Bicycling the Papermill Road in Lisbon, Maine

Trail sign at the entrance to the Papermill Road Trail on Route 196 in Lisbon.

Springtime has bloomed in Maine and it's the perfect time to dust off the frame, pump up the tires and strap on the helmet for some casual exploring of many bicycle trails that dot the landscape.  While this post only features one ride, our family has already determined that we will be seeking out new places to ride throughout the state, and probably outside the state too.

The Papermill Road Trail in Lisbon was a great start for the season.  We accessed this paved path from the parking lot at the corner of Route 196 and Frost Hills Road, which also happens to be the boat launch at the confluence of the Androscoggin and Sabattus Rivers, so if you like paddling, this is a good place to put in to explore the Androscoggin.

The trail runs along side the Sabattus River for nearly 3/4 of a mile through mostly hard woods.  The first part of the trail had a slight incline, but there was only one place my son got off of his bike and walked it, and that was only for about 25 yards.  Along the way are granite benches for those looking for a quiet place to relax and reflect.

Rock hopping in the Sabattus River.

About half way up the trail on the left were a couple of well worn paths down to the Sabattus River.  The river is pretty shallow as it runs across flat rocks and a riverbed full of boulders.  This is a great place to make a game of hopping from rock to rock in the middle of the river, working your way from East bank to the West bank and back.  There was also a neat rock formation that had likely been worn away over centuries of spring thaws.

Rock shelf worn by the river

About 2/3rds the way up the trail are signs identifying the remains of the old mill that once stood along the river banks, but Ashton wasn't interested in stopping to learn more, so I can't give you any insight about that.

The first leg of the trail ended at the Lisbon Community School on Mill Street.  On this particular day there was a 5k fundraising run/walk, so the school grounds and the second leg of the bike path were quite busy.  The second leg of the trail meandered through rolling grass pastures that spread across the landscape like a beautiful green carpet.  Each leg of the trail was about .75 miles, so the round trip was about 3 miles.

The ride back down the trail from the school was all downhill, so we coasted along with little effort.  My squeaky brakes warned pedestrians of our approach and we slowly eased by people en route back to the car.

It was a great little ride for our first outing, and has us looking forward to the next bicycling adventure.