Downeast Sunrise Trail Is Now Closed to Anything but Foot Traffic

Hiking is a Maine staple.

It's one of the few things we do in Maine year round. You can go hike in the mountains, you can hike along the ocean, and thank the sweet lord... there's even trails for people like me. I have a bum leg, so I'm really no good for mountain hikes or anything like that. But there are tons of spots around Maine that are nice, flat hikes.

Even more than just hiking trails, Maine has tons of interconnected trails for ATV's and snowmobiles. During certain times of the year, using various motor vehicles to move about Maine's trails is fine, but at a couple specific times of the year, it's almost impossible to navigate these trails. And doing so could ruin them.

The Down East Sunrise Trail has a little of all of it.

Basically a woodsy "road" between Ellsworth and Calais, the Down East Sunrise Trail is an 87 mile trek that is the longest off-road portion of the East Coast Greenway. Comprised mostly of an inactive railway, it goes through several towns and also has tons of cool places to stop along the way. But right now, it's time to give the trail a break.

According to a post on Facebook from ATV Maine, there are now signs posted along the trail letting folks know that it's currently closed to all motorized traffic. You're more than welcome to hike along it all you like, but leave the ATV's and snowmobiles home, otherwise you might do irreparable damage to the trail.

Soil saturation seems to be the key issue. When things dry out over the spring, the trail will be opened back up for ATV's. Sadly, it's an issue riders see every year. The folks maintaining the trails ask people to stay off, and there's always the group of jerks who won't listen. We'll keep you posted as soon as the trail becomes passable again.