Biking is of course a common activity in the warmer months in Maine, and every town and city has its own bike paths.
Casco Bay
Join
Summer Feet Cycling for one of their fun and active tours. Learn all about Portland from the seat of a bicycle. Choose to visit Portland’s Lighthouses on the ½ day 5 Lighthouse Bicycle Tour or Discover Island Living on the Exploring Casco Bay Tour.
Bicycling in Portland
Portland’s popularity as a place to live and visit is due to its charm, food, arts scene, and access to outdoor recreation. Casco Bay provides unlimited opportunities to enjoy the ocean while many lakes and mountains are within an easy drive. Portland has a very active bike culture and many great places to ride. Here is a list of popular cycling routes.
Great for Families with Children
The Eastern Promenade Trail. The eastern prom trail runs for 2.1 miles each way along the shores of Casco Bay and then connects to the Back Cove Trail (this loop trail is 3.5 miles in length). The entire ride is on bike paths and along the water.
The Cape Elizabeth Loop
This ride follows the shore of Casco Bay to Portland’s Lighthouses, through the farmland of Cape Elizabeth with an optional ride to Portland area beaches. Detailed route notes are available from the State of Maine’s bike tour site or if you are seeking a guided and van supported tour check out Summer Feet Cycling’s 5 Lighthouse Tour.
The East Coast Greenway
The East Coast Greenway is a 2500 mile route from the Canadian border to Key West. The goal is for the route to be entirely on bike paths. The route is mapped and well signed and provides the opportunity to explore south of Portland. You ride the Greenway (out and back) down to Old Orchard Beach, a beautiful beach surrounded by an outdoor arcade and carnival type games about 40 miles round trip. Looking for a longer ride? Cycle all the way down to Kennebunkport about 85 miles round trip. Route notes are available from the East Coast Greenway Website.
island biking
A couple of fun options for cycling north of Portland offer great cycling and a ferry ride.
The Chebeague Island
The largest island in Casco Bay, cycling Chebeague offers a fun glimpse of island life. There are a couple of hills but the island is a good family ride. There are 2 ways to cycle Chebeague.
Catch the mail boat from Casco Bay Lines and cruise among the islands of Casco Bay. On Chebeague spend the day exploring the island, it is approximately 10 miles around the island, and return to Portland via the Casco Bay ferry. Summer Feet Cycling offers a self guided package featuring bike rentals, ferry tickets and a gift card towards lunch at the award winning Chebeague Island Inn.
Chebeague Island, Cousins Island, and Falmouth
This version includes a little more cycling. Like the other Chebeague Island Tour, this tour begins by riding the Casco Bay Ferry to Chebeague Island. After cycling on Chebeague you hop a ferry to Cousins Island and then cycle back on the mainland to Portland. Total mileage 26 miles
Bailey Island
Located near the town of Brunswick, Bailey Island is a popular summer destination. From Portland to Bailey Island is a 45 mile ride. Get an early start, stop for a lobster roll and catch the 2:00 pm Casco Bay Ferry back to Portland.
Bike Rentals
Summer Feet Cycling offers hybrid, road, and tandem bicycles for rent. Rentals include bike, helmet and a lock. Many local bike shops also offer bike rentals.
Mountain Biking
There are number of places to mountain bike in and around Portland. Thank you to Jim Tasse of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine for providing this information. Many of the Portland Trails trails allow mountain biking, most of the rides are fairly short but very scenic. Some more popular options are:
The Evergreen Cemetery (easy)
Established in 1855, Evergreen Cemetery ‘s 239 acres make it the second- largest cemetery in Maine . It has a number of noteworthy headstones and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The cemetery has a park area with four ponds and a network of wooded trails. Maps are available at the cemetery office, which is open 7:00a.m. – 3:30p.m. weekdays. The cemetery is open daily 7:00a.m.-4:30p.m
The cemetery features a network of moderately sloping trails, some paved, others left natural. Trails connect across Stevens Avenue to Baxter Woods.
The Fore River Sanctuary (easy to moderate)
This 85-acre preserve is the home of Jewell Falls, Portland‘s only natural waterfall, as well as the site of the former Cumberland and Oxford Canal. The lowland area, where salt and freshwater marsh meet, provides great bird-watching opportunities. Red oak and white pine contribute to a habitat for many songbirds and small mammals in the upland area. The land around the falls was donated to Portland Trails by the family of Tom Jewell, one of Portland Trails’ founders. Open from dawn to dusk, year-round.
15 Minutes from Portland
· Cape Elizabeth Greenbelt Trails, Winnick’s Woods, Cross Hill (Moderate to Advanced)
o Trail Maps
· Falmouth Open Space Trails, Blackstrap Preserve) (Moderate to Advanced)
o Trail Maps
30 Minutes from Portland
· Bradbury State Park (Pownal, all levels)
· Edwin Smith Preserve (all levels)
· Clifford Park (Biddeford)
Acadia National Park
Acadia is famous for its carriage trails that wind up and down hills and in and out of beaches and coastline views. Affordable bike rentals are available throughout the state. With its beautiful scenery, bike-friendly roads and shared-use paths, Maine is a great place to cycle. In the mountains, along the coast, through the woods and over the beautiful byways in between, cyclists of all ages and skill levels find that cycling in Maine is a great experience.
The Maine Bike Book
The Maine DOT has created a book with 33 loop bicycle tours which provides turn by turn directions, points of interest, safety tips, etc. Featured in the book is Tour #13 which is located in the Greater Portland Region. The 9-mile loop takes you out to Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park where you can see the rocky coast. The 16-mile loop explores the back roads in the Freeport area and goes by the Maine Audubon Mast Landing Sanctuary.
Tour # 14 concentrates on scenic 22-mile+ and 30-mile+ rides have three different starting points and then take similar routes, offering a quintessential view of coastal Maine. Portland has a working waterfront and a picturesque shopping district. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this was once a busy shipping port. From Portland, cyclists cross over the Fore River on the Casco Bay Bridge and head out toward the coast with opportunities to stop along the way at state and municipal parks with lovely sand beaches, historic lighthouses, and two interesting lighthouse museums. The 30-mile+ ride takes you to Prouts Neck, where artist Winslow Homer lived and painted.
Be sure to check out Explore Maine by Bike for these tours and so many more that will take you throughout the state on your own two wheels!