KELT - Bittner Project

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) is poised to obtain a significant parcel in West Bath that contains an extensive trail network with both single and double track trails. The Bittner Property project represents an urgent opportunity to protect well-used and loved multi-use trails and ecologically significant habitat in rapidly developing West Bath.

KELT has been a steadfast partner to the mountain biking community for over fifteen years. These ongoing collaborations include KELT’s Lilly Pond Community Forest (just north of the Bittner Property and within the same interconnected 20+ mile trail network) and the Whiskeag Trail (a 5-mile long non-motorized, multi-use trail through north Bath linking private, City-owned, and KELT lands, like Thorne Head and Sewall Woods Preserves).  Fiscal support for this acquisition  further emphasizes the commitment of the riding community.

Right now, our support is especially important! As riders, we understand the value and vision of land protection projects. It can be a complex process but with incredibly worthwhile outcomes. By conserving the Bittner Property, we could protect access to over three miles of existing ATV and mountain biking trails with opportunities to sustainably manage and expand access to intriguing new, rideable landscapes. KELT led stewardship of the property opens doors to exploring novel and exciting opportunities to create trailheads in West Bath and Bath for riders and new visitors to enjoy.

Being able to continue enjoying access to the Bittner Property trails —the undulation and meander, steep climbs and rugged descents, group rides and solitude— benefits not only our chapter of riders but the wider community by protecting and expanding access to this special, wild place.  We invite you to join KELT and feel the genuine satisfaction and thrill of championing the Bittner Property project. Check out the project summary to peruse the project budget, regional map, and property features in addition to the pledge form with options on how to give to the project.

If you have questions, feel free to contact KELT’s Executive Director, Becky Kolak, at bkolak@kennebecestuary.org or 207-442-8400.

Groomed Winter Trails in South Bath

Starting in early 2020, Six Rivers NEMBA began trying out grooming some of the awesome trails in South Bath with our SnowDog. It was a lot harder than grooming the Topsham Pond trails and it proved to be every bit as fun as riding South Bath during dirt season. It was so good, that towards the end of winter in 2020, the chapter purchased a second SnowDog to make grooming South Bath more consistent.

Fast forward to this winter. We went into the season ready to go with a freshly tuned groomer and even a grooming plan. It started off great, with the large storm pre-Christmas dropping well over a foot of snow. We got it all groomed in with considerable effort only to see it all disappear within a couple days after some 60 degree temps and heavy rain. Then, it just didn’t snow almost all of January. Well, February has delivered the goods. We are currently sitting on 9ish miles of perfectly dog groomed ATV and singletrack trail, plus a few extra miles of both snowmobile groomed ATV trails and stomped/ridden in singletrack. And we are hoping to groom in more as we go and conditions allow.

So, we have some really good winter riding to share… but it seems many don’t know how to best access the trails. We had grand plans in 2021 to share the goods in South Bath with weekly group rides as a way to help folks learn the area without making it fully “public”. Then the pandemic happened and that went out the window. South Bath isn’t as well marked as some other local trails and has a decidedly more “backcountry” feel to it. Unlike Topsham Ponds (town land) or Bradbury (state park), South Bath trails are situated on a hodge podge of land trust, town and private land parcels. We have written and verbal permission to have trails on the majority of it. However, without full permission, we haven’t felt comfortable marking trails for navigation or uploading to apps like Trailforks.

All that said, times have changed and we need to figure out ways to share all the awesome we have been working on with the local riding community that has supported us. Below, you will find a map and guide of what we have groomed along with details for parking and access. We’re looking at having better trail status updates on our website moving forward so stay tuned!

3 big things to remember!

• THINK BEFORE YOU SINK - If you are punching through the groomed surface and leaving ruts because it is too soft to support you and your bike, please stop and turn around. Running fat tires at low pressures will certainly help in this regard. Skinny tires, whule great, have a narrower window of viability. Expect to be curtly “educated” by other avid trail system users who respect these trails should you not be able to grasp this very basic concept. Bring your XC skis or snowshoes with you so you have options should conditions not be ideal for biking. We put in the work so all can enjoy and will engage those who selfishly choose to ruin.

• NEVER park on Nichols Street…ever. And please don’t drive up to the end of the road to “check” on the trail. The end of the street is literally someone’s door yard and we don’t want to irritate our neighbors.

• NEVER park on Hyde School property or ride through the campus to access more traditional access points. With Covid, they are asking us to let folks know they do not want MTB folk on campus until things are more under control. Hyde gives us crucial permissions for access yo their land, so please respect their wishes.

Parking

• P1 - Fisher Mitchell School - Great parking spot for outside of school hours. Easy access to Nichols St. (E1)

• P2 - Goddard Pond - Good place to access the trails on Weekdays. When there is ice skating parking is sparse and we want to play nice with the town so please use an alternate lot if there are a lot of skaters and on the weekends. Easy access to Lily Pond (E2) and also just a short ride to Nichols St (E1) and Breezy ATV (E3) in a pinch.

• P3 - Washington St. Boat Launch - Large lot that is pretty much good to use anytime. Especially in winter. Good access to Breezy ATV (E3)

Entrance Points

• E1 - Nichols St. - Easiest access point and where we start our grooming runs presently. Please avoid lingering at the “trailhead” here and try to keep a low profile out of respect to the folks who live at the end of the road where the trail starts.

• E2 - Lily Pond - Climb the stairs from High street to access the Lily Pond Community Forest Trails. We don’t groom up to the top of the stairs but there is a ton of foot traffic via this well known access point. If you follow Marshall Way you will come across the groomed stuff less than a mile in.

• E3 - Breezy ATV - A little tricky to find but you will see tracks going in if you look right across the street from the Breezy Way private road on the east side of High Street. Please don’t use the driveway of the red house just to the south as the access point. From the High St. it’s a 2 minute walk up the hill to where we have groomed. We will be trying to groom down the hill as well in the future but it’s on the steeper side and can make it tough to groom. This access point has the quickest access to the good stuff In the southern end of the trail system.

Fall 2019 Wrap Up

Six Rivers has wrapped up another successful season of dirt with great group rides, the opening of five miles of new trail, the resurrection of a signature trail cut off by logging, tons of trail construction and maintenance performed by our members and stewards, and a series of youth clinics that had 60+ kids out riding the trails each week through the fall. As someone who has ridden this area for the last twenty years, I’d say that the quality and quantity of riding in our neck of the woods has never been better. This sort of healthy growth doesn’t just happen magically; it’s what you get when you combine a group of dedicated riders with support from NEMBA,  landowners, community organizations, businesses and municipalities. 

In October we held the official opening of the Topsham Ponds trail system, five miles of beginner terrain that weaves through pine barren on the east side of town. This collaboration with the town of Topsham and a small army of local volunteers has resulted in a quality mountain biking experience that is accessible to all skill levels, with options for adding some advanced features as the trails wear in. Three of our board members took the lead on designing and building a skills area between two trail sections that has proved popular, especially with kids.

Earlier this fall The Kennebec Esturary Land Trust (KELT), one of our key partners in Bath, completed a successful campaign to purchase a 100+ acre parcel of land in South Bath which permanently protects one of Bath’s most popular trails, Evahroney. We are so grateful to KELT for their vision and all the hard work that made the conservation of this beautiful area happen! There is talk about potentially developing more trails in this area, and Six Rivers is poised to help out with design and hard labor. We will keep you posted as things progress.

On the other side of town, board member Bill Milam cleared 6 fallen trees on the signature tech-trail Hokey Pokey. Hokey Pokey is part of a trail system in West Bath, once 7 miles long, that was devastated by a private logging project. The land was so transformed that it was unrecognizable, and we weren’t sure if any trails had survived. After getting over the initial shock, a few riders began to scout the area on foot and Hokey Pokey, 1.5 miles of wonderfully brutal riding, remained intact! If you’re looking for a place to test your balance and climbing skills and build mental fortitude, Hokey Pokey is the place for you.

And while I’m dropping trail names, you should check out our website’s newly updated trails section. We have linked all of the trails in the Six Rivers area to descriptions and stats on the trailforks website and app. You can see them all at sixriversnemba.org/trails. This is a useful tool for planning your ride if you’re not familiar with the area. Coming soon, look for a menu of some of the combinations we locals and oldtimers tend to ride over and over.

As of this writing the snow has begun to fall and our snowdog is already seeing some use. We plan to focus our fatbike grooming efforts on the Topsham Ponds Trails and Neptune Woods. If conditions allow, we also plan to give the ‘dog a try on some of Bath’s trails. We will be running a couple of regular rides through the winter. Saturdays from 10:00AM to Noon we are partnering with The Merrymeeting Wheelers Club to offer a Fat Bikes and Beer ride, with a post-ride stop at Flight Deck Brewing on the Brunswick Landing. Sundays we are hosting fat bike rides in various locations from 8:00AM to 10:00AM. Check our events page at sixriversnemba.org for up to date information and details.

If you haven’t ridden up this way before, we hope you will! If you have, we look forward to having you up here again. Either way,  see you out on the trails!

Greg Korbet cruising G2 on the Tour de South Bath. Photo: Lawrence Kovacs

Kris Haralson coaching kids on one of the 6R-built Topsham Ponds skills elements. Photo: Ernie Phillips

Topsham Ponds “Rake and Ride” session. Photo: Kris Haralson

South Bath singletrack. Photo: Alex Long

2019 Fall Riding/Hunting Season

Hey Six Rivers community! It's that time of year again when we share the woods with active hunters.

The Maine 2019 hunting season dates are:

Extended Bow Hunting Season: September 7th to December 14th

Youth Firearm Day: October 26th

Firearm Season: November 4th - November 30th

Muzzle Loader Season:December 2nd - December 14th

Hunting is permitted on a bunch of our Bath trails (even the Whiskeag), so it's important to follow these guidelines:

• Wear blaze orange all fall.

• Consider riding during the night with lights. Hunting is prohibited after sunset.

• Be courteous to hunters you encounter while out on the trails.

• Riding at dawn during hunting season is a terrible idea.

• Obey all specific closures (e.g. the Mitchell parcel/Deliverance Trail).

• The only riding area we cover that does not have any hunting is Neptune Woods, in Brunswick, so go ride there during hunting season!

Year In Review

Our first year as an official NEMBA chapter wrapped up in the spring, and it’s been a busy one! We thought you’d like to hear about what we’ve been up to, so here are some of our accomplishments and lessons. Thanks to everyone for your amazing support!

Advocacy

One of our big goals for our first year was to look at land-use permissions on the trail systems in Bath. There is a lot of good riding in Bath, and we began the work of studying maps to figure out who owns what, and contacting landowners and town offices. As of today, we have established agreements with most landowners which gives us explicit permission to ride on all but a few small sections of trail. For the most up to date list of trails that are okay to ride, go to trailforks.com or the trailforks app and check their interactive maps. 

In the fall of 2018, a small and intrepid group of Six Rivers members dismantled and removed the abandoned GMC Eagle that had been decaying on the side of one of the South Bath ATV trails for twenty years. The removal of the car vastly improved the natural setting of this spot, and the landowners were very appreciative of this work.

Collaborators

As a fledgling community organization, Six Rivers has worked hard to create and nurture connections with other local groups and businessesAll four local bike shops offer Six Rivers members discounts, and have donated products and even bicycles to the chapter for us to use for fundraising events. We are grateful for the support of Bath Cycle and Ski, Center Street Cycles, Gorham Bike and Ski and The Rusty Crank Bike Shop. 

Six Rivers is working with the towns of Topsham, Bath, West Bath and Brunswick and The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust and The Brunswick Topsham Land Trust on the creation of new trails and stewardship and promotion of existing trails. We have also partnered with both land trusts on fundraising campaigns. 

The Merrymeeting Wheelers, a local road riding organization, has been a great partner in our first year. Together we ran weekly fatbike rides throughout the winter, and their organization donated funds for the signs at the new Topsham Ponds trail system. We look forward to continued collaborations with the ‘Wheelers.

Members

The speed with which we built our constituency of over 100 members tells us that people were ready for us to start a local NEMBA chapter! We are so grateful for the groundswell of support for mountain biking from you all, and we hope we can reciprocate by creating plenty of opportunities for great riding. 

Events

We had a number of  great events this year.  In October we held the official opening of the Neptune Woods trail system in Brunswick with around 100 community members and supporters in attendance. In February we collaborated with the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust to host a snow-ride for the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend.  In March we tried our hands at our very own fatbike race on our new Topsham Ponds trails where over forty people came out to ride. Then in April we held our first annual Six Rivers Raffle and Movie night where we raffled off prizes from tens of sponsors, including bikes, frames, lights, clothes, tools, and services. It was a huge success raising more than $6,000 for the chapter. 

In July, ten of us tried something new and  joined the Bath Fourth of July Parade. We rode our bikes and carried our banner and signs letting people know about Six Rivers. It was a lot of fun, and we’ve already got ideas for some fun activities for next year to draw in the crowd --choreographed moves, wheelie competitions, track stand competitions, and maybe even a mobile trail element that we can take turns navigating.  

Trails

In our first year we completed one new trail system, nearly completed another, secured permissions for tens of miles of existing trails in Bath, and created a system for member-driven maintenance of trails. Both the Neptune Woods trail system and the Topsham Ponds Trails are aimed at more novice riders, filling a real need in our region. 

We are grateful to the scores of volunteers who have helped and continue to help us with our various projects. There is no way we could have accomplished so much in our first year without the tremendous amount of community engagement and support we received. Thank you to everyone for all your continued help!

Group Rides

During the winter of 2019 we teamed up with The Merrymeeting Wheelers to run a series of Sunday morning fat bike rides. We routinely had groups of 20+ riders for these rides, and we plan to keep these going for the coming winter. 

We are still trying to find our groove with summer group rides, but we have had good attendance with our “Rake and Ride” events on the Topsham Ponds trails. We feel confident that the group rides schedule will eventually figure itself out. We hope to eventually run rides for beginners, intermediates, women and kids. 

Tools and Equipment

Our biggest acquisition of the year was our  Snowdog grooming machine. We were able to purchase the machine after a rapid-fire fundraising campaign in December of 2018. We are forever grateful to everyone who donated to the cause! We used the Snowdog extensively throughout the winter to groom Neptune Woods and Topsham Ponds, both of which saw a lot of use. For the coming winter, we have also received permission from The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust to groom sections of the Whiskeag and Lily Pond Trails. Thanks to our volunteer grooming crew for all the huge hours they put in to keep the  trails in shape during the winter months. 

We have also built up a solid quiver of rakes, shovels, loppers, saws and leaf blowers to use for trail construction and maintenance. We currently have enough tools to outfit  a crew of around twenty people for trail work. 

Looking Ahead

We are looking forward to another great year in 2019! We have a solid group of talented board members who are committed to promoting mountain biking and trail access, and a great member-base full of engaged, enthusiastic riders. Thanks to each and every one of you for being part of the Six Rivers community. See you on the trails!

2019 Six Rivers NEMBA Spring Fundraiser

Thanks to everyone who made it out to our Spring Fundraiser! The outpouring of support from sponsors and local riders was amazing. We handed out 82 prizes, including complete bikes, a 29er frame, a hitch mount bike rack, and some beautiful packs. We raised over $5,000 with ticket sales, and received an extraordinary donation of $1,000 from Leah and John Elias. That's more than $6000 that will go directly to building and improving our trails. Look below at just some of the great folks who donated to the cause and be sure to tell them how much you appreciate their support of Six Rivers!

And lets not forget all of our awesome sponsors!

Six Rivers NEMBA 2019 Spring Fundraiser

Hey Six Rivers NEMBA community!

We are having a Fundraising BBQ/Movie/Raffle on April 6, 2019 at Two Echo Co-Housing Community, 93 Echo Rd, Brunswick. This is going be a fun event that will hopefully raise a substantial amount of money for the chapter.

We will need your help selling raffle tickets. Please contact Kurt Karwacky  kkarwacky@gmail.com for tickets and info.

We have a collection of great prizes including:

• Mountain bikes form Kona and Specialized

• Kuat bike rack

• 2 "Find Your Ride" passes from Highland Mountain Bike Park 

• Patagonia Black Hole Duffle Bag

• Smaller prizes from over 50 local and online businesses including:

  • Bath Cycle and Ski

  • Gorham Bike and Ski

  • Center Street Cycles

  • Maine Forest Yurts

  • Allagash Brewing

  • Pedro's

  • Monkey See Monkey Do

  • Gelato Fiasco

  • New England Distilling

  • Mid Coast Maine Yoga

  • The Great Impasta

  • Stan's NoTubes

  • and Niner Bikes to name a few.

Tickets are a suggested donation of $10 each and are for people 21 and over (some of the prizes are for alcoholic beverages). Tickets are also being sold at Bath Cycle and Ski, Center Street Cycles, and Gorham Bike and Ski in Brunswick.

Please help support Six Rivers NEMBA in our fundraising effort and come join us for an evening of food, friends, bikes and prizes.  Please RSVP on the Facebook page. 

Help Preserve Mountain Biking in Bath!

Have you ridden the trails in Bath? There are miles of legendary New England single and double track just minutes from downtown. The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) is raising funds to expand the Lilly Pond Community Forest.  KELT has the option to purchase 100+ acres of land that is currently owned by developers and is slated for high-density housing (see map below). They only have until March 1st, 2019 to reach their funding goal, so time is of the essence.

This property contains some of the sweetest local single track including much of Nevaroney and a portion of Six Shooter. If you can, please help support KELT in their mission to conserve this land. Any donation, large or small will help.  

KELT has been incredibly supportive of mountain biking in the region and has been a key partner in the formation of our Six Rivers NEMBA chapter. If you are a member of Six Rivers NEMBA, make sure to let KELT know when you make your donation. For more information, visit https://www.kennebecestuary.org/lpcf-expansion.

A letter from Six Rivers board member Bill Milam

Dear Fellow Riders,

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) is poised to obtain a significant parcel in south Bath that contains an extensive trail network with both single and double track. In the late 90’s when I was riding my rigid-frame Trek with center pull brakes on the ATV trails in the south end of Bath, I never dreamed we would be where we are today.

KELT has been a steadfast partner to the mountain biking community for over fifteen years.They were an integral member of Bath Trails, the municipal committee responsible for formalizing and connecting the network of informal trails along the Whiskeag Creek into the five-mile Whiskeag Trail. The “Gs” were accepted with KELT’s Lilly Pond Community Forest acquisition and expanded with G3, a popular loop around the gun turrets.

As users of the land, we can express our appreciation for these recreational privileges by supporting KELT.

Right now, our support is especially important. KELT is in the process of acquiring the 100-acre parcel abutting the Lilly Pond Community Forest immediately to the south. This property provides a better access point, a new parking area, and high value habitat in Bath and West Bath.The future of this land is uncertain without the protection the land trust can provide. Two thirds of the funds needed for the purchase have been secured, which leaves us the opportunity to help protect this valuable resource forever!

Riders as a user group can express support and gratitude for continued access to this terrain. We can participate by joining KELT and supporting this project with an outright gift or a pledge. These actions are meaningful and appreciated. Thank you for your consideration.

Bill Milam

2019 Writing Contest

When we started with the idea of having a website for the chapter, we all agreed we wanted it to be more than just a boring placeholder. We wanted it to be alive, informative and fun. The kind of website you might actually visit regularly because it has info you need and content that's fun to check out. To that end, we wanted to offer you the chance to be part of it.

So... we decided to have a writing contest. The general theme is to write something that conveys "What mountain biking on local trails means to you". It can be as simple as a haiku or something longer (1000 word max please). It's up to you.

We'll be awarding the top pieces prizes at our Spring kick off even on April 6th . Deadline for entry is March 1st. We'll post all the pieces received on the website on our blog the first week of March and the 3 pieces with the most "likes" will win prizes. Prizes are yet to be determined but as of this writing it will be at least a Six Rivers NEMBA hat and some of the stickers with the new logo.

Here's a quick Haiku I wrote in 2 minutes on writeahaiku.com

woods call insistently
life beckons yet wheels must roll
back refreshed ready

Give it a shot and send your entries, along with your name, to sixriversnemba@gmail.com. We're looking forward to seeing what folks come up with!

We Did It!

A huge thank you to all who donated. In just 3 short weeks we raised over $4k in our fundraiser to purchase a SnowDog for grooming winter trails for local riders. We are humbled by the outpouring of support by our areas awesome cycling community. We also want to thank Reggie and John at Emerald Builders for their generous 1% For The Planet donation of $500 to kick off our fundraising.

We expect to have the SnowDog and grooming accouterments in our happy little hands by early next week and will be ready to groom when it snows next. We have a 6+ person volunteer crew all signed up and ready to start grooming. You’ve never seen mountain bikers so excited about something other than a new bike or ripping singletrack.

At this writing we have approval to begin grooming the Neptune Woods trails on land and the new (yet to be named) singletrack trails in Topsham off of Thompson Road near the landfill. Thanks to the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust and Town of Topsham for their support and willingness to try something new and exciting on their managed lands.

Stay tuned to the website and social media for trail grooming updates!

Below is a video of a SnowDog in action from the company’s website: