On August 6, a 1.6-mile piece of trail opened at the Wainwright Sports Complex in South Portland. The construction happened in Scarborough. The biggest change shows up in Saco. Since that ribbon cutting, the Eastern Trail Alliance counts 16 continuous off-road miles from Bug Light in South Portland to Thornton Academy in Saco.
That makes Saco the southern end of the longest unbroken stretch of the trail. It is nearly three times as long as the six-mile off-road section between Kennebunk and Biddeford. This fall is the first season the full line has been open, and the parts that still need work are at our end of it.
A Scarborough Project, Finished Early
The Portland Press Herald ran the headline "The gap is gone!" and reported that the Close the Gap project wrapped up 15 months ahead of schedule. It followed more than a decade of planning, fundraising and permitting, and a few hundred cyclists, pedestrians and runners came to the opening.
The Town of Scarborough's project page puts the cost at $7.5 million. Funding came from Scarborough, South Portland, the Maine Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and Eastern Trail Alliance donors. The hardest work was two bridges. One went over the Nonesuch River in December 2025 and the other over the railroad tracks near Pleasant Hill Road in April 2026. That page still shows a second phase finishing in October 2027. The same page records the August opening, though, and the Alliance and local news coverage confirm the connection is open. Maine Public also covered the opening.
For Saco, this means a ride starting a few minutes from Main Street can now reach the Fore River waterfront without touching a road section.
Where the Saco End Actually Starts
The off-road trail ends behind Thornton Academy, a few minutes north of downtown. It does not run onto Main Street. Maine Trail Finder says to reach the Thornton Academy access from Route 1, about 0.6 mile south of I-195, and follow Fairfield Street to the parking lot at its end. A 2022 city StoryMap puts this trailhead on Clark Street, so the exact campus entrance is worth checking in person.
Writing for the Bangor Daily News, Al Raychard explained why he skips the Thornton start. Parking there is limited to local streets, and there are a few street crossings he would rather avoid. He parks at the end of Mill Brook Road off Route 1 instead, which also cuts several miles off the ride. Maine Trail Finder places that access at the Mill Brook Business Park, across Route 1 from Spring Hill Road.
These are the named access points between Saco and the north end of the Scarborough Marsh:
Access point | Location | Source |
|---|---|---|
Thornton Academy | End of Fairfield Street off Route 1, Saco | Maine Trail Finder |
Mill Brook Road | Mill Brook Business Park, across Route 1 from Spring Hill Road, Saco | Maine Trail Finder, BDN |
Pine Point Road | Brick pump-station trailhead at the marsh crossing, Scarborough | Eastern Trail Alliance |
Old Blue Point Road | At Scarborough Cemetery | Eastern Trail Alliance |
Eastern Road | Off Route 207/Black Point Road, Scarborough | Eastern Trail Alliance |
The Eight Miles Out of Saco
Before August, the stretch from Saco to Black Point Road was already a complete ride on its own. Maine Trail Finder lists it at 8.4 miles one way, on gravel and crushed stone. It follows the old Eastern Railroad bed through Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Scarborough, so it stays flat the whole way. Raychard calls it his favorite section of the trail, and he says it is especially colorful in the fall once the foliage turns.
The high point is the Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area. Raychard stops on the bridge over the Nonesuch River to look out over the tidal creeks, and on his latest ride he saw geese and snowy egrets.
The rest of the route used to require planning around a gap. Past Scarborough, the trail mostly shares its path with the South Portland Greenbelt. That part is largely paved, passes through neighborhoods and along the Fore River, and stays off-road for a little over five miles to Bug Light Park. A Saco rider now has three ways to plan a trip:
- The marsh out-and-back. Start at Mill Brook Road, ride to the Nonesuch River bridge, and turn around.
- The full eight. Ride from Saco to the Eastern Road access off Black Point Road and back on the gravel section.
- Bug Light. Ride the full 16 miles from Thornton Academy to the South Portland waterfront. This one has only been possible since August.
Along the new segment, WMTW reported that Al's Variety on Pleasant Hill Road was expecting business from trail users.
Fall Dates on This Stretch
The Eastern Trail Alliance has filled its fall calendar with events on the Saco-to-Scarborough section:
- Full Moon Strolls through the Scarborough Marsh on October 25, November 25 and December 23. The October stroll starts at the Pine Point Parking Area, 138 Pine Point Road. It is free, requires registration, has a 35-person cap, and does not allow pets. For the November and December strolls, the Alliance says registration is required and opening soon.
- Bike & Brew, fall edition, a free, socially paced ride of 12 to 15 miles that starts and ends at Allagash Bungalow, 10 Market Street in Scarborough. The event page lists two different dates, October 17 in the heading and October 10 in the description, so confirm with the Alliance first.
Plans for winter are less certain. Maine Trail Finder lists snowshoeing and cross-country skiing as uses for this section. The Alliance's trail conditions page was last marked "All clear" on August 29, and it has posted no grooming or winter maintenance notice.
The Missing Pieces Are in Saco Now
With the Scarborough gap closed, the two connections the trail still lacks both start in Saco.
The first runs south. The Alliance lists a three-mile Saco–Biddeford gap it calls "Over the River," and its map shows that stretch as an on-road route. The Kennebunk off-road section picks up again behind the MaineHealth hospital on Route 111 in Biddeford.
The second is downtown. No documented off-road path links the Thornton Academy or Mill Brook trailheads to Main Street, so a ride into downtown happens on city streets. Main Street has been part of the city's own testing this year. The city's temporary pedestrian-safety demonstration added more visible crosswalk entries, shorter crossing distances and detectable warning panels at Cutts Avenue, Storer Street, and Water Street at Pepperell Square. It is scheduled to come out in November 2026.
The city is also asking for public input on what comes next. Saco's new Open Space Plan is meant to guide future parks, trails, natural areas and waterfront access, and a public listening session is set for Tuesday, October 27, at 6 p.m. at Dyer Library, 371 Main Street.
Where the Ride Ends Up
For now, the trip from the trail to downtown is a short ride or stroll on city streets, and downtown has new places to stop. Downtown Market by Swell opened in September at 206 Main Street. It is run by the owners of Swell Nitro Coffee next door, and the Press Herald reported that its 1,600-square-foot front space is split between a market and a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant. It sits in the space Vic & Whit's sandwich and wine shop held for nearly 50 years.
A few doors away are Finestkind at 17 Pepperell Square and Vita Blu at 292 Main Street, which held its grand opening last November. Saco Main Street's Pumpkin Harvest Festival is on October 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dyer Library and the CK Burns School, with a pumpkin patch, a pie-eating contest, pony rides and more than 90 vendors. That is the Saturday before the October 25 full moon stroll at the Scarborough Marsh.
Bailey Pate grew up in Saco, and our team at Maine Real Estate Co follows changes like this one closely, from new trail connections to the city's planning sessions. If you'd like to talk about how the Eastern Trail and Saco's open space plans fit with what you want from where you live, Get in Touch.