The Hilton O’Connor Trail meanders through the 47-acre Bremen Town Forest. Dedicated in memory of Diane Hilton O’Connor, who was a long-time member of the Bremen Conservation Commission, the trail features mixed forest types, a salt marsh, a hay meadow, and a winding brook. Managing organization: Town of Bremen Description: An easy to moderate trail, peaceful and quiet, with a variety of forest types and opportunities for birdwatching. There are some impressive red oaks along the trail and delightful fern alleys, bubbling brooks, and a winding salt marsh along the eastern edge of the forest. In late summer, look for monarch …
Bristol Recreational Trail
The Bristol Recreational Trail crosses town-owned property and school property and is maintained by Coastal Rivers. It was created in 2006 by the Town of Bristol and Pemaquid Watershed Association (now Coastal Rivers), with assistance from the Maine Conservation Corps and funding from the Maine Department of Conservation Recreational Trails Program. Managing organization: Town of Bristol Description This gem of a walking path starts at Route 130 just south of the Bristol Consolidated School, leads back to the Pemaquid River estuary, then returns to the highway just north of the school near Lupine Road. It is about .75 miles long long …
John and Peg Sproul Preserve
Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: On the east side of Old County Road (across from the parking area), a gentle 0.2 mile loop winds along the northwest shore of Ross Pond and through mature forest. At the north end of the loop is a stream where resident beavers have built dams, forming ponds. On the west side of the road a second loop trail, 0.5 miles long, leads down to a small sandy beach at the southern end of Boyd Pond. Parts of the trail are steep and feature lovely moss and fern covered rock ledges. This is prime …
Cosima’s Preserve
A gift from Scott Long in 2016, the 44.5-acre Cosima’s Preserve sits on the west side of the Pemaquid River near the southern end of Biscay Pond. The property has 1,100 feet of frontage along the Pemaquid River, as well as 1,950 feet along Campbell’s Swamp Brook along the western edge. Along with the Brackett easement property to the west, and the Keyes Woods Preserve beyond that, these three adjacent properties create a 240-acre habitat block with about 4,000 feet of shoreline along the Pemaquid River. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: Cosima’s Preserve has much to offer: a variety …
Osborn Finch Wildlife Sanctuary
The Osborn Finch Wildlife Sanctuary on Waldoboro’s Dutch Neck includes 2 acres of grassy field and 9 acres of magical, moss-draped woodlands boasting some of the oldest white and red spruce trees in the mid-coast Maine area. The Nature Conservancy transferred this preserve to PWA in 1992. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Trail Description: The short trail from the parking area to the flat-rock banks of the Medomak River makes this an excellent picnic spot and an ideal walk for all ages. Explore the tidal marshland and the coastal geology visible from exposed bedrock, large granite boulders, and moraines. Overlooking …
Pemaquid Pond Preserve
Pemaquid Pond Preserve consists of a 29-acre preserve as well as a 1.9-acre island on the shore of Pemaquid Pond in Bremen. The preserve was donated to PWA by the Stock-Moody family in 2015, with the intent to allow public enjoyment of this land on the shores of Pemaquid Pond while maintaining its natural state. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: A gentle woodland walk of just over a quarter-mile brings you to the Pemaquid Pond shoreline, boasting broad vistas, rocky outcrops, sandy beaches and wooded shores. Along the shoreline, notice the prime examples of native vegetation that prevents erosion …
Doyle Preserve
A gift from the Doyle-Finnegan family to PWA in 1994, the Doyle Preserve provides public access to 1,200 ft on Pemaquid Pond and just over a mile of trails. The forested woodland provides habitat for a variety of wildlife such as pileated woodpeckers, red fox, and red squirrels. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: From the trailhead, the blue loop trail descends a half mile through forested woodlands to join with a short spur (white trail) that leads to the scenic shore of Pemaquid Pond. Directions to Trailhead: From Damariscotta, take Biscay Road (intersects with Bus. Rte 1 at McDonald’s) …
Bass Rock Preserve
Bass Rock Preserve, an 11-acre gem near the village of Round Pond, features 1,350 feet of deepwater frontage on Muscongus Bay. Inn 2009, PWA accepted the formal transfer from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) of two lots totaling 10 acres. The two lots, which were separated by a privately held lot, were originally donated to TNC in 1973 by Bryan and Elfrida Holme. In 2013, Dr. F. Towne Allen of Centerport, NY, donated the middle one-acre lot, thus uniting the preserve into one property. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description Bass Rock Preserve is dominated by mixed hardwoods and conifers on …
Hatchtown Preserve
Hatchtown Preserve in Bristol was donated to PWA by the Pangilinan-Borromeo family in 2015. The intent is to keep this land along the Pemaquid River in a natural state, allow public enjoyment of the area, and to provide access to the river by non-motorized kayak and canoe. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Trail Abstract: This preserve consists of 35 acres along the west side of the Pemaquid River from south of the Hatchtown Bridge on the Lower Round Pond Rd down to the inlet into Boyd Pond. The primary conservation value is the undisturbed habitat along the shore of the …
La Verna Preserve
Pemaquid Watershed Association (now Coastal Rivers) accepted the 120-acre La Verna Preserve as a formal transfer from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 2009. The preserve was acquired in three parts between 1965 and 1973. Dr. Elizabeth Hoyt and her sister, Mrs. Anna Mavor, donated a 30-acre parcel; their family trust, the La Verna Foundation, donated a 55-acre parcel; and The Nature Conservancy purchased the remaining 34-acre parcel at the southwest end of the preserve. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: Trails: La Verna Preserve features the Hoyt Trail (0.6 mi), which follows the right -of-way across from the parking area, …
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