The first leg of an 84-mile mountain bike trail was built near Monson in Piscataquis County over the summer.
The Elliotsville Foundation Inc. is building the new trail, which will be open to hiking, biking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and other nonmotorized types of recreation, according to Lucas St. Clair, foundation president.
The initial trails will attract beginner and intermediate mountain bikers, he said. The single-track trail has berms and turns that mountain bikers enjoy.
Piscataquis, Maine’s least populated county , draws thousands of visitors every year to Moosehead, the state’s largest lake, and to other lakes, mountains, ponds and trails within its borders for fishing, hiking, camping and other outdoor activities. The new trail could give the area an economic boost once it is a few miles long.
The trail will be built on the foundation’s Seven Ponds Preserve, which is 10,000 acres that includes Elliotsville Plantation. The Appalachian Trail crosses through the new trail.
St. Clair said he grew up in the Monson area and would ride the old railroad beds because there were no established trails. There are more trails now and the technology used to build bike trails is much improved, making them better able to stand up to storms, he said.
He traveled around the country visiting trail communities, seeking ideas for the foundation’s project. He said one of his favorites was in Bentonville, Arkansas, which was well laid out and had interesting features.“Mountain biking is so fun and good for the body and the mind, and is good for […]
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