This specific trail project was the brainchild of Scott Hoisington, Alpine Operations Certificate Coordinator and Director of Snowsports. In the fall of 2018, a practicum project was created in order to facilitate designated trail development. We are currently in the process of creating a year-round trail system that covers dozens of acres in close proximity to the Sandy River plain. Trails are currently located in the forest area adjacent to the athletic fields on Front Street near the ITS snowmobile trail. We also have developed loops of trails for all activities. They are located in a rolling field behind UMF’s soccer field. These trails were developed, mapped, bush hogged, maintained, given names, and have become very popular for a range of outdoor experiences. Approximately a dozen trails currently connect common spaces. In addition to the trail system, there are two beaches located along the Sandy River. Our long-term goal is to offer some Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant trails and a demonstration/information site of trail builders.
During 2019, the project expanded with generous grant funding from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund to establish ADA-compliant kiosks and signage, through a grant project proposed by Hoisington and Dr. Gina Oswald, Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Services. Over the summer of 2020, Drs. Matt McCourt and Jessie Minor engaged their First Year Seminar students in a mapping exercise with accessibility for users with vision and mobility impairments in mind. In addition, Oswald’s students in the REH 222 Mindfulness in the Helping Professions course (spring and summer 2021) were enlisted to develop nature-based meditation recordings and trail-specific mindfulness activities. As well, Oswald’s students in the REH 120 Introduction to Social Services course were able to volunteer on the trail project by designing ADA-compliant information signs.
As of the fall of 2021, the High Peaks Alliance was able to secure additional funding from the Northern Forest Center to construct the first fully accessible trail for Franklin County within the Prescott Fields trail system. Beginning at the south end of Front Street, the accessible trail meanders through a silver maple forest leading to a local swimming hole on the Sandy river. From here, the trail continues on to connect to the public parking area near the Narrow Gauge Cinemas. The trail is six feet wide, with a surface of crushed rock, providing a firm and stable surface for individuals with wheelchairs and mobility issues, older adults, and families with strollers and small children. The trail was built to meet national standards and provide gentle grades. The maximum grade is a section of about 200 feet long at 7.5% grade.