There are views of the salt pannes adjacent to the Eastern Trail.

The Eastern Trail in Maine is a bike route that starts at the Piscataqua River in Kittery and ends in South Portland, crossing the communities of Kittery, Eliot, South Berwick, Wells, Kennebunk, Arundel, Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Scarborough, and South Portland. 

The Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area is one of the department’s most visited wildlife management areas. Located in the southern Maine coastal towns of Scarborough and Old Orchard Beach, this 3,000-acre property is comprised of tidal creeks, salt marsh, freshwater wetlands, and uplands.

Scarborough Marsh receives thousands of visitors each year, for a variety of reasons including such popular activities as hunting, birding, boating, and fishing. Hunters visit primarily for waterfowl and upland game birds. 

The Marsh is a destination for bird watchers, which are drawn to the area for the plethora of species that can be found there at different times of the year, including saltmarsh sparrows, egrets, sandpipers, glossy ibis, and many others. Summertime visitors often visit Maine Audubon’s Marsh Center which has informational displays, guided tours, and rentable canoes and kayaks.

Parking lots on ME-9 (Pine Point Road) and ME-207 (Black Point Rd) provide great access via the Eastern Trail, an old railroad right of way that runs through the marsh that is now used as a recreational trail for pedestrians and bicyclists. There’s an observation tower accessible to the public off from Manson Libby Road, which provides a great view of the marsh and the adjacent upland. The tower is accessible on foot via a gravel road off Manson Libby Road or a mowed path from the parking lot next to our storage building. There’s a public boat launch on Clay Pits Road, a couple of carry-in sites with small parking areas on ME-9, and other carry-in boat access elsewhere on the marsh. 

Since the Department acquired the property in 1959, several habitat improvement projects have been undertaken, including restoring the natural salt marsh. In recent years, we’ve undertaken efforts to reduce invasive Phragmites in the marsh, performed prescribed fires to maintain fields, and conducted a timber harvest to promote young forest habitat to benefit species such as New England cottontail (a state endangered species), American woodcock, brown thrasher, and many others.

The Eastern Trail has 22 off-road miles from Bug Light (in South Portland) to Kennebunk, as well as a scenic on-road route that mostly follows quiet country roads. Experienced bike riders and hikers can enjoy a beautiful journey from South Portland’s Bug Light Park on Casco Bay (near Portland) to Kittery’s Piscataqua River.