The trails at Cathedral Pines provide easy family-friendly hiking and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing along groomed paths during the winter. The trails pass through a grove of mature red pines that—in contrast to the low and sparse undergrowth—lend a cathedral-like quality to the forest. The trails are marked only at intersections by colored boards but are easy to follow; most are well-worn or follow unused logging roads or, in a few cases, ATV trails.
The main trail from the trailhead, marked at intersections by blue, follows a logging road straight into the center of the property and eventually connects to an ATV trail that follows a boardwalk out to bog which is beautiful on its own, but the boardwalk also provides glimpses of the Bigelow Range in the distance. Shortly after the trailhead two side trails, marked with a red or a yellow board, leave the main trail on either side and later rejoin the main trail just before it extends onto the boardwalk. The red-marked trail exits onto an ATV trail and follows it south a short ways before turning back into the woods. In all cases where trails encounter ATV trails, non-motorized users have the right of way. Nevertheless, it is important to be aware and ready for oncoming traffic.
From the parking and trailhead area, diagonally across the intersection of ME Route 27 and Eustis Ridge Road intersection is the entrance to the Cathedral Pines Campground and Public Picnic Area. The picnic area is next to Flagstaff Lake, a reservoir on the Dead River. The campground office is a great place to get information about the area or use the restroom if needed.
A scenic turnout next to the campground entrance highlights the history of the area with plaques and panels paying tribute to Charles Lyman Eustis, for whom the Town of Eustis is named, Benedict Arnold—who led an expedition through this area to Quebec City in Canada during the Revolutionary War—and a profile of Timothy Bigelow, a member of Benedict Arnold’s expedition, for whom the Bigelow Range is named.
In the short sections where trails are shared with motorized users, non-motorized users have the right of way.
Visit the Cathedral Pines Campground online for more information or contact:
Stratton-Eustis Development CorporationFrom the Intersection of ME Routes 27 and 16 in Stratton Village (Town of Eustis), drive about 3.5 miles north on ME Route 27. The parking and trailhead for Cathedral Pines Pathways is on the left at the intersection of ME Route 27 and Eustis Ridge Road.
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We thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the frigid temperatures.