Raising Maine

The Kennebec River Rail Trail is a great, family-friendly biking trail and well worth the investment of a bike rack for the car to get your family there for some riding.

We started out at Capital City Park in Augusta, about a mile into the trail (the trail starts at Old Fort Western) and headed towards Hallowell.


About 1/2 mile into the trip Fino had a problem with one of his bike's tires. Since G. had taken over his bike because she outgrew the one she used last year (she's been growing like a weed!), Fino rebuilt an old bike he found at the town dump over the winter. Luckily he brought along the bike pump and filled the tire and didn't have any other problems with it.


Since I'm still paranoid about taking the kids riding on the street (moms are entitled to a few hangups about their kid's safety right?), we walked our bikes through downtown Hallowell and enjoyed some window shopping. The road is narrow through this area (and no bike lane through part of it) but it only runs about 1/2 mile before the off-road trail starts up again.


I got a little worried walking through Hallowell that we would miss where to pick up the off-road trail again, but it was clearly marked.


We made a few stops to look around on the trail, including a spot where a brook ran into the river that L. insisted we stop to admire.


Since there are trains that use the rails along this trail, there are quite a few signs where bikers need to stop and look before crossing.


We biked to the end of the trail in Gardiner, which was a shopping plaza with Hannaford, Subway and a few other eateries and shops. We packed our lunch but it was great to have a couple of options to use a bathroom at that point.


We had spotted the Hi-Hat Diner in Farmingdale on our way down so we decided after lunch we had to get some onion rings on our way back to Augusta. They were tasty and cost under $3 and was a fun stop.




With less than two miles to go, L. started to complain that she was tired (after biking almost ten miles at that point, we were all starting to get a little winded!) so I suggested a short stop at the Maine State Museum after we packed up the bikes. That perked her right up. The kids absolutely LOVE that place and it was just across the street from Capital City Park.

And as luck would have it, there was a special curator's program happening that day that the kids enjoyed.


We also admired the gemstones and the other geology and nature exhibits (the girls are studying geology right now) at the museum.


After both Fino and I nearly nodded off watching one of the short exhibit films, we decided it was definitely time to head home. The kids begged to stay claiming that they were not tired even though I could tell they were.

Promises were made to return again soon.

Like the Adroscoggin River Bike Path, this trail is almost completely paved (there's a small portion between Augusta and Hallowell that is packed gravel) and a great place to ride with your family.

Below is a GPS track of the trail that we took during our ride yesterday.

The biking crew in front of the Kennebec River in Hallowell.


TRAIL REVIEW
Trail: Kennebec River Rail Trail, which is part of the East Coast Greenway that connects trails from Maine to Florida
Length: 6.5 miles one way
Terrain: Mostly paved (approx. 1/2 mile between Augusta and Hallowell is packed gravel)
Trail use: Walking, biking
Towns: Augusta, Hallowell, Farmingdale, Gardiner
Trail head: There are several access points to this trail. Capital City Park in Augusta and Hannaford shopping plaza in Gardiner are the main points of entry with plenty of parking.
Bathroom: There are nearby businesses at both trail heads that have public bathrooms. There are also public bathrooms in downtown Hallowell.
Dog-friendly: Yes, on a leash
Kid Rating: Both girls gave this trail 5 stars (on a scale of 1-the worst to 5-the best).
12-year-old: "I liked the bike path because it was smooth. There were not many people on the trail when we were there so it made it really easy for us to ride. I also liked passing by all the pretty shops in Hallowell."
10-year-old: "The pavement was easy to ride on and I liked the railroad track crossings. I liked the wooden bridge with the brook under it. I also liked stopping for onion rings at the Hi-Hat Diner, I just wish I got more onion rings!"

Trail Map:
Kennebec River Rail Trail at EveryTrailMap created by EveryTrail:Share GPS tracks