Dix
Feb 13, 2009, 11:16 AM
ITS-89 in southern part of the state has been re-routed from last year due to landowner issues in Hollis.
If you were headed south you used to cross the Rt.11 bridge in Steep Falls (Standish) go down through Limington into Hollis & pick up the powerline that goes down to Lebanon.
Now, the trail from south to north stays on the powerline from Lebanon all the way into Gorham (except to cross the Rt4A bridge across the Saco River) where it picks up the railbed that is the state "multi-use trail", following that from Gorham to Steep Falls.
Problem is, signage in the Standish & Gorham area is p*ss-poor, & it's not hard to get off-track.
Going north isn't TOO bad... but there's one place that can get confusing... when you get to the end of the trail on the powerline in Gorham there's just an ITS-89 marker with no direction on whether to go right or left. If you didn't know that you have to pick up the railbed you wouldn't know that you have to follow that sign to the left... the trail then picks up the railbed at the Rt.237 crossing in White Rock.
Now, should you be unfortunate enough to be headed south, and don't know your way around the area... well, you're completely SOL.
Coming into Steep Falls you'll be directed down the railbed to the left now.... OK, no problem... down the railbed you go... and go... and go... you won't see another 89 marker until you get to the boat launch at Sebago Lake's Lower Bay... near 10 miles before you find out you're still on the right track... then after you cross Rt.35 you will come to another ITS-89 marker at an intersection in the park by Otter Ponds... do you go right, left, or stay on the railbed?... Can I have a clue?.... Can I buy a vowel????
Well... you DO stay on the railbed... about 5 more miles down the railbed you'll cross Rt.202 in S.Windham and just have that feeling that you have lost the trail... you're right, you did... back when you crossed Rt.237... but there are NO SIGNS at that crossing to tell you to get off the railbed.
At the railbed/road crossing on Rt.237 there's a field to the right where you can see a lot of sled traffic has gone... IF you're looking hard enough for it.
If you're just riding down the railbed on a sled you'll miss that fact, as the entrance to the field from the road is kind of hidden by a treeline... and again, if you're headed up or down the railbed there is NO SIGN that you need to go to the field to stay on ITS-89... it's only if you're headed north on ITS-89 that you'd find a sign just as you are getting out of the field that you need to turn up the railbed to go 89-north... which, again, is something you can't see from the railbed.
So, from Steep Falls all the way to Lebanon you basically run the railbed and the powerline for the most part... besides the Rt.4A/Saco River crossing in Buxton/Hollis the only other river you have to cross is the Mousam down by Sanford... so it may do another "loop" off the powerline to use the Rt.11 bridge there.
I guess the good part of all this is that the powerline & the state multi-use trail aren't ever likely to be shut-down from landowner issues... but the re-route in the Gorham & Sebago Lake areas need to be marked better.
Image 1 - ITS-89 from Bridgton to Gorham
Image 2 - Waypoints where ITS-89 crosses roads from railbed to powerline.
Image 2 - Rt.4A/Saco River crossing to and from powerline (marked as waypoints at road crossings)
If you were headed south you used to cross the Rt.11 bridge in Steep Falls (Standish) go down through Limington into Hollis & pick up the powerline that goes down to Lebanon.
Now, the trail from south to north stays on the powerline from Lebanon all the way into Gorham (except to cross the Rt4A bridge across the Saco River) where it picks up the railbed that is the state "multi-use trail", following that from Gorham to Steep Falls.
Problem is, signage in the Standish & Gorham area is p*ss-poor, & it's not hard to get off-track.
Going north isn't TOO bad... but there's one place that can get confusing... when you get to the end of the trail on the powerline in Gorham there's just an ITS-89 marker with no direction on whether to go right or left. If you didn't know that you have to pick up the railbed you wouldn't know that you have to follow that sign to the left... the trail then picks up the railbed at the Rt.237 crossing in White Rock.
Now, should you be unfortunate enough to be headed south, and don't know your way around the area... well, you're completely SOL.
Coming into Steep Falls you'll be directed down the railbed to the left now.... OK, no problem... down the railbed you go... and go... and go... you won't see another 89 marker until you get to the boat launch at Sebago Lake's Lower Bay... near 10 miles before you find out you're still on the right track... then after you cross Rt.35 you will come to another ITS-89 marker at an intersection in the park by Otter Ponds... do you go right, left, or stay on the railbed?... Can I have a clue?.... Can I buy a vowel????
Well... you DO stay on the railbed... about 5 more miles down the railbed you'll cross Rt.202 in S.Windham and just have that feeling that you have lost the trail... you're right, you did... back when you crossed Rt.237... but there are NO SIGNS at that crossing to tell you to get off the railbed.
At the railbed/road crossing on Rt.237 there's a field to the right where you can see a lot of sled traffic has gone... IF you're looking hard enough for it.
If you're just riding down the railbed on a sled you'll miss that fact, as the entrance to the field from the road is kind of hidden by a treeline... and again, if you're headed up or down the railbed there is NO SIGN that you need to go to the field to stay on ITS-89... it's only if you're headed north on ITS-89 that you'd find a sign just as you are getting out of the field that you need to turn up the railbed to go 89-north... which, again, is something you can't see from the railbed.
So, from Steep Falls all the way to Lebanon you basically run the railbed and the powerline for the most part... besides the Rt.4A/Saco River crossing in Buxton/Hollis the only other river you have to cross is the Mousam down by Sanford... so it may do another "loop" off the powerline to use the Rt.11 bridge there.
I guess the good part of all this is that the powerline & the state multi-use trail aren't ever likely to be shut-down from landowner issues... but the re-route in the Gorham & Sebago Lake areas need to be marked better.
Image 1 - ITS-89 from Bridgton to Gorham
Image 2 - Waypoints where ITS-89 crosses roads from railbed to powerline.
Image 2 - Rt.4A/Saco River crossing to and from powerline (marked as waypoints at road crossings)