Today I loaded up Project Foreman and headed down the Southern Shore towards Aquaforte. My goal was to check out more of the newly developed Southern Shore Trail-way as found posted on their Facebook group. These volunteers have put in a lot of work repairing existing trails including the old rail bed & Merrymeeting road, and developing brand new trails to connect communities up and down the shore.

Last fall they reached a major milestone connecting Merrymeeting road to the old rail bed over in Calvert.

This is the section I wanted to check out, so I unloaded the bike, strapped on some gear for a quick lunch and headed up the new path.

The path is designed as a multiuse trail for bikes, side by sides, snowmobiles, hikers and skiers etc. It's well built, in great condition, wide enough for two bikes to pass, and blocked off so that heavy automobiles can't get in and tear up the new work and/or get stuck.

The new path intersects the old rail bed in Calvert after a long, winding descent down a big hill. Here I tuned left and followed the rail line which I found to be in great shape. I could see where much needed repairs and even a couple bypasses had been constructed which really improved the ride in both comfort and safety.

Bridge repairs are top notch creating a safe path over a number of rivers, they are built wide enough to accommodate most modern off highway vehicles.

I followed the rail bed all the way to Cape Broyle where the trail-way takes a left turn up over a steep hill following the power line.

I rode as far as the top of the hill where I decided to stop and have a boil-up. From here you can follow the map on the Southern Shore Trail-way Facebook group where you will find that it takes you all the way to Horse Chops cabin road. The route requires some road crossings, but the trail is well marked.

Lunch today was quick and easy starting with a sandwich from Clover Farm in Cape Broyle.

 Next I boiled the Dr.Si collapsible kettle on my MSR Superfly gas stove to make a quick and easy freeze dried meal, and a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Beautiful large bull moose off in the distance about 500 yards away!

After lunch I retraced my route and headed back towards Ferryland.

Reaching Merrymeeting Road I turned Right and took a spin in the road which leads to a beautiful cabin area and lots of nice looking trouting ponds. From here I headed back to the truck to load up for the drive home All in all an awesome way to spend the day and a fantastic organization to support.

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2025 Michael Smith