FRYEBURG – It doesn’t have any paddles, but a recreational organization is hoping a canoe unveiled on Wednesday can still get people to go places.

The co-founders of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail revealed a new information kiosk at the Maine Visitor Information Center, not far from the New Hampshire border. An information panel on the trail is secured in the middle of a 16-foot canoe, which is held up by two posts outside the entrance to the center.

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a 740-mile-long canoe and kayaking trail running from Fort Kent to Old Forge, N.Y. Some 347 miles of the trail is in Maine.

The trail follows historic Native American travel routes through Maine, New Hampshire, Quebec, Vermont and New York. Most boaters go on day or weekend trips on certain sections, though some have traversed the entire route. A nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the trail was incorporated in 2000, and the trail was opened in 2006.

Rob Center, who founded the organization with his wife, Kay Henry, said the two had heard of the historic canoe route through northern New England while working in the canoe business.

“We thought, wow, what a magnet this could be for canoeing and kayaking and outdoor recreation,” Center said.

Center said paddlers will become an increasingly important part of Maine’s nature-based tourism. He said the organization has worked with chambers of commerce, tourism associations, and local businesses to promote the trail. Henry said the organization has other information kiosks in communities along the route, but this is the first one to incorporate a canoe.

“The whole idea is it’s making people aware of what you can see by the boat,” she said.

Patricia Eltman, state director of tourism, said the kiosk was dedicated during National Tourist Week and a day before Tourism Day in the Legislature and state of Maine. Gov. John Baldacci and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud also sent letters of support for the trail.

“The trail provides great opportunities for local citizens and visitors to enjoy the beauty of Maine’s natural resources,” wrote Baldacci.

Center recognized the partners in the creation of the kiosk, including L.L. Bean, which provided the canoe, and Hancock Lumber, which supplied the posts.

Center said the idea for a canoe kiosk came from Vaughn Stinson, chief executive officer of the Maine Tourism Association. Though the trail crosses the Maine border at Umbagog Lake in Magalloway Plantation, the kiosk aims to let incoming visitors know about the canoeing and kayaking opportunity to the north.

“It is a gateway to some of the incredible canoeing traditions and outdoor traditions that exist in this whole western area of Maine,” Center said. “It seemed logical that this visitor information center would be kind of the messenger to better acquaint our guests who don’t know about these opportunities.”

Center said he hopes the kiosk may inspire more creative information displays regarding Maine’s outdoor recreation. He said a resource booklet on the trail was made available to the visitor center.

“We know that this is just going to inspire a lot of questions,” he said.