A multiyear $1.25 million trail project, funded by federal and state grants, will deliver more than 18 miles of natural surface trails in Island Falls, Patten and Millinocket.
The Outdoor Sport Institute, a nonprofit based in Millinocket, was recently awarded the grants to expand non-motorized trail systems throughout Maine’s Katahdin Region as a way to support the region’s growing outdoor economy, according to institute Executive Director Mike Smith.
“We are really excited about the funding, we had this vision and this has really supercharged things,” Smith said, adding that more than a decade of community partnership building and continuous investments in professional planning, design and construction made these grants possible.
Smith said the project will attract private investment, support local workforce development, and expand world-class trail experiences for both residents and visitors as well as enhance a quality of life in these communities that’s rooted in the outdoors.
For years, institute planners have been meeting with Katahdin region community leaders, to talk about where trails might go in communities, help plan and design them and make sure people will use them, he said.
“It’s much more than just building a trail,” he said.
This year alone, the institute worked with more than 25 Maine communities to create greater access to the outdoors.
In the Katahdin Region this year, the institute continued to work with a network of partners on regional initiatives like the Katahdin Gear Library, Katahdin Area Trails, and collaborative youth programs that are transforming the local landscape and inspiring progress across Maine’s rural space, according to Smith.
The funding includes a $1 million award from the Northern Border Regional Commission and a $250,000 grant from the state’s Maine Trails Program. Along with matching funds, the total outdoor trails investment is $1,276,480, Smith said.
“We have had smaller grants, but this is the biggest investment for sure,” he said.
The project includes four distinct trail systems within the Katahdin Area Trails network. The institute’s Katahdin Trail Crew will complete the work along with professional contractors.
The Trail Crew includes a full-time trail manager and paid seasonal staff that help complete trail construction and maintenance, generally from May to October.
Through the project, more than 4.5 miles of single track will be added to the Hammond Ridge Trail System, including technical shared-use trails, beginner-friendly flow trails, and advanced bike-only gravity trails originating from the Knife Edge Brewery trailhead at New England Outdoor Center.
Trails extending from Katahdin Pride Park in the Millinocket Community Trail System will be expanded and rehabilitated to improve community access between schools and local neighborhoods.
Near Patten and Mt. Chase, more than 3.5 miles of single track trail will be added to the growing Peavey Brook Outdoor Center Trail System established by the Elliotsville Foundation. The improvements will include beginner loops, bike-only gravity trails, and technical shared-use trails offering a remote backcountry experience.
In partnership with the town of Island Falls, the new Pleasant Pond Trail System will be established on town-owned working forest land, featuring trails for hikers, runners, mountain bikers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers.
This funding makes the project more attractive to trail contractors around the nation and is helpful in securing top talent to get the trails built, Smith said.
The NBRC funding was part of the Commission’s fall 2025 competitive round, which awarded $37.2 million to 59 projects across Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. The grants support infrastructure improvements, tourism development, and economic revitalization in rural communities throughout the Northern Border region, Smith said.
The completion timeline varies because some of the projects funded by NBRC require environmental permitting before they can begin construction, but some will start in spring and others may begin later in the year.
“While these trails will serve the region’s communities and economy, we hope the Katahdin Area Trails initiative as a whole can inspire investment in community-based trails across the state,” said Steve Kasacek, OSI trail development director, in a Friday release.
