For Mainers, the outdoors forms our way of life. It is as intrinsic to our collective and individual identities as the spring snow melt is to the mountain streams that fold into our rivers, lakes and coastal wetlands. Holding both spiritual and tangible value, the Maine outdoors sustains our wellness and our livelihoods.

One only needs to get to the top of Bradbury Mountain in Pownal to be awed by the full expanse of Maine’s natural landscape while also surveying the working waterfronts of Casco Bay, the forest economy of our interior counties and the endless recreation opportunities awaiting our enjoyment. At just 486 feet above sea level, the total promise of the Maine outdoors is revealed.

For more than 110 years, L.L. Bean has been inspired by and dedicated to that promise, enabling everyone to experience the restorative benefits of being outside. As my great grandfather and our founder Leon Leonwood Bean once said: “Getting outside is the big lure that takes us into the great open spaces and teaches us to forget the mean and petty things of life.”

Trails guide us to those spaces L.L. spoke of, and to the restorative experience we try to enable for the people of Maine every day. Just as we would view investments in our roads and bridges as investments in our economy, so too should we see investments in our trails. And, right now, the need for investment is real. Despite Maine’s many exceptional and diverse trails, access remains an obstacle for too many people. Trail groups and communities have also identified a large backlog of trail projects that need even more attention after this winter’s two devastating storms.

Beyond need there is also potential. Trails are the highways of Maine’s outdoor recreation industry which contributes $3.3 billion annually to Maine’s economy; totals 3.9% of the state’s GDP (the sixth-highest nationally and more than double the national average); and supports 32,000 Maine jobs. GDP contribution by activity is increasing as well. Since 2021, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, climbing, hiking and tent camping are up 16%; snow activities are up 36%; outdoor travel is up 26%. Investment in Maine’s trail system will only boost this segment of our economy, especially in Maine’s rural counties.

For these reasons, L.L. Bean fully supports the proposed Maine Trails Bond under consideration by the Legislature. The bond would authorize $30 million over four years for the design, development and maintenance of motorized and non-motorized trails. The funds would be administered by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. Projects would be required to have matching funding from other sources.

Capitalizing on need and potential, the Maine Trails Bond would fund the building and maintaining of trails that are accessible to more individuals across the full range of abilities, truly making Maine’s outdoors available to everyone and helping to realize the full promise of Maine’s outdoor recreation industry.

With these outcomes, it is not surprising that the Maine Trails Bond has a broad coalition of support from more than 500 organizations ranging from state, regional and local chambers of commerce to conservation groups, sporting groups, and municipalities. L.L. Bean is proud to be part of this coalition and encourages the Legislature to pass the Maine Trails Bond, giving Mainers the opportunity this November to approve an investment that honors who we are and helps enable what we want to be.

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