I had high hopes for this preserve, since it incorporates the beautiful Pushaw Stream. But it seemed a bit unloved when I visited, and very clearly doesn’t see many visitors. While Orono Land Trust protects the land, it doesn’t list the conservation area on its website. The ~0.8-mile loop trail, while blazed, was not easy
Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District’s demonstration forest is named for the narrow, shrubby river that forms part of the preserve’s western boundary. But it could also refer to the many miles of walking you can do in this vast place! Grab a map at the kiosk or take a photo — the pamphlet has
Wildwood Trail and the 0.5-mile trail attached to it, Branch Brook Loop, offer a fabulous nature walk to those who live in nearby neighborhoods. For those coming from farther afield, there’s a small parking lot at the kiosk with space for about two or three cars. Wildwood Trail follows an old woods road, so is
By Sam Shirley Canaan Bog Preserve, protected by the Somerset Woods Trustees, is a wonderful place to ski in the new snow! The lollipop-loop trail is only open in winter for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, as it passes over wetlands. The first part of the trail (~0.5 miles) follows the power lines, while the 0.7-mile
A half-mile, flat and easy trail brings you to the edge of a wide marsh on this 57-acre Maine Coast Heritage preserve. When I visited, the path had been well used by clammers to access the mudflats. The path will pass a small shed-like house before reaching a small, high clearing with a picnic table.
Behind the Skowhegan Area High School, you can pick up a public trail system that brings you along mowed paths and through a patch of woods to a bog along Currier Brook. When I visited in 2024, there was, at the edge of the wetland, a derelict observation deck/picnic shelter, broken and rotting, that was
The short one-way Cattail Trail links playing fields with Lawrence High School. It’s wide and packed gravel — almost wheelchair accessible save for some roots. Find the trail at the edge of the playing fields, at both ends. On my visit, the signs were tucked away a bit, so were a bit hard to see.
This 82-acre preserve is helping to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change. And it’s a beautiful place to spend an hour or so. The property consists of a 25-acre field and is adjacent to a large, resilient saltwater marsh that will be important going forward as it can absorb sea surge, carbon dioxide, and
A short trail — just about a quarter mile — brings visitors to a view of a vast peat bog, called the Oyster River Bog or Rockland Bog. It’s about 700 acres, the largest peatland in the midcoast region. Continue along the forested loop for another quarter mile. While the going is easy, the path can be