Aroostook Valley Trail

The Aroostook Valley Trail is a 25-mile ATV and snowmobile corridor in Aroostook County in northern Maine — the largest county east of the Mississippi by area — threading through the agricultural flatlands and potato-farm country around Presque Isle and Caribou, approximately 200 miles north of Bangor near the New Brunswick border. The trail follows a former railroad grade of the Aroostook Valley Railroad, an early 20th-century branch line that served the potato farming communities of the St. John Valley. The converted corridor retains the characteristics of its railroad heritage: flat to gently rolling grades, consistent 15-20 foot treadway, and long sight lines that make it well-suited to ATVs and UTVs. Riding character is distinct from the wooded, technical trails of southern and western Maine: the Aroostook Valley Trail passes through open agricultural landscape — fields, farmsteads, potato storage facilities — with wooded sections between communities providing shade and wildlife habitat. The trail connects the communities of Van Buren, Caribou, Presque Isle, and Washburn, giving it genuine point-to-point utility for community members as well as recreation riders. ATVs and UTVs are permitted on the trail; snowmobiles dominate use in winter, when the Aroostook Valley connects to the vast ITS (Interconnected Trail System) network that covers most of rural Maine. A Maine ATV trail pass is required for out-of-state machines. The region is a practical base for extended multi-day rides into the New Brunswick trail network across the St. John River.

Website: www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/trail_activities/atv/atv-trails.shtml
Phone: 207-287-4957
Hours: Spring–fall; no ATV use during winter snow cover

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Down East Sunrise Trail

The Down East Sunrise Trail is a 87-mile multi-use corridor traversing the rural coastal plain of Washington and Hancock counties in eastern Maine, running from Ellsworth east through Cherryfield, Harrington, Columbia Falls, Machias, and on toward Calais at the Canadian border — one of the longest converted rail-trail corridors in New England. The trail follows the former Washington County Railroad grade, which gives it the characteristics of all former railroads converted to trail: nearly flat grades (rail grades rarely exceeded 2%), wide treadway, and consistent surface quality across the full length. For OHV riders, the Sunrise Trail is a rare Maine option: ATVs and snowmobiles are permitted on the trail surface, which alternates between packed gravel, ballast rock, and compacted earth depending on section and maintenance cycle. The surrounding landscape reflects the ecological character of Downeast Maine — blueberry barrens, spruce-fir forest, boggy lowlands, salt marsh approaches near tidal river crossings, and the occasional broad river ford with an improved crossing structure. The corridor passes through some of the least-developed land in the eastern United States; this is genuine backcountry rather than a suburban greenway, and self-sufficiency is important — services are limited to the small towns the trail passes through. Parking areas with trailhead access are located at the major communities along the route. A Maine ATV registration and current trail pass are required. Snowmobile use is permitted in winter when snow conditions allow.

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