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All Trails Celebration

June 20, 2011 - Rangeley — With summer officially arriving next week, High Peaks Alliance will host an All Trails Celebration on Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26.

The alliance is a group of local people working to preserve and enhance recreational access to forest lands in northern Franklin County. It was formed in 2008.

The term “All Trails” recognizes a broad variety of trails and how they are used in the High Peaks and the Rangeley Lakes region, Ben Godsoe of the alliance stated in a recent press release.

The event kicks off on June 25 with a dedication of Maine's newest multi-use trail corridor — the West Saddleback Connector.

The ceremony will feature U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Maine Conservation Commissioner Bill Beardsley. Other participants include the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, ATV-Maine, and local trail groups who worked to create the trail.

A public reception will follow the ceremony, which is from 2 to 3:15 p.m. at the Country Club Inn off Route 3 via Mingo Springs or Proctor roads.

Additionally, starting at 1 p.m. all the latest information on High Peaks and Rangeley Lakes area trails will be available, along with trail guides to answer questions and suggest trail adventures, Godsoe said.

“On both Saturday and Sunday, we challenge you to get out and experience some of these great trail systems,” he said. “You can have fun on a familiar kind of trail or you can try out something new.”

“To help you have the best time, area trail club guides will provide group walks, hikes, ATV rides, bike rides and paddling on nearby land and water trails,” he said.

Scheduled guided hiking and ATV tours of the new West Saddleback Connector will also be offered, although participants must sign up on June 25 for these tours as space is limited.

The West Saddleback Connector trail is a key component in a growing network of trail systems serving locals and visitors to the region.

It is located on the west slope of Saddleback Mountain and was created after crossing issues of the Appalachian Trail were resolved with the National Park Service.

In 1935, the NPS established an Appalachian Trail corridor across land that eventually became Saddleback Ski Resort.
In 1975, the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission designated a 200-foot protection zone along Maine's 280-mile section of the AT.

In 1983, businessman Donald Breen of Massachusetts bought the ski resort and began a lengthy battle over trail access with the NPS and conservation groups.

Eventually, the park service bought a section of the resort's property and Breen left the ski resort, which was bought in 2003 by Bill Berry and his family, along with 8,000 acres.
But the NPS didn't relinquish jurisdiction over the western Saddleback land around Eddy Pond to the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. That issue wasn't resolved until December 2010 with the historic transfer of ownership of a 100-foot corridor on the Old Hudson Road near Eddy Pond.

That gave snowmobiles and ATVs access to connect with other trail systems between Phillips and Rangeley, which Godsoe calls the gateway to many of the best backcountry trails in Maine.

Among them are the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the new Moose Loop ATV Trail System, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, the Fly Rod Crosby Trail, local walking paths and more.

Terry Karkos, Sun Journal, June 2011


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