AUBURN – A long-forgotten trade for athletic fields at the foot of Mount Apatite could send hikers and gem hunters looking for a new way up.

The deal could close access to the 325-acre Mount Apatite Park off Garfield Road, beyond the city’s athletic fields.

Hikers on the 3.5-mile multiuse trail would be directed to a new entrance, possibly off Hatch Road, according to park manager Doug Beck, superintendent of the Auburn recreation program under the Parks and Recreation Department.

“Nobody is going to lose access to the park,” Beck said. “It would just have to change.”

The park exists because of a 1991 land swap between the city and the Maine Army National Guard.

The city’s athletic and Little League baseball fields were located near the Auburn Lewiston Municipal Airport at one time, but expansion plans at the airport had the city looking for new park space.

The National Guard agreed to give the city 35 acres off Garfield Road in exchange for 110 acres in the wilderness area. The area is used as training and storage for the National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion.

Maj. Dwayne Drummond said the deal went through, but the Army’s part was forgotten. Auburn went ahead and built the recreation fields, with the Army’s help. They added a parking area and 3.5 miles of trails in 1995. Those were paid for with a grant from the Maine Department of Conservation’s Bureau of Parks and Lands grants.

Since then, the park has become increasingly popular as a place to walk, mountain bike and cross country ski and as a place for kids and amateur rock collectors to find interesting mineral specimens.

“To be honest, the Army is doing a better job of tracking their assets,” Drummond said. “Things that might have been forgotten have been brought back up. So, we need to get it back on the table now and hammer it out.”

Beck said he expects the city to continue discussions with the National Guard over the summer. He expects the existing entrance to the hiking trails, which start just beyond the athletic fields, would move to Small Road, which is just off Hatch Road.

“Of course this is an issue that’s 16 years old at this point,” he said. “We’re close to bringing it to a conclusion now. But something could happen to derail it. We’ll have to wait and see.”