The Mountain Division Trail exists as two separate segments of what will eventually be a more than 50-mile-long trail from Fryeburg to Portland. The southern section rolls for about 6 miles between Windham and Standish; the northern section runs for nearly 4 miles through Fryeburg on the New Hampshire border. The paved trail segments run alongside currently dormant train tracks owned by the Maine Department of Transportation. Long-range plans call for a trail alongside the roughly 45 miles of existing rail corridor that the state owns between Fryeburg and Westbrook. The state wants to acquire and install a trail on the final 5-mile rail link to Portland.

The Mountain Division Trail takes its name from the Maine Central Railroad’s Mountain Division that ran from Portland through New Hampshire’s White Mountains to Vermont. Chartered in 1867 as the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, Maine Central took over in the early 20th century. Passenger service on the scenic run ended in 1958, and freight trains stopped rolling after Guilford Transportation (later Pan Am Railways) acquired it in the 1980s. The Maine Department of Transportation owns and maintains the tracks today in hopes of reestablishing rail service.

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike on the Mountain Division Trail.