Years ago, when now Executive Director Steven Hufnagel was still “the stewardship guy” for Damariscotta River Association, he recalls stopping by Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site to check the visitors’ log. At the time, there was a 200-foot handicap accessible trail from the parking area to a small overlook above the apple orchard.
On that day, as he flipped through the log book, one note in particular caught his eye. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for making a wheel chair accessible trail,” a man had written. “Mary Alice, whose passion was backpacking in the mountains, has had to sit in parking lots to wait. The joy on her face to sit by the river was great to see.”
The grateful comment made a lasting impression. And it was clear that much more needed to be done – that of all the trails in the area, there was only this short section that could accommodate a wheelchair.
Fast forward to 2018. A successful fundraising campaign made it possible to purchase the property between Round Top Farm and Whaleback and create the accessible Rhoda and Lee Cohen River Trail, stretching a third of a mile through hayfields along the Damariscotta River.
This new trail was carefully laid out to follow the contours of the land, with minimal elevation change and very gentle grading. It is wide enough for two or three people to walk comfortably side-by-side, and topped with firmly packed stone dust, making it ideal for those on wheels as well as walkers.
But that was just phase one of a grander plan.
This past fall, thanks to a grant from Bangor Savings Bank, Coastal Rivers completed construction of a second, shorter accessible spur connecting Round Top Farm to Church Street across from Sullivan Tire. This section of trail was masterminded by Coastal Rivers’ Trails and Facilities Manager Jim Grenier, with support from fellow staff, volunteers, and an old friend, and benefitted from Jim’s engineering experience and eye for detail.
The trail picks up across from the old ice cream shack next to the main parking area at Round Top Farm, cuts across the west end of the green where the Farmers’ Market is held throughout the summer, crosses a swale on a sturdy 8′-wide bridge, and curves around through a copse of trees to arrive at the upper end of Church Street (where there will be a town sidewalk by 2027, if all goes according to plan).
Since the completion of this trail segment in October, it has been delightful to observe a daily parade of neighbors using the new walking path: parents pushing strollers, backpack-toting students racing past, people on bikes, walking dogs, out for a run, or just out for a stroll.
Now there is one final phase of the master plan to accomplish: extending the accessible trail from Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site a mile northward, under Route 1, all the way to Coastal Rivers’ Salt Bay Farm! (Read the latest update on our progress here.)
