Down East Sunrise Trail
Down East Sunrise Trail is an 87-mile, multi-use corridor built on an inactive rail bed in eastern Maine, managed by the Sunrise Trail Coalition. It’s set up as a year-round backcountry route with gentle grades and an unpaved trail surface, and it connects eastern Maine to the East Coast Greenway.
Route character is rail-trail consistent: wide, compact riding/walking tread that’s primarily gravel/crushed stone. The corridor is used by hikers and walkers, cyclists, horseback riders, and also by winter users such as cross-country skiers, with ATVs and snowmobiles permitted where conditions allow.
The route is commonly divided into three long sections from west to east. Western Trail runs from Washington Junction toward Cherryfield and passes through forestland and marsh country including the Schoodic Bog; Central Trail runs Cherryfield to Machias and tracks along the Narraguagus and Machias river corridors; Eastern Trail runs Machias to Ayers Junction with frequent bridge crossings over coastal salmon rivers and streams.
For long-distance planning, the trail can be accessed from many road crossings along its length, with well-known trailhead/parking options at Washington Junction (Hancock), Franklin (ME Route 182), Sullivan (ME Route 183/Tunk Lake Road), Cherryfield (North Street), Columbia Falls (Tibbettstown Road), Machias (US Route 1), East Machias (US Route 1 and ME Route 191), Dennysville (ME Route 86), and Ayers Junction near Pembroke (ME Route 214).
Historically, the corridor follows the Calais Branch Railroad corridor. The rail line began service in 1898 (passenger and freight), became part of the Maine Central Railroad in 1911, later closed, and the railbed was acquired in 1987—after which rail-trail construction progressed from an initial opening in 2009 to completion of the final Ellsworth segment in 2016.
Wildlife and wetland ecosystems are a core part of the experience on this trail system—moose, beavers, eagles, wild turkeys, and white-tailed deer are associated with the landscape the corridor passes through. Spring “mud season” can bring temporary restrictions that change what users can do and where, so plan around seasonal closures if you’re going outside peak summer conditions.
More information: Official website, Map, Down East Sunrise Trail - Maine Trail Finder