sections - and some new ways to get around them. The more inner, uphill route through the park is getting even rootier as rainwater runoff and trail usage have pushed along erosion.
Through Airedale Crossing and into Cape Elizabeth still remains as nice, dark singletrack with soft, pine-needle bedding. The snaky singletrack at the beginning is hindered by a some fallen trees, and a few sections take slow-speed maneuvering to get around. The deeper, alternate route is usually mudded out but isn't too bad right now. The horse trail by the tree farm is only slightly muddy. The Tree Tunnel through the Enchanted Forest has been altered, and a second track has been established. About halfway toward the Cape end, it's better ground - and narrower - switching back to the "original" tunnel.
Off Fickett Street, the pole line and trail parallel to Highland Ave. is easily accessible by shooting between the boulders. There's a new house wicked close to the shady, horse trail section parallel to the pole line, part of that growing subdivision sprawling off Highland. The wooded portion beyond the pole line section used to be more fun until it was clear-cut a couple years ago. It's growing back, although there's a lot more scrub brush and less pine-tree shade than there used to be. Several new routes to cross the stream have sprouted. The stumps from the large trees that were removed for no reason are sad reminders of what the beautiful area near the stream crossing was like. The farther stretches are more like real singletrack compared to the section growing back from the clear-cut. The intentional disruption of the trail leading to the power lines has not stopped progress, and new routes are sprouting as fast as the fools who block the trails can cut trees.
The Elizabeth Farms Power Line area is super wet again as summer drought has given way to fall flooding...
The Cape trails off Sawyer Street are in super condition. Fallen leaves are obscuring the route but it's there! All the way to Jordan's Pond (click photo) is some of this area's best riding, and though getting onto the land can be tricky, most of it preceding the pond is deeded as public space for Cape Elizabeth. Several new pallet bridge crossings help access through low, muddy sections, though one piece has been dislodged from high water. It's great to see the snowmobilers taking care of this part of the trail system!
The pole line portion connecting back to Sawyer Street is an excellent stretch of singletrack with lots of ups, downs, twists, turns, rocks and roots. Too bad it gets soooo muddy at the low points, especially after lots of rain. The bypass trail around the main mudout has matured to a useful level, however it's not without its wet sections as well...
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Over off Route 77, the action behind the Stone Church near Shore Road is sweet! Reverend Singletrack, pastor of the United Methodist church, reminds us that bikers arriving by car may park at the far end of the lot. The start of this trail has been relocated to the far-left corner of the parking lot, instead of to the right, where the trail has been hindered and obscured near some houses. Actually, I think it's easier entering from the access road below the church and finding the trail head on your right, after the fallen tree...
Conditions are awesome through this section! There's still part of a huge log on the fastest part of the downhill that's avoidable by veering right-ish but may slow you down. There are lots and lots of walkers coming to the area now with their dogs in tow, so beware around blind Spots on the trail.
The super-scary log crossing at the back of the pond has been replaced with a new bridge! Several slick, wood planks lie before it for mud assistance. It's quite moist right now at this low point between the pond and the bog.
Just down the trail, the Great Stream is roaring as a result of lots of recent rain. Riders should be sure to appreciate this area and keep a good eye on it! The land owner has been great letting us ride there!
Grab the singletrack through Robinson's Field and find the next trail along Shore Road. Uphill and right through Dead Tree Cemetery is a great stretch of tight singletrack! Several deep and cold puddles await you beyond, as the rain has finally stopped sinking into the thirsty woods. Further on, the route now diverts left at a small pile of brush before you get to Dyer Pond Road (or you can shoot right to Shore Road). You can hook up from here with the same Dyer Pond Road that connects you to the next sector, if you catch the almost-hairpin right-hand turn before you go too far, that takes you to the dead end of the cul-de-sac.
The Dyer Pond Trail, located about 50 yards from the intersection with Shore Road, has several convenient footbridges over wet areas. As you head over the bridge across the major stream, just beyond is an excellent, more open singletrack stretch that you can really rev it up on, before eventually finding your way out into the neighborhood across from Fort Williams Park.
-Trailman
Trails North / Trails West / Trails East
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