Village Area Loop Trail
*Printable version of the VALT can be found here.*
The Village Area Loop Trail (VALT) is a combination of stone dust and paved trails that connect to sidewalks and crosswalks, providing safe pedestrian access through the Gray Village area. The trail connects the plaza shopping center on Portland Road with the Gray Public Library on Hancock Street and continues across Rt. 115 and Brown Street, behind the Cumberland Farms, to connect with the trail loop around the Henry Pennell Municipal Complex, where the playground and recreation fields are located. The trail also extends across the crosswalk in front of the Pennell Lab building and onto the town-owned “gateway” property, located on the northwest side of the intersection of Route 100 and Colley Hill Road.
The Council-adopted Gray Bike-Pedestrian Plan (2014, revised in 2018) envisioned the VALT and construction began in 2016, with the help of a Maine Recreational Trails Program grant of $31,088. Phase 1A included the loop around the town hall recreation complex. Phase 1B included installation of the paved connector between Hancock Street and the plaza shopping center, completed in the Spring of 2017.
As part of the trail creation, the town made sidewalk improvements along Brown Street and added a new crosswalk from Hancock across Route 115 to Brown Street. The connector behind the Cumberland Farms was completed in 2018. In 2023, the town opened the gateway parcel extension of the trail, which was funded by a Cumberland County $66,877 Community Development Block Grant.
Members of the Nordic Pole Walking Group, pictured in 2022 near the beginning of the VALT.
The VALT is a well-used asset embraced by community members, including the senior Nordic pole walking group (shown above), dog walkers, families with children, and many others who are seeking recreation or safe paths to town businesses and resources. All are welcome to enjoy the trail for pedestrian and bicycle use. If you have questions about the trail, or if you are interested in volunteering to help with plantings and trail amenities, please contact the Community Development Department at 657-3112.
From left: Town of Gray Parks and Facilities Supervisor Dean Bennett, Nordic Pole walking group organizer Mary Sweeney-Underwood, Town Councilor Anne Gass and Friends of Libby Hill representative Steve McPike cut the ribbon to formally open the new leg of the Village Area Loop Trail on the town-owned “gateway” property, during the opening ceremony on November 3, 2023.