In the summer of 2000, Morton Trails was asked to participate in an exciting project in New Gloucester, Maine, a town about 30 minutes north of Portland. The Libra Foundation, a large, charitable organization dedicated simply “to benefit the people of Maine,” had purchased the abandoned 1000-acre campus.  This property included two farms and more than 20 brick buildings that had formerly housed the state mental institution.

At that time, the neglected buildings and overgrown grounds of Pineland resembled the setting for a Stephen King novel. But Owen Wells, the president of the Libra Foundation, had a vision for the restoration of the campus and the revitalization of the facilities that would draw businesses and non-profit organizations to Pineland. In addition to renovating both of the farms on the property, one as an equestrian center, the other as an agricultural research site in collaboration with the University of Maine, Wells wanted the picturesque forests and fields laced with recreational trails. These trails would not only provide convenient, healthful opportunities for the employees of businesses that relocated to Pineland, but would also establish an exciting venue for southern Maine runners and skiers who lacked the challenging terrain of the western and northern regions of the state.

Up and running now for several winters, the Maine Winter Sports Center at Pineland grooms trails, hosts events, and conducts outreach programs throughout southern Maine to introduce citizens to the joys of outdoor recreation. The Pineland trail system currently boasts 25 kilometers of manicured terrain for skiing and snowshoeing in the winter, running, hiking, mountain biking, orienteering and horseback riding in the summer.

In the winter of 2003 Pineland hosted the Western Maine High School Cross Country Skiing Championships, and in February 2004, Pineland made enough snow to host more than 200 enthusiastic women in the second annual New England Nordic Ski Association’s Women’s Cross Country Ski Day.

Click here to visit the Pinelands website, and here to view a map of Pineland Farm's trail network.