Bike Tripping off Route One in Maine

These are some of the big opportunities to get out from behind the wheel, hang on to your handlebars, put on your helmet and get some needed exercise after a long road trip. Seeing the country by bike is great for several reasons; you’re not spending for gas or adding to greenhouse emissions, you take in so much more at a slower speed, without being enveloped in your car. You can smell what’s going on, too. I find that connecting to people is much easier, too. “Where did you ride from?” is usually what I get asked right up front. People know you’ve had a much more interesting experience having ridden your bike than having driven a car. They’re inquisitive because you’re different. I mean yikes! Just look at those bike shorts, right? Most of these trails allow you to get away from vehicular traffic, sometimes into some wild and beautiful areas. Most of the trails in this Trip are part of, or connected to the East Coast Greenway, a 30 year old initiative to connect the entire eastern seaboard by bike trail. https://www.greenway.org/ There’s also US Bicycle Route 1, overseen by AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, which makes things pretty confusing. For this trip, I’ll try to point out the connections to the Greenway and leave Bicycle Route 1 for another day.

Itinerary

	Calais, a walking start on a flat trail Calais Waterfront Walkway, Calais, ME 04619, USA
	Where it All Begins - The East Coast Greenway
	The Longest Continuous Off-Road Section of the East Coast Greenway
	Accessing the Sunrise Trail in East Machias & Machias
	Another access point where the Sunrise Trail crosses 1a
	When Webster's Dictionary is looking to define "Quaint"....Columbia Falls, ME
	The Longest Section of the Sunrise Trail Along Route 1
	The Quiet side of Acadia National Park
	Ellsworth
	The West Side Trail in Yarmouth The West Side Trail in Yarmouth
	Where the Eastern Trail for Bikes adopts Route One
	Key West Key West, FL 33040, USA

Calais, a walking start on a flat trail

Calais Waterfront Walkway, Calais, ME 04619, USA

Calais, Maine is the Northern terminus of the East Coast Greenway, an ambitious 30-year-old initiative to provide a continuous bicycle route

Where it All Begins - The East Coast Greenway

Calais, Maine is the Northern terminus of the East Coast Greenway, an ambitious 30-year-old initiative to provide a continuous 3,000 mile bicycle route from Northern Mane to Key West, Florida. http://www.greenway.org/

The Longest Continuous Off-Road Section of the East Coast Greenway

Perry, Maine is the Northeast terminus of the Sunrise Trail, a 87-mile multi-use rail-to-trail route that is the longest continuous off-road section of the East Coast Greenway.

Accessing the Sunrise Trail in East Machias & Machias

I rode and ran a little more than 30 miles of the Sunrise Trail in August, 2020. Because most of the trail is coarse gravel, I would recommend a mountain bike, or nothing less than a hybrid with wide tires for biking the trail in and around Machias. Further complicating...

Another access point where the Sunrise Trail crosses 1a

When Webster's Dictionary is looking to define "Quaint"....Columbia Falls, ME

Columbia Falls is a brilliant little town where Route 1 used to run right down Main Street. Today, the Route loops around the to the North of Town Center that’s made up of churches and the town hall arranged around a triangular Green. The resulting Main Street is so quaint...

The Longest Section of the Sunrise Trail Along Route 1

Harrington to Cherryfield has the longest section of the Sunrise Trail running directly along Route 1. Don’t forget to stop for blueberries when they’re in season, since Cherryfield is the self-proclaimed “wild blueberry capital of the world”, but doesn’t that name make their claim just a bit confusing?

The Quiet side of Acadia National Park

Away from the hubbub of Bar Harbor is an often-overlooked section of Acadia National Park, offering exceptional views of the Mount Desert Narrows and Cadillac Mountain. The Schoodic section of Acadia National Park is accessible near Winter Harbor. While not a bike trail, per se, the Loop Road (one way)...

Ellsworth

Ellsworth - the Western terminus of the Sunrise Trail, just behind the LL Bean Outlet on Route 1.

The West Side Trail in Yarmouth

For those looking for some single track off-road dirt on their Route 1 biking adventure, you may want to try the 8.2 mile West Side Trail in Yarmouth. It has a bit of an urban flavor, since it follows I-295 for while, but it has enough in the way of hills to keep the riding interesting. https://www.mainetrailfinder.com/trails/trail/west-side-trail

Where the Eastern Trail for Bikes adopts Route One

The Eastern Trail uses a 1/2 mile section of Route 1 (Elm Street) over the Saco River in Biddleford/Saco. Unlike it’s Down East cousin, the Sunrise Trail, the preponderance of the Eastern Trail is still routed along vehicular thoroughfares. It is a shame, since much of the area between Portland...