New Manchester Trail connects to Hallowell Recreation Area

MANCHESTER – Cyclists and hikers in Manchester now enjoy a walking and mountain biking loop trail that connects to the Hallowell Recreation Area, known as “The RES”.

About a dozen people participated in the creation and design of the trail, called the “Kerns Hill Connector”. This included a team of three to four people responsible for constructing the trail, assistance from members of the Manchester Conservation Commission, and a design from Chris Riley, president of the Central Maine Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association.

Garry hinkley, who is a member of the Manchester Selection, is a member of the Central Maine section of the New England Mountain Bike Association and an advisory member of the Manchester Conservation Commission, said the idea to build the trail came recently, when the city ​​has acquired a plot of land. The site in Manchester Town Forest was tax-acquired property.

Hinkley said the project cost around $ 17,500. It was primarily funded by the city, with the help of a National Park Service grant of $ 2,500.

Construction on the 1.5 mile loop began in mid-May but took longer than expected due to rain issues and some of the trail crew moving to other projects. Hinkley said the actual build time was around four weeks.

No large trees were felled and old skidding trails were used to help create the new trail. The bulk of the project was to create five bridges, two short bridges and three bridges long enough to cross wet and swampy areas.

“Moving the materials from the bridges was quite a business,” he said, adding that the volunteers literally carried bridge materials to the job site.

The completed trail area connects directly to Hallowell’s ‘RES’, which itself contains 4.5 miles of single track trails specifically designed for mountain biking and hiking.

Garry Hinckley rides a tired mountain bike on Tuesday in the newly constructed trail area off Kerns Hill Road in Manchester. Joe Phelan / Journal Kennebec

Riley said in a press release that trail use has increased significantly since the construction of the Kerns Hill Connector.

“Adding more adjacent trails in Manchester will relieve some of the pressure on ‘The RES’ and provide a more enjoyable and rewarding experience,” said Riley. “Our track team did a great job. I asked them to be creative with the layout of the trail and especially with the many bridges they’ve built, and they didn’t disappoint. So far, the feedback on the KHC has been overwhelmingly positive.

Looking ahead, Hinkley said the city hopes to expand the trail network by building on two more plots of land in the forests of Manchester Town.

“This is actually the first phase of a multi-part process,” Hinkley said. “We are submitting a request very soon to see if we can build the rest of the trails next year.”

He said Julie isbill, project leader of the National Park Service’s Rivers, Pathways and Conservation Assistance Program, was a great help in the first phase of the project, and that she had also worked with Hallowell for similar projects.

Looking ahead, he said Isbill is helping the city secure a grant to help fund the conversion of the two additional plots to trails.

The estimated cost of this second phase, according to Hinkley, is around $ 50,000.

“We expect it to be very popular,” Hinkley said of the recently completed Kerns Hill connector. “I think people are going to like to use it. It is a good place to take a nature walk and it offers additional access to the existing trail network. We were happy to be able to do so.

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