Trails for Team Training

When we build public access opportunities, we are supporting our communities with places to play, relax, and enjoy nature. When we learned that our trails became one of the training grounds for a teen mountain biking team, it reinforced our vision of a community resource.

Our Connecting Community to Town Forests initiative began as a way to give Thomaston middle-schoolers a new outdoor fitness option. The primary project was the creation of the Thomaston Town Forest (TTF) professional single-track multipurpose trail.

The Camden Hills Regional High School mountain biking team has been the Maine State Champions for most of the last 20 years. The student athletes are from all four grade levels at the school, and average between 500-600 miles on their bikes in a two-month season. They train on the trails at the Camden Snow Bowl, and added the TTF multipurpose trail as an off-road training course when it opened in 2018.

Creating the TTF multipurpose trail was a partnership between the Land Trust and Sidecountry Sports in Rockland. Sidecountry is also a big supporter of the team, including teaching the students how to maintain their bikes. It’s these kinds of partnerships that make our communities thrive!

The TTF multipurpose trail is also open for winter time fat tire biking.

Camden Hills team photo credit: PenBay Pilot