From the Mountains to the Sea
The Mountain Division Railroad ran from Ogdensburg, NY to Portland, Maine (almost 400 miles). It was completed in 1875 and used for over 100 years. Because it was no longer economically viable, rail service was discontinued in 1958 for passenger trains and 1983 for freight trains. The eastern most section, located in southwestern Maine, runs 51 miles from Fryeburg on the NH border to Portland, Maine. The mission and vision of our organization are singularly focused on advocating for the construction of a paved recreational trail from the mountains of NH/ME to Portland and the sea.
Legislation (LD404) was signed into law on 7/6/23, authorized the Maine Department of Transportation to remove the rails and ties, plan, engineer, and construct a trail until rail from Fryeburg to Standish. When completed this will connect 31 miles of new trail to the 10 miles already constructed and in use. Visit the timeline to learn more about our history.
Click below to learn more about the two open sections of the Trail.
- Standish/Gorham/Windham
- Fryeburg
🟢 4 miles - Fryeburg
🟢 6 miles - Standish, Gorham, Windham
🟠 31 miles - Standish to Fryeburg
🟠 5 miles - Windham to Westbrook
🔴 5 miles - Westbrook to Portland
Latest Trail News
June 3, 2025
🎉 Catch FOTMDT at These Summer Events! ☀️
We’re excited to be attending several awesome events this summer—come say hi, learn more about what we do, and grab some FOTMDT t-shirts and hats! 👕🧢
📍 Founders Day
🗓 June 28th | ⏰ 9am–3pm
📌 Richville Library, Standish
👉 FMI HERE
📍 Standish Spectacular
🗓 August 2nd | ⏰ 1:30pm
📌 Standish Memorial Park, Standish
👉 FMI HERE
📍 Brownfield Old Homes Day
🗓 August 9th | ⏰ 9am–4pm
📌 Brownfield Community Center, 90 Main St, Brownfield
We can’t wait to see you there! 🎈
May 12, 2025
🌼 Spring is Here – and So is Our Latest Newsletter! 🌼
We’re excited to share Issue #4 – Spring 2025 of the Friends of the Mountain Division Trail Newsletter! 🚲🌲
In this issue:
✅ Big updates on the future of the trail – including construction plans for 2027
✅ Highlights from Valley Pride Day and our amazing cleanup volunteers
✅ Important reminders about rail safety this spring
✅ Upcoming community events like Chalk the Trail in Windham (May 18) & Fryeburg (June 1)
✅ A sneak peek at our new FOTMDT gear – coming soon!
👏 Thank you to everyone who supports our mission to make the Mountain Division Trail a safe, beautiful, and accessible place for all. Let’s keep the momentum going!
📬 Read the full newsletter here: www.fotmdt.org/newsletters
Our Mission is to work with the nine communities along the Mountain Division Rail corridor, Maine Department of Transportation, and other organizations and stakeholders to create a safe, welcoming, contiguous trail that connects existing paved portions of the trail to provide for active transportation and recreation opportunities from Fryeburg to Portland.
We envision communities along the Mountain Division Line connected by trails that are safe and welcoming for active transportation and recreation, improve the health and well-being of residents and visitors, create economic benefit for Southern and Western Maine, and further connect to a network of trails across Maine and beyond.
The Friends of the Mountain Division Trail is composed of Mountain Division line community stakeholders.
Community Partners
Contact us to become a Community or Business Partner