Maine Trail Visitor Count 2019 to 2021

Maine Trail Use During COVID-19: Project Summary

Kathryn Ballingall, Research Associate, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, UMaine
Kathleen Bell, Professor, School of Economics, UMaine

Maine, like many states, lacks detailed and consistent trail usage data. Trail usage data are critical to making informed decisions about investments in new trails and the maintenance and management of existing trail infrastructure. New platforms for transportation data are creating opportunities for Maine to improve its knowledge of recreational trail use. The University of Maine, in collaboration with Maine’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, and the Maine Trails Coalition, completed an exploratory project using StreetLight Insight metrics to document pedestrian and bicycle activity at 89 distinct trail locations and 92 sites within Camden Hills and Mt Blue State Parks. Improving understanding of outdoor recreation trail usage strengthens the basis for various trail management decisions and for assessments of their economic and community impacts.