Maine Trail Center

The Maine Trail Center will:

Provide a permanent, stable and enduring home-base for the MATC Trail Crew.

• Increase capacity to maintain hundreds of miles of trails in remote areas.
• Support trail crews undertaking A.T. restoration projects.
• Enable MATC to attract and retain more volunteers from diverse communities abroad.
• Increase opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors, bolster volunteerism and strengthen our stewardship of Maine’s outdoor resources.
• Provide training opportunities to MATC volunteers and staff, as well as land trusts, municipalities responsible for local trail systems, and other conservation organizations.

Great question! It’s important to understand the Maine Trail Center is intended to serve trail maintainers – the hardworking folks who make it possible for hikers to safely enjoy the Appalachian Trail. The Center will be located on a 55-acre tract of land in Skowhegan, which MATC has secured through an agreement with the Somerset Woods Trustees.

This location is ideal given the trail maintenance and education purposes of the Center, as it is centrally located to the A.T.; provides varied terrain and a sustainably managed woodlot offering excellent training opportunities; and is convenient to airports and bus stations that are critical for volunteers and crew members traveling to Maine from afar.

Skowhegan is also a major town with shops,  a convenient grocery store, restaurants and services all within walking distance of the new Trail Center— a great benefit to crew members who are often without transportation.

Why Fundraising?

In assuming responsibility for maintaining the A.T. in Maine, MATC also assumes responsibility for raising the necessary funds to conduct its work. All MATC programs and initiatives, including Trail Champions, rely on volunteers and fundraising to cover necessary materials and operational costs. 

Each year, MATC volunteers donate more than 25,000 hours of their time clearing downed trees, trimming brush, building bridges, painting blazes, cleaning out waterbars, monitoring boundary lands, and coordinating Club activities.

Trail Center Design

The Maine Trail Center has been designed to modern building and life-safety codes, and includes passive solar and other green energy design features. Under current plans, it will feature a meeting space, kitchen, housing with overnight capacity of 34, showers, laundry, an office, tent areas, an outdoor work space and a parking lot. A maintenance building will provide storage and a workshop. The Center will be operated on a seasonal basis for the Maine Trail Crew, while being a flexible space for a wide range of organizational  functions, meetings and trainings.