A town of 800 people in northern Maine is about to build 18 miles of mountain bike trails — and that’s just phase one.
Island Falls sits 30 minutes south of the Canadian border, and until now, it’s had exactly zero miles of purpose-built singletrack. But thanks to over $500,000 in grant funding secured by the Outdoor Sport Institute (OSI), construction on the town’s first trail system kicks off later this year. The project will transform 450 acres of town-owned land near Pleasant Pond into a network ranging from green flow trails to double-black technical descents, with plans to eventually connect to additional parcels for even more riding.
Singletracks spoke to Steve Kasacek, OSI’s Director of Trail Development; Dan Rogan, OSI’s Katahdin Region Coordinator; and Anthony Binotto, a longtime resident and former Selectboard member, to find out more about this major trail project.
Island Falls has been an outdoor recreation destination for generations
Like Patten, its neighbor to the west, Island Falls is a small town of just under 800 people. It lies 30 minutes south of the Canadian border and just east of I-95. Island Falls has two major lakes and a river, which provide a variety of outdoor recreational experiences during the summer months.
“It’s a small community that has a rich history of recreation,” said Kasacek. “Teddy Roosevelt spent a lot of time up there recreating.”
But, like other small towns in the region, Island Falls suffered when the paper mills shut down. Binotto, a retired mill worker for the Great Northern Paper Company in Millinocket, said that, when the paper industry collapsed, the community started to die. “The population was dwindling, and those that remained were aging.”
OSI saw the town’s potential to be a major trail destination
In 2019, the Katahdin Collaborative — working with citizens from surrounding communities — studied the economic decline of the region and published “A Roadmap to the Future.” The report identified Island Falls as a key piece of the area’s outdoor recreation potential. Two years later, the town developed its own comprehensive plan to capitalize on that vision.
Specifically, it earmarked things that would attract younger people to the town, including trails. Soon after, the town partnered with Outdoor Sports Institute (OSI) to begin trail development on town-owned land.
When Kasacek joined OSI in 2023, there was grant funding to do trail planning in both Patten and Island Falls. The town of Island Falls already had an idea in mind for a lake-to-lake trail that would primarily be used by hikers. There weren’t a lot of mountain bikers up there at the time.
Kasacek encouraged the town to think holistically about trails. “I encouraged them to think about building a trail system.”
With several thousand acres available and choice topography, the town was primed for MTB
The town of Island Falls owns 9,000 acres of land, which is highly unusual. While more than half of it is unusable for trails due to being too flat and wet, there is still plenty of acreage to work with.
Most of the town-owned land is located directly to the south. OSI decided to focus on the Pleasant Pond area, which consists of 450 acres. This is where the town initially planned to place the lake-to-lake trail it envisioned.
“There is 500 feet of elevation there with a significant slope, up to 40%. It offers a ton of amazing views as you head up toward the top, and the top itself is all exposed bedrock with some stunted spruce, boulders, and hemlock trees,” said Kasacek.
OSI’s master plan for the area includes 18 miles of trails and has something for everyone
The master plan and initial design for the Pleasant Pond area includes 18 miles of trails. These range from green to double-black, and most will be designed and managed for shared use. “We might have two directional trails using some very techy and rocky terrain,” Kasacek said.
The plan also includes connecting Pleasant Pond via an easement on an adjacent private property to another 150-acre public parcel. “The overall idea is to make it an anchor trail system in the north that complements the one at Hammond Ridge,” he said
In addition, plans call for a recreational site at the system’s trailhead, including a kayak launch and picnic area. There is also potential for backcountry ski glades.
Rogan told Singletracks that OSI plans to start trail construction either this fall or in early 2027. He hopes to have the trails built out by 2029.
Having a trail system will help Island Falls attract both tourists and residents to the town
Binotto said that many of the town’s residents see the real value in having outdoor recreational activities. At Selectboard meetings where the trails have been discussed, “those who have attended have been very enthusiastic.”
He anticipates an upswing in tourism due to the new trails and more summer-related businesses opening as a result. However, the ultimate goal is to attract younger people to the area and have them stay as permanent residents. “We have one of the top five school systems in the state, and hopefully the new trail system will help attract more residents,” said Binotto.
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