Four Seasons Adventure Trail

Maine

17 Reviews

View Trail Map
View Map
Print
Complete
Favorite
Send to App

Register for free!

Register for free with TrailLink today!

We're a non-profit all about helping you enjoy the outdoors
  • View over 40,000 miles of trail maps
  • Share your trail photos
  • Save your own favorite trails
  • Learn about new trails near you
  • Leave reviews for trails
  • Add new and edit existing trails

Four Seasons Adventure Trail Facts

States: Maine
Counties: Penobscot, Piscataquis
Length: 29.9 miles
Trail end points: Fairview Ave. (Dover-Foxcroft) and 23 Spring St. (Newport)
Trail surfaces: Crushed Stone, Dirt, Sand
Trail category: Rail-Trail
ID: 6016087

Four Seasons Adventure Trail Description

Overview

The Four Seasons Adventure Trail skirts several scenic lakes as it passes through forests and farmland, linking Newport, Corinna, Dexter, and Dover-Foxcroft in central Maine. The trail experiences frequent ATV use on summer weekends, mountain bikers and horseback riders share the trail in warmer months, and snowmobilers and cross-country skiers appear when the snow flies. Snowshoeing and dogsledding are also permitted. 

About the Route

The Four Season Adventure Trail heads south away from the northern endpoint in Dover-Foxcroft and crosses the old railroad bridge that spans the Piscataquis River. On its way to Newport, the trail winds through 11 miles of largely interrupted woods dotted with infrequent farms. 

Exiting the dense woods, the trail passes by Lake Wassookeag (which means "shining water") and trail users may be able to spot boaters and swimmers in the summertime. Soon after, the trail approaches Dexter, an old mill town and the former home of the shoe manufacturer of the same name, offering cafés, groceries, and shady parks for resting. It’s easy to wander a couple of blocks east of the trail on Center Street to Water Street, where trail users can find the Historical Society museum housed in an old gristmill with a period home and schoolhouse nearby.

The next section of the trail plunges back into the woods following Dexter. The last, southernmost section of the trail offers a glimpse of a reservoir on the Sebasticook River and then heads into the old mill town of Corinna, where an antique shop, general store, and café offer distractions. The imposing brick building with a clock tower and belfry, a couple of blocks away, is the Free Library, built in 1898 and easily the most eye-catching landmark. 2.5 miles south, the trail crosses the 4,000-acre Sebasticook Lake. Although this area may seem remote, wooden stakes used in prehistoric fish traps discovered at the north end of the lake in the 1990s show that people lived here some 3,000 years ago. Today the lake is stocked with largemouth bass and crappie.

The southernmost section of the trail passes through the business district of Newport before coming to the trail's southern endpoint near Spring St.

 

Trail History

The Four Seasons Adventure Trail follows the old railbed of the Dexter and Newport Railroad, which blazed north in 1868. The Maine Central Railroad leased the line and then extended it northward to Foxcroft in 1889. A transporter of wood products, the railway became known as the Foxcroft Branch. Maine Central ceased operations on the branch in 1993, setting the stage for the state’s purchase of the corridor for recreational use. It has been known variously as the Moosehead Trail and the Newport/Dover-Foxcroft Trail before the adoption of the Four Seasons Adventure Trail name.

Parking and Trail Access

The Four Seasons Adventure Trail runs between Fairview Ave. (Dover-Foxcroft) and 23 Spring St. (Newport).

Parking is available at:

  • 1001 W Main St. (Dover-Foxcroft)
  • 177 Moosehead Trail (Moosehead)

See TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.



Four Seasons Adventure Trail Reviews

Beautiful Ride

Lots of bright yellow and gold foliage today on a wide flat trail. Some areas had washouts that were clearly marked. Overall it was a fantastic ride.

Scenic ride

Scenic ride

fun!

Rode this on a Friday with our gravel bikes; very few people; well-maintained with plenty of room for the ATVs we met to pass.

Extremely disappointing

Last weekend we did this so-called shared trail (bikes, hikers, horses, 4 wheelers). Unless you like to inhale the whiff of gasoline from ATVs and the din of their engines, avoid this trail like the plague. We had the bad idea of ¿¿doing this trail back and forth...I believe we must have passed at least 60 ATVs. If some drivers showed civility, by slowing down when they passed us, the majority demonstrated that the words civility and courtesy are not even part of their vocabulary. They make it clear to you that you are not welcome on THEIR path. The majority pass by you without slowing down and I do not recommend this trail for families with young children for obvious reasons. In addition, it is a very rocky trail that requires at least a hybrid bike with good tires, or even a mountain bike.

I'm trying to find a positive to this trail but even trying to be objective I can't find one. There are no infractrustures (no picnic tables, no toilets, nothing). I imagine my review is going to be deleted as it probably won't appeal to everyone but until then hopefully it helps other people not to waste their time on this tasteless trail.

Nearby Trails

Go Unlimited Today!

  • FREE Account
  • View over 40,000 miles of trail maps
  • Post your trail reviews
  • Share your trail photos
  • Save your favorite trails
  • Learn about new trails near you
  • Get a free map in the app!
Register for FREE
  •  
Purchase Unlimited