Pine Tree Trail: ReRooted

12/07/2023

You just never know what is happening on the Pine Tree Trail....and this great Trailblazer business found that out!

04/07/2023

Section of 1940 (1969 reprint?) U.S. Dept. of Interior Geological Survey map. See previous post for more info!

04/07/2023

Years ago, maybe in 2011-2012, I hung up this section of 1940 (1969 reprint?) U.S. Dept. of Interior Geological Survey map on the door of my workshop. It remained on the door for many years before I noticed the "Pine Tree Trail" wording on it. It was right in front of my face the whole time!! :/
Just thought I'd share that with you. I hope you all have a great rest of your day!
~Nate
On a side note: Did you know "Meadowville" is/was between Web Hill and the town of Keag? Old pictures of that era show fields located on the hill known as Web Hill. :)

03/07/2023

The first known end to end (or beginning to beginning!) trip on the Pine Tree Trail has been completed! Check out the Lincoln town page on the directory! Thanks to Gene and Sarah Roy for this great shot of the famous loon in the downtown section of town! Do you have any photos of other community towns that you would like to see on the website? ~Robbie

Named “The 2020 Town of the Year” in a Sports 92.9 Ticket poll, this town is known as the “Home of 13 Lakes” and lays along the banks of the mighty Penobscot River. Mattanawcook Lake is a central focus in the town and the gigantic loon figure sits majestically lakeside as you venture into th...

01/07/2023

Hey folks! Be sure to stop in and support the awesome Pine Tree Trailblazers like Drinkwater's Variety & Ashley's Famous Ice Cream in Lincoln (on Rte2), who have helped to re-sign Maine's Pine Tree Trail! Great people supporting Maine's Pine Tree Trail!! :)
We hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July holiday!
Travel Safe!

01/07/2023

New Pine Tree Trail sticker for the folks who want to show that they have "been there and done that!" Be sure to check out all other products on the website:

Show your support with a "I Traveled Maine's Pine Tree Trail" PTT sticker! This weatherproof vinyl 5"x3.30" sticker comes with split backing to easily peel and apply. Indoor/Outdoor use. Made in U.S.A.

25/06/2023

CHECK THIS OUT: Maine’s Pine Tree Trail makes it on the NEW 2023 Maine Tourism Association - Maine Attractions & Service Map!! *Second Maine travel map type printed this year with Pine Tree Trail on it!
Thanks to Nate at Maine Cedar Log Moose Company for donating $1500+ for a panel ad on the back that will direct travelers to pinetreetrail.com to check out many of the towns & cities along the route! :) :)

10/06/2023

When traveling Maine's Pine Tree Trail, be sure to stop, stretch, look around and enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer! Sometimes you don't have to wonder far from the beaten path to see Maine's incredible beauty!

03/06/2023

Thank you Jacob and Aroostook County Tourism for writing a blog about Maine's Pine Tree Trail!

~Nate

Maine's Own Route 66 With 90% of the state covered in lush pine forests and towering evergreens, Maine is known for its scenic beauty. But did you know that...

30/05/2023

Join us on an extraordinary journey as we rediscover Maine's forgotten treasure, the Pine Tree Trail. This captivating video takes you along the historic 500-mile road, starting in Portland and winding its way to Fort Kent. It showcases the rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and vibrant communities that make Maine truly special.

Witness the remarkable story of Nate, a chainsaw moose carver who stumbled upon an old sign from the original Pine Tree Trail on his property. Realizing the trail had been all but forgotten, Nate embarked on a mission to revive it, dedicating four years to re-establishing the route, raising funds, and placing 150 new signs along the trail.

Through stunning visuals and heartfelt storytelling, this video captures the essence of the Pine Tree Trail, inviting you to explore the hidden gems and overlooked towns that embody the true spirit of Maine. From snowmobiling and fishing to canoeing and fireworks, immerse yourself in the diverse range of activities and experiences Maine has to offer.

Discover the importance of preserving historic places like the Pine Tree Trail, and how this revitalization project aims to revive communities and breathe life into forgotten corners of Maine. It's a call to action, encouraging viewers to take the scenic route, slow down, and embrace the journey, cherishing the moments that truly matter.

Join us as we celebrate the resilience of the Pine Tree Trail and the captivating beauty of Maine. Let's preserve our history, support local communities, and experience the magic that awaits along this remarkable trail.

Don't miss out on this captivating adventure! Watch the full video and embark on a journey that inspires you to explore Maine's hidden wonders.

Spud Speedway Up North Cabins two epic adventure in Northern Maine off the trail thank you for the footage from our other adventures we have filmed together.

30/05/2023

Here is a short film of Maine's Pine Tree Trail and how it was discovered. Thanks to Jeremy T. Grant for putting it together! If more funds were available, the film could have gone 45+ minutes, there is so much more info to the story! Right now, I would like to thank all who have put in effort to make great things happen. Thanks to my fiance, Robbie McKay for ALL of the work contacting folks to raise funds for the D.O.T. approved Trail signage and contacting/communicating with businesses and municipalities to get things rolling. Thanks to our friend, Howard Hardy for joining the Pine Tree Trail history search and finding newspaper articles with pics of old signage in the Oakland area! Thank you to the great individuals & businesses who went out of their way to help revive the Route for all along it and in our State, including the Maine Tourism Association for putting the Trail back on Maine maps!! A Big Thanks goes to Jacob Pelkey at Aroostook County Tourism & NMDC, for inviting us to the past two ACT Summits, and to speak at the last one, and all of the work done for Maine tourism!!
Folks can check out all of the Pine Tree Trailblazers who donated at least $1000.00 each , at the TrailBlazers page on pinetreetrail.com While currently there may not be 500 signs going up like originally installed in the 1930's, the 130+ is a good start!
Thanks to Maine Office of Tourism for standing behind beneficial projects in the State that help bring revenue to communities, and that help promote the so many wonderful activities in our region.

There is an open account at White Sign Co. in Stillwater with $900.00 in it still to go towards more D.O.T. approved signs. Check out our previous post that shows the proposed/current locations of new signage.
Maine's "modern" Pine Tree Trail has so much to offer, go out, explore it, and discover many of Maine's amazing hidden gems!
Have a great Summer, and Travel Safe!
~Nate Nipula
AKA: just some guy who found an old rusty road sign that happen to be connected to a forgotten route through Maine....
**Edited

https://youtu.be/s61k9tdWmdo

Join us on an extraordinary journey as we rediscover Maine's forgotten treasure, the Pine Tree Trail. This captivating video takes you along the historic 500...

07/05/2023

Can you solve "The Kittery Mystery"?
In the 1930s-40s, Route 1 from Kittery to Portland was also said to be known as a section of Maine's Pine Tree Trail in maps & newspaper articles.
We are in search of real photos & newspaper articles showing signs in the Kittery to Portland section.
~Nate

30/04/2023

State Route 100 Gray:
Hello everyone! I was going through photo downloads this morning and came across these pics that I had taken this past January on State Route 100 in Gray.
Have a great day!
~Nate

28/04/2023

*Update: Presque Isle has both signs up on Main St! As far as the rest of the signs that still need to be installed, we're all hoping that they will all go up soon!
Thanks to Jodi McKenna for the P.I. sign update!
Originally there were 500 signs along the entire route. We raised enough funds in 2021-2022 from Maine businesses and individuals to have 133 signs placed along the Trail. White Sign Co. of Stillwater set up an account to hold funds and then have them made. There were at least one hundred and thirty 10ft signposts purchased to be installed, but some signs have been installed on existing wooden posts instead.
This Pine Tree Trail sign placement map was sent to the Maine Traffic Engineer last year after funds were raised. We have no say in when or ultimately where the signs final placement will be.

Thanks again to all of the great folks who make good things happen! With out your help, the revival of the Pine Tree Trail would still all be just an idea! :)
Have an awesome Summer!!
~Nate Nipula

Pine Tree Trail sign placement

26/04/2023

Hey folks! You may have noticed more new signs popping up along the Pine Tree Trail in various spots lately, here is one located on Route 2(west)/100, aka Hammond Street in Bangor!
Some areas have been signed recently in the Bangor, Lincoln & Mattawamkeag areas but a few signs weren't installed for some unknown reason (at least 6 signs in these areas). With the Trail being nearly 500-miles in length, it can sometimes take a few extra minutes to iron out all of the kinks.
Thanks to all people who have joined the effort to bring back the recognition of the route and especially to those who donated their own funds to make it happen!
~Nate

18/04/2023

Hey folks! Here is a picture from Lincoln (Rte 2 *East), on the Pine Tree Trail today! :)

12/04/2023

PINE TREE TRAIL- ReRooted: Yesterday was amazing! We were honored to speak at the Aroostook County Tourism Summit in Houlton. The people attending were attentive, engaged, and excited about what the Pine Tree Trail offers everyone located in the communities on the route. We met a great bunch of folks, and we are looking forward to seeing them again in the future! Huge thanks to Jacob Pelkey and Aroostook County Tourism and everyone who presented during the program and everyone who worked hard to set this all up. Thanks to the Elks for allowing us to gather there..and thanks to all of you who continue to have interest in and support the effort to revive Maine's historic Pine Tree Trail... ~Robbie

07/04/2023

Great news! Now that spring is here, so are the Pine Tree Trail signs! I just spoke with a gentleman with Maine Department of Transportation in Bangor, and he informed me that the signs will be going up in the Greater Bangor area next week, and in the Greater Lincoln area the following week! Once again, thanks to everyone who made this happen...check out the Trailblazers who funded this here by clicking on the Trailblazers tab at the top of the pinetreetrail.com website!
~Robbie

pinetreetrail.com is THE site to visit and learn all about the 500-mile "trail" through Maine!

28/03/2023

A great picture from Winn today! Spring is in the air!! :)

28/03/2023

Here is another good sign! This one was spotted in Mattawamkeag today!

28/03/2023

Hey folks! Check out what is popping up in central Maine, on the Pine Tree Trail! Shown is a newly installed sign located on Rte2 in Macwahoc!

23/03/2023

What fantastic news! We have heard back this morning from Michael Windler, Senior Cartography Team Lead for Garmin/Delorme. Late this fall, when the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer is published, the Pine Tree Trail will be featured under "Family Outings!" Thank you, Garmin, for recognizing the importance of Maine's longest multi-use trail! Stay tuned for more exciting updates! ~Robbie

18/03/2023

Good Saturday afternoon, Folks!

In 2019, a 16-page plan was created and had highlighted the need for an interactive map that would suit the Trail's navigational needs. A Trail Map App was on the list, among many other plans & ideas. After researching many different, custom, interactive road map types, I have found that our needs are ahead of times so to speak. It appears that the types of maps we need haven't even been created yet. For the past few years, we have been looking for someone who can write code to create a new interactive map.

The signs are going up as we previously shared, and all of them should be in place this spring the entire length of the route. As soon as they are all in place, the Maine Office of Tourism will begin introducing the traveling public to this new, fantastic attraction in our beloved state! Therefore, annual maintenance of the D.O.T. road signs is important to help travelers traverse the nearly 500-mile route easily & safely. An account should be set up for sign maintenance and reserve a REWARD for recovery of any stolen D.O.T. approved 18"x24" road signs. We will be sharing more information on this in another post.

We are still blazing ahead here.... Prior to the current date, we were not ready to schedule meetings with Chambers of Commerce, Town/City officials etc. to spread the word about the potential benefits to the communities and inform them how they can help. We are now READY TO ROLL! Contact us on pinetreetrail.com to schedule a meeting or seminar. This year, Robbie & I are open to scheduling meetings, events etc. to help spread the word about Maine's Pine Tree Trail, its potential benefits from demand for more local products & services and job creation by reviving the Pine Tree Trail.
We have already had feedback from a bunch of people who would like to travel the Trail this year via Cycling and Automobile!

This ROUTE is being revived for all people, towns, cities, non-profits & businesses. You can become an important part of this effort by helping us raise funds for all aspects of the Trail's revival. You can do so by clicking here https://www.pinetreetrail.com/howcanihelp

Thank you for your interest and your support! Together, we WILL continue to revive the Taproot of Maine!

~Nate Nipula

14/02/2023

Just a little FYI. :)

Informing the community since 2019

14/02/2023

Wow! This is one of the best articles written on Maine's Pine Tree Trail yet! Great thanks to Joseph Owen for covering the Trail in the Kennebec Current! You can see the full article here on pages 8 & 9: https://kennebechistorical.org/Kennebec_Current_2023_V33_N01_Jan_Feb_Web.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1bcMoI0qBb9eQ9aS-p8_sY-QkygRoTpvEDdCA-QbBJ1RhPOMLeeyho2hI ~Nate Nipula

08/02/2023

Thank you Isaac Potter at WAGM8 News, for covering the story and update of Maine's Pine Tree Trail. Robbie did an awesome job! As you can tell, I could have used about 8 more hours of sleep beforehand! :/
Right now, we are in the process of gathering funds for another AD on the back of the other new Maine map that will be out this year! ~Nate https://www.wagmtv.com/2023/02/08/pine-tree-trail-project-continuing-expand-throughout-maine/?fbclid=IwAR1K6KaQktI3QWQ4HW3hJTnDbynWa8ASyCtwMAj1lfxFMFb8KY3w_gSFksc

Back in 2012, Nathan Nipula was going for a walk on his property when he found a unusual discovery.

19/01/2023

Hi, everyone! If you would like a closer look at the new Maine maps, below is a map PDF courtesy of the Maine Tourism Association! You can see that the Pine Tree Trail is now shown in pale green for its full length. The reverse side of the map shows the panel ad we had help buying from an anonymous $1,000 donation. The ad will give people the address for the website which will serve as a directory for all things Pine Tree Trail!
(NOTE: It may take a minute to download PDF and for map to come into focus)

17/01/2023

Need to find EV charging stations in Maine, the U.S., Canada and beyond? Check out the interactive map on the EV Charging Stations page at pinetreetrail.com! https://www.pinetreetrail.com/ev-charging-stations

EV charging stations around Maine's Pine Tree Trail.

12/01/2023

Great work done by Maine Tourism Association in getting Maine's Pine Tree Trail back on THE MAP!!! With the help of an anonymous donation, we (Robbie & Nate) were able to purchase a back panel ad on the back of the map to direct people to pinetreetrail.com for more info about the route, local events, and the towns and cities along it! This year, we are planning to add much more to the website including additional towns/cities, and even add a Pine Tree Trail News page, with a timeline!

10/01/2023

Hey, Folks! Here is a photo that was taken today of a Pine Tree Trail sign with the Augusta State Capitol in the Background! The pic was taken from Memorial Circle on Route 100/11, Pine Tree Trail.

11/10/2022

Sometimes, amazing people do amazing things for us when we least expect it. We would like to thank the anonymous donor for the $1,000 gift! It will be used in the continuing effort to revive Maine's Pine Tree Trail. Words cannot express our gratitude. Their kindness will not go unnoticed!

23/09/2022

Yummy! These dishes look awesome, and the prices are too! Drinkwater's Variety/Ashley's Ice Cream are one of our Trailblazers! They are located in Lincoln on the Pine Tree Trail/Route 2 just a short distance south of the traffic light at the Access Road/West Broadway. Support the good folks and businesses that are reviving the Pine Tree Trail!

20/09/2022

Hey folks, here are the final numbers for the D.O.T. approved Pine Tree Trail sign fundraiser. Thanks again to White Sign Co. for holding the funds until the final amount was collected to purchase the order of signs! The remaining $798.92 will go toward the purchase of more signs to be used as replacements if need be. Thanks again to all of the Trailblazers and others who made the re-signing of the Trail possible!

16/09/2022

We were honored to be visited by the Maine Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America! Nate presented Rick Watson and the group with a replica sign of the original for the Seal Cove Auto Museum; they are the first known automobile cruise on the Trail since its reintroduction a few weeks ago! Beautiful automobiles with beautiful people, abundant sunshine, and the Pine Tree Trail makes for a picture perfect day!

13/09/2022

Thank you, Greg Tsuaf, for letting us know about this article!

The Pine Tree Trail was an automobile trail that lawmakers hoped would compel travelers to explore as much of the state as possible.

12/09/2022

The Maine Office of Tourism has featured the revival of the Pine Tree Trail in their monthly newsletter! Check out their article here on pinetreetrail.com's News and Events page!

 As the historic route emerges from the shadows of the past, the Maine Office of Tourism recognizes the importance of the revitalization of the Trail. Follow the link below to read what they shared in their industry newsletter that is sent to 4,000 subscribers!

06/09/2022

More fun on the Pine Tree Trail! Here's to Fort Kent!

Coming Home / Homecoming week is here. Wednesday - Sunday.

06/09/2022

Can you say “Cheese, please?” (Note: tickets for this event must be purchased in advance on their site).
The Pine Tree Trail community of Pittsfield hosts the Maine Cheese Festival on Sunday, September 11! Held in two sessions, the festival offers vendors, food trucks, beer gardens, and music, music, music! The closing ceremony features the Maine Cheese Awards winners announcements! If you love cheese, you won’t want to miss this awesome new festival! This is a "don't want to miss" event...and the cheese is awesome! Visit their website for more information and to see just how many interesting vendors will be there for you to meet! https://www.mainecheesefestival.org/
And to learn more about other great activities all up and down the Pine Tree Trail, visit https://www.pinetreetrail.com/towns-cities

04/09/2022

Time to have some fun!!!!! The first person to send us a picture of a new Maine D.O.T. Pine Tree Trail sign that has been installed will win a new, museum quality, made in the U.S.A. heavy duty Pine Tree Trail coffee mug! Happy hunting!

31/08/2022

This is an excellent post by Matt Dunlap, who was Secretary of State and helped us so much when we first began this journey. It was so good to see him again today! And it was great to see everyone there that came to share in the unveiling of the brand new, Maine Department of Transportation approved Pine Tree Trail signs which will begin to be installed Thursday, September 1st... just as we are celebrating the Trail's 85th birthday! We also would like to thank Hannah Collins (left), Deputy Director of the Maine Office of Tourism, and Michelle Shores (right), Advertising & Membership Manager for the Maine Tourism Association for all their help in getting the Trail signed and put back on the official State of Maine maps! An amazing day spent with some amazing people! Just think...this is just the beginning....!