Maine Island Trail
Encyclopedia
The Maine Island Trail is a 375-mile-long waterway along the coast of Maine
that connects approximately 190 islands and mainland sites available for day visits or overnight camping. The trail is operated by the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA), a non-profit organization based in Portland, Maine
with almost 3,800 members. Through partnerships with the State of Maine, as well as land trusts, non-profit organizations, and generous private property owners, MITA ensures access to these sites for visitors in kayak
s, sailboats, motorboats, and other watercraft. In exchange for access, MITA members agree to visitation guidelines set by the island owners and provide a wide range of stewardship services including island monitoring and management by trained volunteers and 10 organized regional island cleanups each year. In this way, the Association removes several hundred bags of trash from the islands each year, the great majority of which has washed ashore.
The annual MITA guidebook, distributed in the spring to MITA members, describes the location of each site on the trail. The trail guide is now online, with password access for MITA members. The online guide offers content in real time including weather and tide information, as well as nautical charts, put-in and pump-out locales and regional histories.
The trail was established in 1988 and has since been recognized as the first recreational water trail
in North America. The trail begins at Maine's border with New Hampshire and ends in Machias, Maine, with an additional collection of ten islands in the Passamaquoddy/New Brunswick region of Canada. Travelers are generally encouraged to explore the trail by region, with careful consideration of their navigational expertise, watercraft, and seamanship.
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
that connects approximately 190 islands and mainland sites available for day visits or overnight camping. The trail is operated by the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA), a non-profit organization based in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
with almost 3,800 members. Through partnerships with the State of Maine, as well as land trusts, non-profit organizations, and generous private property owners, MITA ensures access to these sites for visitors in kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
s, sailboats, motorboats, and other watercraft. In exchange for access, MITA members agree to visitation guidelines set by the island owners and provide a wide range of stewardship services including island monitoring and management by trained volunteers and 10 organized regional island cleanups each year. In this way, the Association removes several hundred bags of trash from the islands each year, the great majority of which has washed ashore.
The trail was established in 1988 and has since been recognized as the first recreational water trail
Water trail
Water trails or Blueways are marked routes on navigable waterways such as rivers, lakes, canals and coastlines for people using small non-motorized boats such as kayaks, canoes, rafts, or rowboats. Some trails may be suitable for float tubing...
in North America. The trail begins at Maine's border with New Hampshire and ends in Machias, Maine, with an additional collection of ten islands in the Passamaquoddy/New Brunswick region of Canada. Travelers are generally encouraged to explore the trail by region, with careful consideration of their navigational expertise, watercraft, and seamanship.