HANCOCK — With the snip of a yellow ribbon, snowmobilers gained 53 miles of excellent trail riding on Sept. 21, 2010.
During a ceremony attended by state government officials and outdoor recreationists representing various organizations, the Down East Sunrise Trail officially opened for its entire 85-mile length from Washington Junction in Hancock to Ayers Junction in Pembroke. “I’m having a hard time not jumping up and down today,” said Sally Jacobs of the Sunrise Trail Coalition, which led initial efforts to convert the Maine Central Railroad’s Calais branch into a multiple-use trail.
In spring 2008, Hampden contractor Vaughn Thibodeau & Sons started rail-corridor reconstruction in Machias. The trail’s easternmost 32 miles opened in September 2009, and snowmobilers enjoyed a fantastic trail stretching from Route 1A in Whitneyville east to Route 214 in Pembroke.
This winter, sledders can head west from Whitneyville and ride 53 miles to Hancock. Along the way, key intersections will access snowmobile trails leading north and south to Hancock and Washington county destinations.
Yet the DEST almost never happened, according to opening-ceremony speakers. Although outdoor recreationists — particularly ATV clubs, bicycling organizations, and snowmobile clubs — had advocated the trail’s development for years, many officials believed the Calais Branch should be restored as an active railroad.
One such rail backer was State Sen. Dennis Damon (D-Hancock County). Years ago, he envisioned trains running once again on the Calais Branch, abandoned in 1985 and purchased by the Maine Department of Transportation in 1985.
Then during a trip to Minnesota’s Iron Range, Damon “happened upon” a multiple-use trail built along a former railroad corridor. He met local residents and business owners excited about the trail’s economic benefits.
“The point is, it drew people to that region,” Damon told DEST supporters on Sept. 21. “All of a sudden, the light started to get brighter. I understood the economic possibilities” and realized that the Calais Branch would not be restored as an active railroad “any time soon.”
He subsequently supported building the DEST to construction standards that would let Maine “put the tracks down again” in the future.
“The reality is, [for] this railroad, the economics are not there at least for the foreseeable future,” said MDOT Commissioner David Cole. After taking his post in early 2003, he researched the existing railroad corridor; “the quality of the rail and the track” was “substandard to modern needs” and “was in such a condition that if you were ever going to bring back a competitive rail service, you had to tear it all up anyways.
“What’s the point of maintaining track you’re just going to have to tear up?” he asked DEST supporters.
“The real issue was about preserving this 85-mile corridor, because you couldn’t create a right of way like this … in this day and age,” Cole said. “We came up with a plan to ‘rail bank’ this corridor … to get some use out of this asset that belongs to the people of the state.”
According to Maine Department of Conservation Commissioner Eliza Townsend, Jasper Carter “donated the easement” on the land crossed by the DEST’s first 1,000 feet in Hancock. The Washington Junction trail head is adjacent to the Downeast Scenic Railroad yard. Other trail heads exist in Franklin, Cherryfield, Machias, and East Machias.
Via the Off-Road Vehicle Division of the Bureau of Parks and Lands, the Department of Conservation managed the two-year construction project; the Off-Road Vehicle Division will also manage the trail. “This is the second project we’ve coordinated so well with the Department of Transportation,” Townsend said, referring to the Penobscot Narrows Bridge that opened on Dec. 30, 2006.
Officials expect snowmobilers to flock to the DEST this winter. “Our research tells us that people come here … for outdoor recreational activities,” said Phil Savignano of the Maine Office of Tourism.
He described the DEST as “a beautiful place to get off the beaten path and head out. It’s going to provide year-round recreation for skiers and snowshoers and snowmobilers.”
Scott Ramsay of the Maine Department of Conservation’s Off-Road Vehicle Division snowmobiled the DEST’s eastern stretch last winter. In a separate interview, he recalled stopping at a local business that was enjoying increased sales due to the new trail.
Businesses “are hooking up to the trail,” Jacobs said. “There are new snowmobile and ATV maps showing the trail and their connections.”
After the opening ceremonies, Cole, Damon, Jacobs, and Townsend cut a yellow ribbon to open the trail to ATVers, bicyclists, and runners.