L/A River Walk

The Lewiston/Auburn river walk may not seem like your first destination in the area. But trust us when we say, rethink where you go first. The river walk is located behind Gritty's Brewpub and snakes along the bank of the Androscoggin River. It crosses the old Maine Central Railroad Bridge into Lewiston, and to fine establishments such as Fishbones and DaVinci's. A family could easily finish the riverwalk in under an hour. But check out the playground before crossing the bridge or bring a soccer ball to one of the parks.

If you start your walk near Gritty's, be prepared to see a few dozen ducks milling about around the bank of the river as you can see below.  As you progress further along the trail you can see remnants of the canal system used by many of the old mills in Lewiston. The trail perfectly blends together nature elements and art deco architecture from the turn of the century.

Ducks

A few more ducks

My favorite feature of the trail is the old Maine Central Railroad trestle that has been converted into a walking path. Although the railroad is gone now, it is a reminder for future generations that Lewiston/Auburn was once a rail hub of Central and Western Maine. Throughout the trail you will see sprinklings of railroad history. So be sure to check it out if you are a history buff!

Former railroad trestle

Last night, Abby and I took a walk at dusk and boy, was it worth it. The last vestiages of fall foliage were charming and in some cases still vibrant. We stopped on the railroad bridge and Abby took some lovely shots of the sunset and one of me because she was sneaky.

The L/A river walk is used quite a bit by locals, primarily as a site for exercising, crossing between the two cities, or just for the nice change of scenery and a break from everyday life. But as you can see from our pictures, it's a great spot for visitors to view the two cities from afar while also enjoying the outdoors. So don't forget about this hidden gem for your next visit!