Boothbay Region Land Trust has announced that, in addition to having made Pine Tree Preserve’s white trail multi-use, a new system of multi-use trails is now in the works. The trails are being prepared by volunteers.

All the new information is expected to be updated on the preserve maps by next season.

“The old trails included a one-mile white-marked loop and a north trail that dead-ends about one half mile above the loop at the property line,” said steward Jon Dunsford. “Expansion there will be in a later phase.”

Pine Tree Preserve is about 144 acres and the new trails add about one mile of hiking and biking to what already exists. The hub of the new trails is the west part of the white trail with several cross loops for bikers on the east side to avoid mud in the wet seasons as well as to leave room for hikers. Two different loops can be done to make a two-mile hike or bike ride. Adding the dead end north road would make it three miles.

“There are options to expand in two more phases as soon as use picks up,” said Dunsford. “This will include access from the north end to promote through biking or hiking.” 

Dunsford said there have been some ideas floating around on how to approach a more complex system of walking and biking trails which would connect much of the town.

“I have walked through Penny Lake Preserve (opposite the YMCA) ending up on Middle Road a few different ways. Hopefully in the next year or so we can make that a route that could lead either to the north end of Middle Road and on to the Botanical Gardens or south to intersect with Western Avenue well below downtown near West Harbor.”

Dunsford said that when the biking trails were merely an idea, a group of people including David Nutt of Edgecomb, Larry Brown of East Boothbay and Jack Rice, among others, approached BRLT Land Manager Michael Warren about their idea for biking in Pine Tree Preserve.

Dunsford, who already knew Nutt from boating, already had some ideas for locations.

“We walked the preserve together, then I did some flagging before the larger group all walked together. With input from bike enthusiasts, we prepared maps showing the new trails to be presented to the land Trust Stewardship committee.”

Warren then presented the proposal to the committee for review. The committee passed it in January.      

“It’s our goal to slowly bring the sport of mountain biking to the peninsula,” said Nutt, local boat builder and avid mountain biker. “With Sugarloaf and other ski resorts around the country using mountain biking and hiking to have a year round season, there is no reason why we can’t find the same success.”