Portland is an adventurer’s dream. If you don’t believe me then you’re not getting out enough, and I’m here to change that. Don’t worry, I’ve been in your shoes before and I hit a rut again recently when I realized I had already explored most of the city’s bicycle paths. I thought I had reached the end of what what the area had to offer, until I realized that there’s more land over on the other side of the Casco Bay Bridge.
So last weekend I hopped on my bike and headed over the Casco Bay Bridge to hook up with the Greenbelt Walkway trail. When you reach the end of the bridge you’ll see that you can go left or right as you’re just about in the middle of the trail at this point. I’d recommend taking a left and heading east on the trail towards Bug Light. The trail is clearly marked once you’re on it. The Greenbelt is a nicely paved trail that weaves in and out of a mix of nature and residential neighborhoods. As you head east from the bridge, you’ll pass the Mill Creek shopping area and then quickly find yourself in a residential neighborhood.
Following that you’ll come across a stream on your left and a couple of large duck ponds. Continuing on you’ll twist in and out of neighborhoods and relative wilderness, all the while experiencing a steady stream of views of the Portland skyline across the bay. You might also take notice of a few industrial views as well. The trail continues on this way for a couple miles until you find yourself at the entrance of Bug Light. This is the real treasure of the Greenbelt trail and well worth the peddle over into South Portland to find it. A tiny lighthouse sits out on a piece of land jutting out into the bay, and is surrounded by a meticulously maintained park around it. The result is a great place to just enjoy the views of Portland, or even sit down for a picnic.
Not to be outdone, the other end of the trail also sports great views of the city as well as its own landmarks, but Bug Light remains the real attraction. From Bug Light you can head back to the rest of the trail or hook up to Spring Point Shoreway trail which will bring you to another lighthouse as well as many other views.
While I don’t consider the Greenbelt a particularly exciting or challenging trail, the addition of Bug Light makes it worth the trip over the bridge. Either way, it’s a great example of one of the many paths that Portland has to offer, whether on foot or by bicycle. With the unseasonably warm weather lately, you have no excuse not to take full advantage of all that Portland has to offer. For more information on the trail system in the area, grab the nearest computer and check out Trails.org. I’ll see you out there!
Brandon enjoys fresh air, short walks on long beaches, and everything else that happens outdoors.