This GeoCache is located on the Down East Sunrise Trail.
Built in the late 1800s, the 127-mile Calais Branch Railroad once brought tourists, mail and freight from central Maine to towns in Washington and Hancock counties. It turned around in Calais and brought wood products, fish and other freight back to markets farther south, serving as a vital economic artery for this isolated area.
But, like other railroads, the Calais Branch faltered as cars and trucks became the preferred means for moving people and freight. The last train traversed the route in 1984, much to the chagrin of residents. When the trains stopped running, everyone felt the same way, that it would start again soon. But as the railroad's financial problems became known, it became clear that it wasn't going to come back.
The state bought the rail right-of-way in 1987 and then announced plans to rip up the rails and ties and sell them. That spurred locals into action, and they began lobbying state officials to turn the corridor into a rail-trail. After more than two decades of work, their dream became a reality last fall.
On September 21, 2010, the 85 mile Down East Sunrise Trail was officially opened for public use. The western end of the trail is at Washington Junction, just east of Ellsworth off of US Route 1.The eastern trailhead is in Ayers Junction which is in Pembroke on Maine Route 214, four miles northwest of the Route 214 intersection with US Route 1.
The scenic rail corridor runs along the entire Down East coastal area, connects multiple scenic conservation areas, intersects Down East salmon rivers, and is very near two state designated scenic highways.
The Down East Sunrise Trail was constructed as an interagency project of the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine Department of Conservation. The project has rehabilitated and preserved 85 miles of the Calais Branch railroad corridor for future rail use while at the same time providing a wide, compact gravel-based trail. The Down East Sunrise Trail will be managed for the use of snowmobiles, ATVs, pedestrians, bicyclists, cross-country skiers and equestrians.