Trenton Village Connector Trail Committee

Since October 2009, Friends of Acadia has been working with a committee of Trenton residents to design a community trail behind the Acadia Gateway Center on the west side of Route 3. The goal of the project is to expand outdoor recreational opportunities and provide educational access to some of the outstanding habitats in Trenton, including the heath, bogs, and forest landscapes rich with lichens, ferns, and other interesting plants.

The Trenton Village Connector Trail Committee has developed a trail vision and flagged a trail route across land behind the Acadia Gateway Center, owned by Friends of Acadia and the Maine Department of Transportation. The 1.8-mile, natural-surface trail loop will include some bog-bridging, some boardwalk, three bridges, and perhaps a viewing platform with interpretive panels at the heath.

In designing and planning the trail, the Trenton Village Connector Trails Committee has reached out to stakeholders including local residents, Trenton Elementary school teachers, scout leaders, hikers, cyclists, Acadia National Park personnel, representatives from the Healthy Acadia coalition, island historians, Trenton elected officials, local snowmobile and ATV clubs, Hancock County planning officials, and members of the village improvement association. The committee hopes that the trail will be a community asset providing opportunities for walking, birdwatching, picnicking, and nature study.

Actual trailwork began in June 2011. A “Trenton Trail Day” event on Sunday, September 18 will include a cookout/social event following the afternoon's trail building.

For more information about volunteering on the trail or the planning committee, contact Terry Begley at 288-3340 or terry@friendsofacadia.org