Michaud launches online maps for Maine trails

Congressman Mike Michaud joined the Rails to Trails Conservancy last week in his Washington office to launch online maps and information on recreational trails in Maine.

The Rails to Trails Conservancy runs the website www.traillink.com and posts information and reviews on trails nationwide, as well as information about the surrounding area, including where to stay.

“Having this trail information in one place that is easy to access is going to help further boost the visibility of many rural communities in Maine,” said Michaud in a recent press release. “These new maps will encourage visits to these trails, provide access to important GPS trail information and help promote local economic activity. Our trails and the land they go through are assets to our state that are now even easier to share.”

To view the Maine trails posted on the website so far, visit www.traillink.com/trailsearch.aspx?mmloc=maine.

Michaud is a longtime member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

In Congress, Michaud led the effort to preserve the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) in the latest update to the nation’s surface transportation programs, which became law last summer. RTP is an important source of funding for recreational trails in Maine.

And last October, Michaud joined the Upper Valley Economic Council and the Rails to Trails Conservancy to begin the GPS mapping of the Patten-Sherman multi-use trail.

“The Patten-Sherman multi use trail is a very important element in the resurgent efforts to enhance tourism in the Katahdin region of Maine,” said Peter Qualey, Chair of the Board of Directors, Upper Valley Economic Corporation (UVEC), in a recent press release. “The multi-use trail provides a critical link to the region’s snowmobile and ATV trail system and opens up new opportunities for bicycle and pedestrian use.”

UVEC had been integrally involved in establishing and planning the Katahdin Woods & Waters Scenic Byway, according to Qualey.

“The effort to provide off-road trails connecting the seven communities in the Katahdin region will provide visitors with access to pristine streams, rivers, and lakes, and to incredible wildlife viewing, especially the opportunity to view the majestic moose in its natural setting,”  Qualey said. “On behalf of UVEC, I wish to thank Congressman Michaud for his support and tireless efforts to help reshape the economic opportunities of this region. This project, when combined with all the other ongoing efforts, will certainly provide the region with assets, such as this trail, that will provide for a very memorable visitor experience.”

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.