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The Papermill Trail celebrates the heritage of mills in the development of the town of Lisbon and the surrounding area while providing an easy, pleasant 4-mile trail experience for users of all abilities. The trail also serves as a transportation link between the town center and the community of Lisbon Falls, passing two schools and several access points and parking areas.
About the Route
Inadequate signage can make finding the start of the trail next to the Sabattus River at Village Street near Lisbon Street a challenge. The trail crosses the Sabattus River on the sidewalk of a bridge with a striking view of a three-story, 160-year-old woolen mill that’s been transformed into apartments. The off-road portion begins after the bridge and follows Upland Road and Mill Street while passing through open fields and farmland on a section also known as the Ricker Farm Trail.
About 1.2 miles from the start, the trail veers toward the Lisbon Community School and passes through a more wooded and scenic area for the rest of the way. The trail follows the Sabattus River across slightly undulating—but rarely steep—terrain. Remnants of a bridge built as part of mill-related development are visible shortly after the trail comes within view of the river.
About 0.6 miles past the bridge ruins the trail reaches Miller Park, where the Sabattus River meets the much wider Androscoggin River. There’s parking, a boat launch, and a trail information panel here. The trail goes left, running along inactive tracks that historically carried trains on the Maine Central Railroad’s Rumford Branch. This newest section of the trail to Lisbon Falls, also known as the Androscoggin River Trail, is less densely wooded and reveals open sections of wildflowers with unobstructed views of the river.
These river sections are popular with birders, who find warblers, indigo buntings, and vireos in the woods and fields, as well as herons and waterfowl in the river. Bald eagles and osprey are often spotted here.
The 1.8-mile section along the Androscoggin River ends shortly after passing the Lisbon High School football stadium in the community of Lisbon Falls, the childhood home of horror writer Stephen King. There’s no parking lot at the trailhead. Food is available at nearby restaurants, including a pub in the old railroad depot on Lisbon Street.
If you arrive during the second weekend in July, be prepared for crowds in town for the annual Moxie Festival. The event celebrates a regional soft drink that got its start as a patent medicine in the 19th century and whose advertising added the word moxie (meaning “force of character or determination”) to the English language.
The Papermill Trail runs between Village St. (Lisbon), where parking is available, and Blethen St. (Lisbon Falls).
Parking is also available at:
These are approximate addresses, please see TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
Really enjoyed our ebike ride to and from beginning to end and back. Easy parking right over the bridge from Mill apartments on the left! So well maintained, scenic and safe feeling for 2 seniors. Delicious pizza in Lisbon Falls.
Beautiful scenery and easy walk.
I love walking on the trails, I started walking there a year ago, its helped me to build my strength and lungs from struggling with long covid, its quiet and peaceful, but I'm afraid the allowing of atvs is going to ruin that, ill see how it goes but if the atvs ruin the peaceful surroundings ill be looking for another peaceful place.
Beautiful trail! Met a fellow bicycle rider from New Jersey who helped encourage me through the rain!
We began the trail at Miller's Park also known as the Papermill Trail. Nice and easy, great asphalt path
Recommend parking at Capital Ave (in the middle of trail) then bike each way. We stopped at School, but trail continues on/along road to Lisbon. There is a nice picnic table near Capital Ave parking lot, right along the river. The section between Davis St and the boat launch is right along the river and has an A+ scenic rating. Trail is lots of short up and down hills, probably not flat more than 50% of the way. Past the boat launch is a significant wooded uphill about 1/2 mile, we didn't need a rest but casual bikers will. That section is not recommended for small children that won't know how to brake. Bring a picnic and enjoy the short trail. No street crossings on the recommended section. p.s. I don't think this is a rail trail, though it goes roughly parallel to track.
I love this trail. Its quiet. Along river. Can here the wildlife. All ages out and about. Biking. walking. jogging. strollers. Next to a dairy joy👍
June 9, 2016; This paved trail is a gem for those who live in the surrounding Lisbon area. There are multiple lots to park easily, as the guide suggests. It was my first rail trail, since I have started to take riding more seriously. Great trail, new pavement, beautiful landscape and river, very pleasant folks and no obstacles on any part of the trail. I was able to carve out 8.3 miles (biked the trail twice and added a couple investigative turnouts). I would highly recommend it to others and will do it again, if I find myself in that area. Happy trails!
As of May 2016: A little hilly, pebbly, and some rough pavement north of the park means this would be tough for inline skating novices; ok for experienced skaters, but had to use brakes quite a bit. A couple of sharp turns at bottoms of hills in places. Nice pavement south of the park but a little pebbly (edges of trail have some kind of fine crushed stone that tends to get on the trail) and still some hills. Far northern sections along road were fairly smooth but got kind of narrow at the stream crossing so we turned around there. Scenic and pleasant trail - but not a cruiser.
This trail is worth traveling to even though it is relatively short because it is a really outstanding trail. I haven't done the section north of the school yet because I knew it was right alongside a road but the section along the river is excellent. The asphalt is in great shape. There are lots of rushing river views right from the trail but there are also dirt trails that go off of the trail right down to the water where kids (or adults!) can go in and play around. I prefer biking but I have walked this trail because of its short length. Now though, they have just finished a directly adjoining paved trail along the Androscoggin River to bring the total length to 3.35 miles so next time I will probably bring my bike and do the new part as well as the part through fields north of the school for a nice short ride of almost 7 miles round-trip.
This is the one trail in a 50 mile radius that is consistently been sought out by trail goers. I'm always impressed by the many different scenic vistas the Lisbon Trails System affords you in a 5 mile walk. I love Lisbon Trails!
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