Stroll back in time on THE BELFAST RAIL TRAIL

HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE bike, walk and jog along the Belfast Rail Trail every day. Some visitors sweat with the exertion of exercise as they speed along the wide, flat route. Others take the trail at a slower pace, quite literally stopping to smell the many wildflowers along its borders.

“It’s prized,” said Mike Hurley, a member of the Belfast Rail Trail Committee. “People refer to it as absolutely one of the best things about Belfast.”

But what makes the 2.3-mile trail so popular?

Opened in 2016, the trail follows the bed of an old railway along the banks of the Passagassawakeag River. With its south trailhead at the Belfast waterfront, just a short walk from downtown, it’s easily accessible to tourists and locals alike.

“You instantly go from urban to forest, and there you are for two and a half miles along this incredible river on the coast of Maine,” Hurley said. “It’s like this connecting highway. A lot of people use it to commute. People ride and walk in and out of town.”

Seaweed clings to the muddy shoreline of the Passagassawakeag, where cormorants and other waterbirds can be found. This tidal portion of the river, just before it empties out into Belfast Bay, is both scenic and steeped in history.

Interpretive signs posted along the trail offer a wealth of information about the area’s past, as well as historic photos that can help you envision what the route would have looked like over 100 years ago.

Much of the history revolves around the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railway Company. In 1870, a 33-mile railroad opened that spanned from the waterfront in Belfast to Burnham Junction. For decades, trains carried mail, freight and passengers along this route.

Today, the southernmost section of this railroad is the Belfast Rail Trail. The ties and rails are gone, but a celebration of this history remains.

Yet you can still experience much of the railway by train. Thanks to the Brooks Preservation Society, a passenger train still operates seasonally along the railroad from City Point in Belfast to Unity. You can book a ticket right online.

Small improvements are continually being made to the trail. This spring, over a dozen young trees and 50 native shrubs were planted along a section that travels close to a road. And over 20,000 daffodils have been planted along the trail as a part of the citywide Belfast Daffodil Project.

“We’ve made a long list of future improvements, just little things,” Hurley said.

Closed to motorized traffic, the rail trail is used for a wide variety of activities, including biking, running, walking and — when conditions are right — snowshoe- ing and cross-country skiing. Surfaced with crushed rock and fairly flat, it’s wheelchair accessible and great for strollers. It’s also open to dogs, which must be kept on short leashes and picked up after.

Some highlights of the trail include the historic City Point Cemetery, a scenic trestle bridge and a small picnic area near the banks of the river.

The north end of the Belfast Rail Trail is at City Point, the location of what was once a busy settlement in the mid-1800s, complete with a post office, library, school and several shops and manufacturing operations. Today, just a few houses from that time remain.

A large gravel lot at City Point offers trail visitors ample parking. Trailhead amenities include outhouses, a trash can, a dog waste bag dispenser and a kiosk displaying a trail map and trail use guidelines.

About halfway along the rail trail is a second access point and parking area called the Upper Bridge Entrance near Stephenson Preserve (a great side excursion).

The south end of the trail is called the Amistance Bridge Entrance because it’s right by the scenic, 1000-foot pedestrian bridge. There the rail trail connects to the 0.8mile Harbor Walk, which travels through Front Street Shipyard to downtown Belfast. After your walk, jog or ride, stroll through town to visit art galleries and shops, plus grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants.