Right about now most of us have had enough of the cold weather and drab colors. We’ve been feeling pretty cooped up and we’re ready to get out and hit the trail — preferably a snow-and-ice-free one — and get some fresh air and exercise to shake off the winter blahs.

Fortunately, nearby trails in our urban parks and woods, byways and streets, and rivers and streams are perfect for a quick escape for a few hours or an entire day.

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Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary, just minutes from downtown Lewiston, has several miles of foot trails that top out at 510 feet, the highest point in the city. Auburn, Lewiston and other Maine cities have put a lot of work into their urban trails. Carey Kish photo

There are several types of urban trails to consider, according to Jonathan LaBonte, executive director of the Androscoggin Land Trust, a group dedicated to “protecting the important natural areas, traditional landscapes and outdoor experiences in the Androscoggin River watershed.”

There are trails that help get you around on foot or bicycle, such as sidewalks and bike lanes. Then there are trails that are “off-street” or separate from the road system, but often built to sidewalk standards, like park or nature trails with a graveled or chipped-wood surface.

Finally there are the water trails. Native Americans used water trails as their primary transportation routes, paddling their canoes to travel about. And in many urban areas today, residents and visitors alike are using water trails once again to get from place to place, mostly for recreation.

“It’s a much different experience than traveling by foot or in a car,” said LaBonte, who played a role in developing Androscoggin Riverlands State Park, just north of the urban centers of Lewiston and Auburn. It’s a place where “people are able to spend time paddling in the natural environs of the river and then return to downtown to take in the city.”

The economic potential of urban trails cannot be understated. Studies show that active, walkable communities — places where physical health, exercise and recreation can be easily integrated into everyday life — attract people to live and work. Local amenities like trails give people a welcome choice, so they don’t have to travel far for access to the outdoors, and often they can get from home to work with little or no driving.

“It’s a proven fact that communities that embrace urban trails as an economic development strategy are successful in bringing in new people and businesses,” said LaBonte, citing the successes of cities like Lewiston and Auburn, which are working diligently to turn the vision of a viable urban trail system into reality.

Take the Riverwalk, for example, which connects Festival Plaza with Bonney Park in downtown Auburn. From there it travels on a railroad pedestrian bridge over the Androscoggin River to Railroad Park in Lewiston. By using the Longley Bridge to cross back into Auburn, walkers are able to make a pleasant 3-mile loop.

“It’s very accessible and well used,” said LaBonte. “And we’re continuing to work on extending it up and down the river corridor.”

Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary is a popular outdoor getaway in Lewiston, just minutes from downtown. The 357-acre nature preserve is criss-crossed by several miles of foot trails that lead through woods and across fields and top out at 510 feet, the highest point in the city.

The Sherwood Forest Conservation Area, a 28-acre preserve in an Auburn neighborhood near Sherwood Heights School, has a hiking trail network that’s right out the back door for many residents and students.

“At Sherwood you feel like you’re out of town when you’re still in town,” noted LaBonte.

Then there’s Androscoggin Riverlands State Park, 2,588 acres of public land on both sides of the river. The relatively new park is a recreational jewel with 15 miles of multi-use trails, eight miles of hiking trails, river access and islands.

Visitors get to see the various cities and towns — built around the Androscoggin River and inextricably tied to it — in an entirely new way, from the river to the shore rather than the other way around.

“It’s an extraordinary opportunity to promote and develop the natural assets of the local area, to showcase the communities along the river, and to reveal some of the grand history” LaBonte said.

Carey Kish of Bowdoin is a freelance writer and avid hiker. Send comments and hike suggestions to:

MaineOutdoors@aol.com

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