Built on Trust: The Long Game Behind The Katahdin Region’s Emerging Trail Networks

Maine Trails Program Grant at work in Northern Maine

Major trail networks aren’t built on single windfalls - they are built over time with stacked capital investments and deep community trust. Outdoor Sport Institute’s (OSI) recent success in Northern Maine proves exactly how powerful a diverse funding mix can be. By pairing a $1 million federal grant with a $250,000 Maine Trails Program (MTP) award, OSI has secured the vital state and federal pieces needed to accelerate a synchronized regional network known as Katahdin Area Trails (KAT). 
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This strategic capital stack is the engine behind the massive buzz currently surrounding the Katahdin Area Trails initiative. Between the communities of Island Falls, Millinocket, and Patten, an interconnected series of projects is underway to expand regional trail networks and build out community features. Led by OSI, the effort marks a major milestone for the new, bond-funded Maine Trails Program administered by the Bureau of Parks and Lands, showcasing exactly how state support can integrate with federal dollars to transform a region. 

​OSI will use the MTP funds to construct 1.6 miles of new shared-use track at Hammond Ridge, rehabilitate a key connector trail in the Millinocket community trail system, and carve out 2 miles of beginner singletrack in Island Falls starting this year. In early July, we talked with Mike Smith, Executive Director of OSI, to learn more about the nonprofit’s trail work in these communities and how they successfully secured significant federal and state funding for trail work in rural Maine.
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