MOUNTAIN DIVISION TRAIL; NORTHERN SECTION:
FRYEBURG, MAINE
MOUNTAIN DIVISION TRAIL; SOUTHERN SECTION:
WINDHAM-GORHAM-STANDISH, MAINE
PRESUMPSCOT RIVER TRAIL:
GORHAM, MAINE
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Last Updated: Feb 07, 2022
Length: Mountain Division Trail [Northern Section]; 4 miles
Mountain Division Trail [Southern Section]; 5.8 miles
Presumpscot River Trail; 1 mile
Difficulty: Mountain Division Trail [Northern Section]; Easy. Flat paved rail trail.
Mountain Division Trail [Southern Section; South End]; Easy. Flat paved rail trail. [North End]; Moderate. Hilly gravel path.
Presumpscot River Trail; Easy. Flat paved trail and old road.
Directions:
To Start from the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District Building parking lot in Windham [Southern Section; South End]; From the junction of Routes 4, 25 & 202 in Gorham follow Routes 4 & 202 for 3.8 miles to Windham. Just before the trailhead on your left (no parking) is the Cumberland District parking lot. For the Presumpscot River Trail continue north and take your second left on River Rd. After 0.5 miles turn left on Gambo Rd. You'll cross the Mt Division Trail and take your first right to the Gambo Fields parking lot where you can access both trails.
To Start from the Johnson Field parking lot in Standish [Southern Section; North End]; From the junction of Routes 35 & 114 in Sebago Lake follow Route 35 east 0.4 miles to the parking lot on your right. Trailhead is to the East.
To Start from the Portland Street parking lot in Fryeburg [Northern Section; South End]; From the junction of Routes 5, 113 & 302 in Fryeburg follow Routes 5 & 113 south for 3.4 miles. Parking lot is on your right. Trailhead is on the north side.
To Start from the Maine Tourism parking lot in Fryeburg [Northern Section; North End]; From the junction of Routes 5, 113 & 302 in Fryeburg follow Route 302 west for 1.5 miles. Parking lot is on your left.
The Mountain Division Trail exists as two separate segments of what will eventually be a more than 50-mile-long trail from Fryeburg to Portland. The Southern Section runs between Windham and Standish; the Northern Section runs through Fryeburg on the New Hampshire border. The trail runs alongside currently dormant train tracks owned by the Maine Department of Transportation. The Mountain Division Trail takes its name from the Maine Central Railroad’s Mountain Division that ran from Portland through New Hampshire’s White Mountains to Vermont. Chartered in 1867 as the Portland & 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 Presumpscot River Trail is a spur off the Mountain Division Trail; Southern Section. The Mountain Division Trail is also utilized as part of the Sebago to the Sea Trail (which travels from Sebago Lake in Standish to Casco Bay in Portland). For more information visit; MT DIVISION RAIL TRAIL & MAINE TRAIL FINDER .
Maine, in 2023, committed to completing the trail from Standish 40 miles to Fryeburg.
Mountain Division Trail; Northern Section:
Starting from the Portland Street parking lot [South End] in Fryeburg; I haven't checked out this section. The paved trail heads north alongside the dormant RR tracks along an open wooded corridor. Isolated. Come alongside Routes 5 & 113 at 1.7 miles before heading back into the woods. Cross Porter Road (industrial area) at 2.6 miles. Map Board and small parking area. Cross a RR bridge over Wards Pond before crossing Quarry Rd at 2.9 miles. Come alongside Route 302 which will bring you to the Maine Tourism parking lot after 4 miles and the end of the trail.
Mountain Division Trail; Southern Section:
Starting from the South End in Windham; Map Board.
Plans are underway to extend the trial south from Windham to Westbrook.
The paved Mountain Division Trail heads north alongside the dormant RR tracks through an open wooded corridor. Look right to spot 2 old metal RR track holders. Pass under some power lines at 0.5 miles and pass by an old RR track switcher. Cross Gambo Rd at 0.8 miles and spot an old RR Mile Marker P12 (Portland 12 miles). Pass by Mile Marker 12 1/4 at 1.1 miles.
Note; Trail on your left leads up to the Gambo Fields parking lot. Map Board, Porto-potty.
Cross an old RR bridge over Presumpscot River before coming to a trail on your left at 1.7 miles. This was as far as I traveled.
Note; This is the Presumpscot River Loop Trail. I've checked out this trail. This paved trail travels down to Shaw Park before winding through the open woods. You then come to an old road at 0.5 miles. Head left. This brings you to Gambo Dam and a Map Board. Note; A hiking trail on your right heads into the woods where you can explore the ruins of a canal and the Oriental Powder Mill, which supplied the Union Army with one-quarter of its gunpowder. Also sections of the original Cumberland & Oxford Canal Towpath. The canal was opened in 1832 to connect the largest lakes of southern Maine with the seaport of Portland. The canal followed the Presumpscot River from Sebago Lake through the towns of Standish, Windham, Gorham, and Westbrook. The trail then crosses an old road bridge over the Presumpscot River to Gumbo Rd at 0.8 miles. Straight on-road will connect you back to the Mountain Division Trail at a mile.
Continuing along the Mountain Division Trail, travel through open woods and by farm fields. Cross Kemp Rd followed by Route 237 in White Rock at 2.5 miles. Cross Wescott Rd at 3.6 miles. I believe the paved trail ends after 4.6 miles at a stop sign blocking access to the railroad corridor across Otter & Half Moon Ponds.
Note; The Mountain Division Trail continues up a hill as a gravel path for 1.2 miles to the Johnson Field parking lot across from the south shore of Sebago Lake.
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CLICK HERE FOR SOUTHERN SECTION MAP
CLICK HERE FOR MT DIVISION RAIL TRAIL MAP
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