Trails
Southern Maine trails are rocky, rooty, and hard (read fun). Granite ledge, pine duff, blowdowns after every storm, and mud that shows up twice a year whether you want it or not. It’s not buffed-out singletrack — and that’s the point.
Trail Monsters don’t just run trails. We maintain them. We’ve adopted three at Bradbury. Below is where we run, what we take care of, and how to help keep it all in good shape.
Our adopted trails
Trail Monster Running has adopted three trails at Bradbury Mountain State Park. Bluff Trail, Terrace Trail and South Ridge Trail. Adoption means we’re responsible for keeping them clear, drained, and passable — year round.
What trail work actually looks like
Adoption isn’t a plaque. It’s blowdown removal after every windstorm, tread repair where the trail has eroded, drainage work so water crosses the trail instead of running down it, brushing back growth in summer, and re-blazing where markers have faded.
We hold work days throughout the year. No experience needed — someone will show you what to do. Bring work gloves, sturdy boots, water, and bug spray in the warm months. We bring the tools.
Work days are announced in the weekly email. Come to one and you’ll never look at a clear trail the same way again.
Mud season
Please stay off soft trails during mud season. In Maine that’s roughly late March through early May, depending on the year and the elevation. Running on saturated ground widens the tread, cuts ruts that channel water, and undoes work that takes volunteers whole weekends to repair.
If you’re sinking in, or if you’re stepping around puddles instead of through them, turn around. Run the roads, run the beach, run somewhere gravel. The trails will be there in three weeks.
Where else we run
Beyond Bradbury, these are the places we run most often. Conditions, fees, and access can change — check the managing organization before you go.
Bradbury on the map
Trail etiquette
- Stay off soft trails in mud season. This is the big one.
- Yield appropriately. Runners yield to hikers and horses. Downhill yields to uphill. Announce yourself before you pass.
- Run through, not around. Puddles and mud in the middle of the trail stay in the middle of the trail if everyone runs through them. Stepping around is how singletrack becomes doubletrack.
- Pack out what you pack in. Gel wrappers count. So do orange peels.
- Respect private land and posted closures. Some access exists because a landowner allows it. That can go away.
- Know the season. Hunting seasons, ski grooming, and park hours all affect where and when it’s appropriate to run.
Best way to learn these trails is to run them with someone who already knows them. Come to a group run — we’ll show you around.