The proposed Howard Hill Historical Park/Effie Berry Conservation Area Universally Accessible Trail project is a partnership led by the City of Augusta, the City of Hallowell, and The Kennebec Land Trust. Support is coming from the business community, individual donors, foundations, and state and federal funding agencies.

The trail will enable a wide variety of users, including those with mobility and visual impairments and families with young children, to experience the wooded hilltop of Howard Hill. With a scenic viewpoint overlooking the Maine State Capitol and Effie Berry Conservation Area’s field habitat, these publicly accessible conservation lands and trails will offer great benefits to central Maine communities and our visitors.

The trail will be designed and constructed with these goals in mind:

  • to accommodate a diverse user group of all ages, including people with visual impairments and those who hike in wheelchairs or face other mobility challenges, 

  • to manage water flows and hiker traffic sustainably, and

  • to be aesthetically pleasing and well-integrated with the natural landscape. 

Our $1,000,000 plus campaign goal includes funds provided by the City of Augusta for a parking lot, construction of a one mile universally accessibly trail and an endowment fund for future maintenance and additional improvements (benches, kiosk, and future trail extensions). We hope you will consider a gift to this important community project. Donations can be made online by clicking the button below or by mailing a check to PO Box 261 Winthrop, ME 04364

If you would like more information on the Howard Hill - A Trail for Everyone project, please contact KLT Executive Director, Theresa Kerchner at tkerchner@tklt.org or 207-377-2848

FAQ

What is a universally accessible trail?

  • A universally accessible trail allows people with mobility devices, limited mobility, vision impairments and families with young children to experience nature. The trail will be built to the following Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) specifications

    • Firm and stable tread

    • Wide clear tread width (5’ +)

    • No tread obstacles or gaps greater than 1/2”

    • Cross slope no greater than 5%

    • Running Grade specifications (See right image)

When will this project happen?

Tentatively, KLT will be fundraising and planning for the Howard Hill accessible trail with the City of Augusta and the City of Hallowell through the summer of 2025. This will include applying for federal, state, and foundation grants and requesting support from individuals and the business community. In the summer or fall of 2025, the City of Augusta will build a parking lot at the end of Ganneston Drive in Augusta. Trail construction will start in the spring or summer of 2026.

Where will the trail be built?

There will be an approximate 4,000’ loop built from the future Ganneston Dr. parking lot to the Howard Hill capital overlook and back to the parking lot first. Secondly, there will be an approximate 3,000’ trail from the capital overlook to Stevens Commons in Hallowell so over ONE MILE of accessible trail. See the map below for more details.