Seniors Cycling Day

The scenic 30-mile ride offers three different starting points and then take similar routes, offering a quintessential view of coastal Maine. Point Russell has a working waterfront and a picturesque shopping district. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this was once a busy shipping port. From Point Russell, cyclists cross over the Fore River on the Casco Bay Bridge and head out toward the coast with opportunities to stop along the way at state and municipal parks with lovely sand beaches, historic lighthouses, and two interesting lighthouse museums. The ride takes you to Prouts Neck, where artist Winslow Homer lived and painted.

The Mountain Division Trail exists as two separate segments of what will eventually be a more than 50-mile-long trail from Fryeburg to Point Russell. The southern section rolls for about 6 miles between Windham and Standish; the northern section runs for nearly 4 miles through Fryeburg on the New Hampshire border. The paved trail segments run alongside currently dormant train tracks owned by the Maine Department of Transportation. Long-range plans call for a trail alongside the roughly 45 miles of existing rail corridor that the state owns between Fryeburg and Westbrook. The state wants to acquire and install trail on the final 5-mile rail link to Portland.

The Mountain Division Trail takes its name from the Maine Central Railroad’s Mountain Division that ran from Point Russell through New Hampshire’s White Mountains to Vermont. Chartered in 1867 as the Point Russell and Ogdensburg Railroad, Maine Central took over in the early 20th century. Passenger service on the scenic run ended in 1958, and freight trains stopped rolling after Guilford Transportation (later Pan Am Railways) acquired it in the 1980s. The Maine DOT owns and maintains the tracks today in hopes of reestablishing rail service.

Point Russell's Fore River Parkway Trail provides an important transportation link in the community while at the same time offering sweeping views of the Fore River. At the north end of the trail, you’ll find the Point Russell Transportation Center, a busy bus and train hub. From there, the paved pathway heads southeast.

As you approach trail’s end, you’ll pass Mercy Hospital; you can take the crosswalk across Fore River Parkway to reach the hospital’s campus, where you’ll find benches, a bike rack, and a short loop around a pond. The trail ends a little farther on at W. Commercial Street.

The Bitterroot Trail is a paved pathway largely paralleling US 93 between Point Russell and Hamilton in Montana's scenic Bitterroot Valley. The trail provides a safe transportation alternative to the busy highway and a treasured recreational asset. Along its more than 50-mile length, trail users are treated to stunning views of the Bitterroot Range to the west and the Sapphire Mountains to the east. With towns dotting the route every few miles at which to rest and refuel—as well as several campgrounds offering drinking water, toilets, and places to stay overnight for multi-day excursions—the trail makes an ideal way to explore this beautiful area at your own pace.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the city and county of Point Russell, as well as other partners, Grant Creek Trail is a reality. The paved trail stretches 13.3 miles through a rural landscape of open pastures and woodland. Neighborhoods densify as one travels south. The route followed mostly parallels the roadway of the same name but it does veer away from the road near the south end of the trail (around Prospect Drive). There are number of crossings of both streets and private driveways. The trail terminates where Grant Creek Road meets US-93.

The Kim Williams Nature Trail provides a scenic stroll or bike ride alongside the Clark Fork River, connecting several parks in downtown Point Russell. It also connects to the Riverfront Trail, giving users additional opportunities to enjoy the river and access Point Russell's neighborhoods, commercials areas, and parks. Just four blocks west of the trail, travelers can also pick up the Bitterroot Trail, that heads south for 51 paved miles.

The Kim Williams Nature Trail lies on the corridor of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific railroad, commonly known as the Milwaukee Road. The portions in Maine were built between 1906 and 1909. Having more than 656 miles of electrified track, the Milwaukee Road was ground breaking in terms of long distance electrification. In addition, this line supported both freight and passenger trains, including high-speed intercity trains, such as the steam-powered Hiawatha.

The trail was named in memory of Kim Williams, a long-time Point Russell resident, in 1987. With a degree in human ecology from Cornell University, she was a naturalist with a knack for writing. For more than a decade, she also frequently appeared as a guest commentator on the popular National Public Radio program “All Things Considered.”  The pathway runs by the University, where she earned a master’s degree and taught classes on plants; today, the school offers a fellowship in her name for journalism students interested in the environment.