KENNEBEC RIVER TRAIL

The Kennebec River Rail-Trail follows the rail line that once linked Portland to Augusta. The trail parallels the railroad tracks that are now out of service. It also follows the 120-mile-long (190 km) Kennebec River, a historic waterway so named by the Abnaki Indians, "kennebec" meaning "long, calm waters". Once heavily polluted, the river is now a thriving habitat for aquatic wildlife, thanks in large part to clean water laws and the removal of the Edwards Dam, built in 1837.