Hallowell Recreation Area/City Forest

Hallowell

The Hallowell Recreation Area, known locally as “The Res” offers hikers an unexpected patch of wilderness just minutes from downtown Hallowell. The small but lovely reservoir has a decidedly “wild” feel, with a beach on one side and surrounded on the other sides by dense woods of tall pines, white birch and other mixed hardwoods, with wintergreen, Canada mayflower and other native plants growing in the understory. The surrounding woods, encompassing 188 acres, are dotted with springs and vernal pools and the remnants of Hallowell’s historic granite quarries. Hallowell Recreation Area is the largest city-owned property open to public use. The area also includes a neglected-looking ball field and basketball court, which once served the City’s recreation programs, and covered picnic areas near the beach.

Getting there
From Water Street in Hallowell, take Central Street west, up the hill 1.5 miles. Turn right on Town Farm Road, and go 0.5 miles to Reservoir Road, on the left next to a small, square pond. Alternately, you can take Winthrop street 1.4 miles from downtown Hallowell, turn left onto Town Farm Road and go 0.2 miles to Reservoir Road. Reservoir Road is gated off-season and a small parking area to the right of the road offers space for about 8-10 cars. During the summer, drive up Reservoir Road about ¼ mile to a gravel parking area next to the beach.

The Trails
Distance: Approximately 2 miles (loop)

Time: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate

The trails are unmarked, but not difficult to follow. They are also unnamed, but I refer to them here as the “snowmobile loop” and “reservoir loop” for convenience. You can choose to take the shorter reservoir loop that skirts the water’s edge just inside the woods, or the longer snowmobile loop that climbs up higher through the woods. They both start and end at the same place. If you have a lot of time and are feeling adventuresome, you can explore the other snowmobile trails that fork off from the snowmobile loop at two points.

From the winter parking area, follow Reservoir Road approximately ¼ mile, passing another small pond on the right, to where the trail opens out to a gravel lot (summer parking area), with a somewhat dilapidated baseball field on the right, a crumbling basketball court and old, out-of-service bath house on the left, and a pond--The Res--straight ahead. Four covered picnic areas appear to be under construction in the grassy area between the gravel and the water.

The trail begins in the woods just to the right of the reservoir. It follows a wide, but somewhat bumpy snowmobile trail, with small side trails occasionally providing access to the water’s edge.

At the far corner of the pond the trail forks. The left fork (reservoir loop) is a narrow footpath that skirts the far shore of the reservoir, through the woods, with glimpses of The Res to your left. Under a large pine tree the reservoir loop trail forks. The left fork takes you downhill and across the outlet stream over a series of rocks, just below the granite dam, and comes out of the woods near the beach and picnic area. The right fork continues on a short distance, eventually dropping down a small bank to re-join the snowmobile loop. Turn left at the snowmobile loop to return to Reservoir Road.

The right fork (snowmobile loop) follows the snowmobile trail uphill, angling to the left. The trail passes a big slag pile on the right. Just beyond the pile, a short side trail on the right leads to a shady water-filled granite quarry. The trail continues uphill to a four-way intersection at the top of the hill. Turn left and begin to head downhill (the first 100 yards of this section of trail is wet but passable in spring). Continue downhill through a hemlock and mixed hardwood forest to where the trail meets another four-way intersection.

The left fork continues downhill, through another wet area, and crosses a small stream. A narrow footpath leads up into the woods on the left of the trail; this is the far end of the reservoir loop. Continue downhill to a small gulley where the outflow of a small beaver pond on the left flows over the trail. Cross the stream on small rocks and head back uphill a short distance, emerging from the woods along the edge of Reservoir Road, just shy of and across from the ball field (a large rock and a huge section of concrete pipe mark this end of the trail).

Kid-Friendly Factor
The Res is a great place for kids. The walk from the road to the water is wide, flat and easy for little walkers, beginning bikers or parents pushing strollers. The reservoir loop would make a challenging but fun hike for kids four to five years or older, and the wider but longer snowmobile loop offers a longer walk for older kids or even a challenging run for beginning mountain bikers. I pushed the double jogging stroller the whole length of the snowmobile loop, but the trail is fairly bumpy, with roots and rocks jutting up, and it took two of us to push the stroller up the steeper part of the hill, so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really want the extra exercise and don’t mind the wear and tear on your stroller. The ball fields and beach offer additional space for running around, and what kid isn’t entertained for hours by throwing rocks and sticks into water?

Cobbossee Stream Conservation Area

Gardiner

The Cobbossee Stream Conservation area in Gardiner provides hikers an excellent opportunity to view the Cobbossee’s surging whitewater and the reamains of the industry it once fed. The short but powerful Cobbossee stream—it is only about 1.3 miles long and drops 127 feet in elevation—was the epicenter of development in the Gardiner area. Soon after the first settlers landed here, they erected lumber and grist mills, harnessing the stream’s energy. As many as 10 dams restrained the Cobbossee’s waters between New Mills to the Kennebec in the 19th century. Three of these dams remain today and can be viewed from the trail.

The City of Gardiner has envisioned in its Cobbossee Corridor Master Plan, a bicycle/pedestrian trail extending about 3000 feet upstream from where the stream meets the Kennebec. The plan also lays out intentions to improve sidewalks, rehabilitate the train trestle, create an outdoor “museum-on-the-stream,” increase stream access, and connect the Cobbossee Corridor to the Kennebec River Rail Trail, Gardiner Waterfront Park and nearby schools. The 15-acre Conservation Area was donated to the City of Gardiner with an easement to the Kennebec Land Trust to preserve it as open space and develop trails.

Getting There
From downtown Gardiner, take Route 126 west toward the Turnpike. About one mile from downtown, you will cross the New Mills Bridge. Take an immediate right onto Harrison Avenue. In about half a mile you will see the access point on your right--a concrete barrier across an old road (there is no sign). There is just enough room for one car to park in front of the barrier.

The Trail
Distance: Approximately 1/2-mile (one-way)
Time: 15-30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy/moderate

Follow the old road a short distance toward the stream to where the road T’s. A right turn will take you along a grassy woods trail upstream through a shady hemlock grove and under a canopy of oak and beech to the overlook the dam below New Mills. A left at the T takes you downstream, past the ruins of an old stone dam and the crumbling walls of some long-gone industrial structure. The trail ends just above dam #5, across the stream from the former Gardiner Papeboard mill. This dam is slated for removal in the near future to restore the flow of the stream and open it up to fish passage. The rushing waters drown out any road noise that may emanate from Route 126 or Harrison Avenue, leaving visitors with a sense of wildness on the banks of this tamed but still rushing stream.

Kid-Friendly Factor

The walk is short and easy, and could be easily handled by a young child but I’m too much of a Nervous Nellie to take my kids here--I would have an anxiety attack waiting for them to fall over the falls at one of the dams, especially during spring runoff. Plus the old, rusty remnants of industry would be too much for them to avoid. Calmer persons, with older or more tame children might enjoy taking them to the Conservation Area to view the historic remains, the dams and the wild, whitewater of the Cobbosee.

Vaughan Woods

Hallowell

My husband grew up knowing Vaughan Woods as “Hobbit Land,” because of the miniature stone chairs and tables hidden throughout the woods. He has never been able to re-find and show me the Lilliputian seating arrangements--whether they were figments of his childhood imagination, dismantled to make fire rings, or spirited away by the elves I may never know. In any case, Vaughn Woods has such an enchanted feel, it’s not difficult to imagine sprites twinkling among the mossy tree trunks, gnomes patrolling the stone bridges and (cold-loving) dryads and nymphs bathing below the waterfall.

This privately-owned parcel is cooperatively managed by the Vaughan Homestead Foundation, the Gibson Family, the Kennebec Land Trust and local volunteers. Vaughan woods covers 166 acres, with a number of trails meandering through a mature hardwood forest, rambling across fields and crisscrossing Vaughan Brook on magnificent stone bridges. The piece de resistance, a large, arched granite bridge crosses a cascading Vaughan Brook just below the waterfall rushing down the face of an old granite block dam.

Getting ThereFrom Water Street in downtown Hallowell, take any of the cross streets west one block to Second Street. Turn left and follow Second to the stop sign at the intersection with Middle St. and the Hallowell-Litchfield Road. Just before the intersection there is a small parking area on your left (there is no sign to indicate you are at Vaughn Woods, but there is a small kiosk just inside the trees). Climb over a small stone wall or go under the gate to the right of the parking area.

The Trails
Vaughan Woods’ trails are un-named and un-marked, but well-worn so it is relatively easy to distinguish trail from non-trail.

The Main Loop
Distance: Approximately 2 miles
Time: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate

This is a wide, level trail, surfaced in mulch and leaf litter with long gradual ascents and descents. From the woods next to the parking area, the trail angles down to the left, skirts a small field and re-enters the woods. Once inside the woods, turn right. The trail crosses a series of small, arched stone bridges over small hillside drainages (keep your eyes open for the trolls that guard the bridges). Vaughan Brook is far below, on your left. The trail parallels the brook under a canopy of pine and mixed hardwood (American beech, white birch, red oak), slowly descending to water level. As the trail nears the level of the brook, you will see a large arched bridge ahead. The bridge crosses Vaughan Brook just below the holding pond. Stop a moment to enjoy the surge of the water rushing down the falls and cascading over rocks below.

Just beyond the bridge, the trail forks. Go either way; the trail loops back to this point. Taking the right fork, the trail ascends a long gradual hill through mixed hardwood and hemlock forest. In a grove of tall hemlocks, the trail levels out some and forks again. The right fork is a short spur that angles downhill to I-95. The left fork continues the gradual ascent. The trail levels out somewhat in a small opening in the trees and forks again. The right fork angles downhill a short distance to Hall-Dale High School. The left fork continues to climb gradually a short ways before it begins a somewhat steeper descent to a long, rolling field. It follows the field down hill, veering left, over a couple of undulations, and back into the woods. It crosses a small stream over a large slab of granite and rejoins the beginning of the loop at the fork. From here, retrace your steps across the bridge and along the ridge, through the small field and back to the parking area.


Other Trails
There are a number of ancillary trails that parallel Vaughan Brook and explore other parts of the woods, but they are closed right now due to erosion, bird nesting or are impassable with snow. I will return later in the summer for an update.

Kid-Friendly Factor
Vaughan Woods is one of my favorite places to take my kids. The broad, smooth trails work great with jogging strollers (even the double) and they could all manage most of the Main Loop by age two, and they could spend all day playing Pooh sticks at the bridge, or throwing rocks in the water below. For older children, the tall woods offer myriad opportunities for hide-and-seek and what better place than the enchanted Hobbit Land to build fairy houses? Keep in mind that some parts of the trails drop off rather steeply; the tragic accident last year, in which a middle-school child died as a result of injuries from a fall at Vaughn Woods should serves as a reminder for us to remain vigilant of our children, even in seemingly tame hiking locales.

Kennebec River Rail Trail, Part 2

Gardiner to Hallowell

The final section of the KRRT, from Farmingdale to Hallowell, officially opened on October 4, completing the 6.5 mile rail trail. This southern half of the trail extends 3.75 miles from the Hannaford parking lot in Gardiner to the southern edge of downtown Hallowell, at which point it joins Water Street to the rail trail parking lot north of town. If you don’t have time to complete the whole Gardiner to Hallowell section, opt for walking the area between Hallowell and the KV Health Club access at mile 5.0. This part of the trail is more scenic, traveling through a pleasant mixed hardwood forest, and more removed from the road.


Getting There
To start on the KRRT from the southern terminus in Gardiner, turn into the Hannaford parking lot on Maine Avenue. Park near the Rail Trail kiosk at the northeast corner of the parking lot. In Farmingdale, you can access the trail at Sheldon Street, Bowman Street, Hill Street and across from the KV Health club. In Hallowell, access the trail from the south end of Water Street or at Greenville Street. Not all of these access points offer obvious parking.


The Trail
Length: 3.75 miles (each way)
Difficulty: Easy
Walking Time: 2-4 hours (round-trip)

The trail starts at mile 6.5 in the Hannaford parking lot. From there, the trail heads north, under Bridge Street. For the first half-mile, the trail is squeezed between Maine Avenue on the left and the tracks on the right, with the river gleaming just beyond. This section of trail is wide open, with no trees to offer shade. After passing into Farmingdale at Sheldon Street, mile 6.0 (where the only bench on the southern portion of the trail is located), a few trees and houses begin to separate the trail from the road, providing some buffer from the noise of traffic. Just before Bowman Street, around mile 5.75, a small drive-through coffee shop offers refreshment to weary walkers. Approaching mile 5.5 and Hill Street, the trail again travels right along Maine Avenue. After mile 5.0, at the KV Health Club access, the trail departs from the road, dipping down a hillside, along a grassy floodplain that thickens into a dense stand of mixed hardwood. The trail passes over small inlet stream and then crosses tracks, skirting along the river into a stand of giant oak trees, including one double-trunked specimen with an impressive girth. Around mile 4.5 the trail moves into a lovely forest of white birch and other hardwood trees. Unfortunately the rock crusher humming up the hill to the left mars the peace of these woods somewhat. The trail crosses back over the tracks just below mile 4.5. At mile 3.75, on the Hallowell line, the a small stream cascades down the bank to the left in a number of small waterfalls, and passes under the trail. At mile 3.25 the trail goes under Maine Avenue/Water Street and crosses Greenville Street. The trail crosses a wooden bridge over Vaughn Brook just before mile 3.0, then crosses the tracks again, and heads downhill to Water Street. At mile 2.75 the off-road part of the trail ends. At this point, northbound bicyclists must cross Water Street to the northbound bike lane. Where the downtown parking begins, bikes will need to merge with traffic until the trail starts up again at the north end of town. Pedestrians will need to navigate the broken and often closed sidewalks through town.

Kid-Friendly Factor
Like the Augusta portion of the KRRT, this section is also paved and smooth, with little change in grade. This surface makes it ideal for strollers and little bikers. In areas where the trail comes near the road or a steep bank, it is fenced off, making it safe for little ones to explore. Although all of the bikers I have encountered have been courteous and not too fast, it’s best to stick to the right side of the trail and allow them plenty of space to pass. Getting through Hallowell to connect one section of trail with the other could pose some hazards to small kids on foot or bike.

Savage Park

Augusta

Savage Park is a surprisingly verdant and wild seven-acre parcel of land directly adjacent to the new Route 3 bridge on the east side of the Kennebec River. I’m sad to see the somewhat neglected condition of the park’s trails, which were one of the projects I worked on as the team leader of a group of teenage workers in the Maine Conservation Corps when I first moved to the area many years ago. Though the trails are somewhat overgrown and bridges dilapidated, it is still worth exploring Savage Park’s quiet woods.

Getting There
Savage Park is located on Riverside Drive north of Cony Circle, on the left, just past the intersection with Route 3. A small semi-circle driveway offers ample parking.

The Trails
Distance: Approximately 1 mile
Hiking Time: About ½ hour
Difficulty: Moderate

From the parking area, cross the large tree-dotted field and pass a row of birches enclosing the covered picnic area. From here follow the wide grassy path into the woods, where the path narrows to a dirt track. Under a canopy of mixed hardwood trees (aspen, beech, birch, maple and oak) interspersed with white pine, the trail heads west to a T-intersection at the top of a small bank. The right-hand fork follows the bank a short distance, and then arcs right, back toward the entrance, meeting the wide grassy path just beyond a grove of staghorn sumac (just before it turns back toward the entrance, it appears to angle down into the pine trees, but then peters out). A few yards past the intersection, the left fork comes to a set of log steps down the bank on the right. Heading down the stairs, the trail crosses a wooden bridge over a small stream, which is dry now in early September. Several of the bridge’s boards are broken or missing. The trail climbs another set of log steps up the opposite bank. This bank and the rest of the trail to the river grows thick with poison ivy, so watch your step. The trail descends another small set of steps and opens out onto the railroad tracks just above the Kennebec River. Head south (toward the Rt. 3 bridge) along the tracks about 100 yards to where some brownish rock ledge is exposed along the bank to your left. Near the far (south) end of this ledge, the trail resumes, unmarked. From here the trail climbs back up through the trees, and comes to a small stream crossing near one of the biggest white birches I have seen. From the birch tree, the track fades away a bit into some brushy undergrowth for a few yards before meeting back up with the obvious trail. A right turn here will lead you in an arc back toward the far end of the picnic area and a left turn will take you back past the original set of steps and to the T-intersection.

Kid-Friendly Factor
Savage Park would not be my first choice for taking small children on a hike. The narrow and overgrown trails and stairs make it impassible for strollers, and the hazards of broken bridges, poison ivy and broken glass and rusty metal along the train tracks make it less than desirable as a place to allow little ones freedom to explore. It would be a nice short but interesting hike for an older child with more predictable hiking skills and the ability to detect and avoid poison ivy. The big field and covered picnic area might make the park a good spot for a birthday party or play group.

Augusta Nature Education Center

Augusta

Unlike the indoor nature centers you may familiar with, you know the kind in a cozy little building decked out as a hands-on museum with fish tanks and mounted animals, the Augusta Nature Education Center is truly a natural center, set completely in the outdoors, covering 175 acres of woods, fields, ponds and streams. Operated by the Augusta Nature Club since 1919, the Center offers more than five miles of trails that can be linked together in infinite combinations. Outstanding features of this self-proclaimed “diamond in the rough” include the Lily Pond, the Quarry Pond, the Granite Quarry, the Amphitheater and more. With the construction of the new Cony High School next to the Vo-Tech Center, the Nature Center’s trails have been improved, many of them widened and re-graded, with the addition of kiosks at all of the entrances, signs at every trail juncture and two new bridges (North Bridge and South Bridge) over Whitney Brook.

The Augusta Nature Education Center is open during daylight hours 365 days a year, for non-motorized use only, including hiking, biking, nature study and cross-country skiing.

Getting There
The Augusta Nature Education Center is located on the east side of Augusta, situated between Cony Street Extension and Route 105. Eleven entrances offer access points to the Center’s trails. To access entrances 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 10, take Cony Street from the Cony rotary, continue straight on Cony when Rt. 105 veers to the left. To reach Entrances 5, 9, 10 and 11, turn left on Malta St. into the Hodgkins Middle School grounds, and park in front of the school. Entrance 5 is near the back of the loop road to the right of the school; Entrances 9, 10 and 11 are situated around the perimeter of the sports field to the left of the school. To reach Entrance 4, turn left onto Haskell St. and take it to the end, park on the street. Entrance 3 is located on the left side of Cony Road Extension just as it crosses Whitney Brook; there is space for about one car to park at this entrance. To reach Entrances 1 and 2, turn left onto Pierce St., which leads you into the grounds of Cony High School and the Vocational Technical Center, park in the lot to the south of the Vo-Tech Center. Entrance 1 is located to the left of the Vo-Tech Center and Entrance 2 is located to the right of Cony, across the new sports field. Entrances 6, 7 and 8 are located along Route 105 (South Belfast Ave.); these entrances have no parking options.

The Trails
Total Trail Distance: 5 miles

The Augusta Nature Education Center’s thirteen trails link together into a variety of loops that offer hikers options from short strolls to long treks. The trails have an excessively complicated system of blazes and trail names, with often a single pathway changing names as it meanders through the Center. Fortunately, the trails are well-marked with new signs at all intersections and maps posted at intervals. Contact the Augusta Nature Club to get a copy of the latest map to help plan your trip and find your way around in the Center. Most of the trails wind through the dense mixed-hardwood forests of the Nature Center, although a few, most notably the Jordan Farm Trail and Whitney Brook Trail travel through more open areas.

Jordan Farm Trail
Entrances 2, 6 and 7
Difficulty: Easy
Blazes: White
The Jordan Farm Trail is a wide gravel road that bisects an open field studded with apple trees and small pines to the Quarry Pond, a lovely pool of dark water, shaded on the near bank by overhanging trees and reaching to a sheer wall of granite on the opposite side. From the pond, the Jordan Farm Trail follows the eastern border of the Center.

Jordan Farm Alternate Trail
Entrances 2, 6 and 7
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
The Jordan Farm Alternate Trail is a narrow dirt track that travels through the woods, skirting the open field. The Alternate Trail meets the Jordan Farm Trail near the Quarry Pond, and then dips back into the woods, rejoining the main trail at the top of the hill.

Hillside Loop Trail
Entrance 2
Difficulty: Moderate
Blazes: White and Red
The Hillside Loop trail is a narrow dirt track whose two branches link the Jordan Pond Trail and Whitney Brook Trail up and down the pine and hemlock wooded hillside.

Crabapple Trail
Entrance 1, 2 and 3
Difficulty: Moderate
Blazes: Blue
The Crabapple Trail offers a short loop up through the wooded hillside, connecting at various points to the Hillside Loop, the Whitney Brook Trail and the Witch Hazel Trail.

Bruce’s Woods
Entrance 1 and 3
Difficulty: Moderate
Blazes: White
Bruce’s Woods Trails loop through the woods, up and down the hill, just south of the Vo-Tech Center, passing through the Cony Rope Climbing Center, and skirting the back side of Lily Pond. The path of the trails through this area can be somewhat confusing, with a number of crisscrosses.

Whitney Brook Trail
Entrance 7 and 3
Difficulty: Easy
No Blazes
The Whitney Brook trail follows the path of Whitney Brook, a small sluggish stream that spans the Nature Center from south to north. This medium-wide grassy road follows the mostly open east bank of the brook and passes some of the Center’s highlighted natural features, including the Lily Pond (a small pond full of frogs and resplendent in summer with pink-flowered water lilies), the Dam, the Waterfall (a stone sluice, nearly dry in later summer) and the Beaver Works (an opportunity to view up-close beaver-gnawed stumps). From the Whitney Brook Trail, hikers can cross the stream to other trails at one of three bridges.

North Brookside Trail
Entrance 7 and 10
Difficulty: Moderate
Blazes: White
The North Brookside Trail is a narrow dirt track that connects to the Lower Hemlock Trail at both ends, and travels through the woods above the Granite Quarry and Whitney Brook.

South Brookside Trail
Entrance 3
Difficulty: Moderate
Blazes: White
The South Brookside Trail starts near the South Bridge and skirts the wooded west bank of Whitney Brook. This narrow dirt track passes the Dam and Waterfall on Whitney Brook and the Amphitheater, an arc of exposed granite with a two-tiered wooden structure for seating or a stage. The South Brookside Trail also passes by Deadman’s Cave and ends in the Granite Quarry.

Lower Hemlock Trail
Entrance 7, and 10
Difficulty: Moderate
Blazes: Blue
The Lower Hemlock Trail follows a dirt pathway through dense, quiet pine and hemlock forests. At its southern terminus, the Lower Hemlock Trail links up with the Quarry Road Trail and Upper Hemlock trail; at its northern terminus, it connects to the Jordan Farm Trail across the North Bridge, and the other end of the Upper Hemlock Trail. The North Brookside Trail loops off of the Lower Hemlock Trail.

Upper Hemlock Trail
Entrance 7, 8, 9 and 10
Difficulty: Easy
Blazes: Blue
The north branch of the Upper Hemlock Trail travels a wide gravel road from the White Oak Trail, down hill through pine forests, past a small birch grove to where it links with the north end of the Lower Hemlock Trail and North Brookside Trail. The south branch of the Upper Hemlock Trail climbs a wide dirt track from the junction of the Lower Hemlock Trail and Quarry Road Trail, through Ovenbird Corner, where several trails meet in a quiet hemlock grove, back up to the White Oak Trail.

White Oak Trail
Entrance 8 and 9
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Blazes: White
The White Oak Trail loops between the Upper and Lower Hemlock Trails and around Amphibian Pond. From Entrance #9 to the junction with the Lower Hemlock Trail, the White Oak Trail is a wide gravel road, from Entrance #8 around Amphibian Pond, it is a narrow dirt track. Amphibian Pond is a small wetland area, that has recently completely grown in with cattails. It creates a break in a small pine grove. The trail follows a ledgey ridge between the pond and Route 105. The northern connection between this backwoodsy section of the trail and road-like part appears to be under construction at this time, entailing a small climb up the bank to the main trail near of shiny new culvert. Look for white oak trees (distinguishable by their rounded edges) growing amongst the red oaks and pines.

Quarry Road Trail
Entrance 4 and 7
Difficulty: Easy
No Blazes
The Quarry Road Trail varies between is a narrow road that connects the Lower Hemlock Trail to the Witch Hazel Trail. The Quarry Road Trail travels the high ground above (and to the west of) Whitney Brook and offers connections to the South Brookside Trail.

Witch Hazel Trail
Entrance 1, 3, 4 and 5
Difficulty: Easy
Blazes: White
The Witch Hazel Trail is a broad gravel road that travels down the hill from the Hawthorne Trail to Whitney Brook and back up again to the Vocational Center and Bruce’s Woods Trails. True to its name, the woods along the Witch Hazel trail are dotted with witch hazel bushes. Look for these small trees with scalloped leaves and tiny yellow flowers that bloom in the autumn.

Hawthorne Trail
Entrance 4, 5, 10 and 11
Blazes: White
The Hawthorne trail is a wide dirt track that loops from the Malta Ledges near the water towers, past Blueberry Bend, a small open meadow covered in low-bush blueberry bushes to Ovenbird Corner.

Kid-Friendly Factor
The Augusta Nature Education Center is a fabulous place for kids to explore. The many looping trails offer a variety options for short or long hikes, depending on hiker ability, and the center abounds with interesting destinations, such as the three ponds, the quarry and Whitney Brook. Some of the trails lend themselves to jogging strollers—Jordan Farm Trail, Upper Hemlock Trail, part of White Oak Trail, Hawthorne Trail, Witch Hazel Trail, and Whitney Brook Trail—while the others are too narrow, steep or rocky for a safe, comfortable stroll, but are great for more mobile children. A summer day camp (Augusta Nature Camp) run at the Nature Center every year gives testament to the many attractions the Center offers kids.

Getting Involved
To support trail upgrades and maintenance with a donation or to become a volunteer, contact the Augusta Nature Education Center.

Pine Tree State Arboretum

Augusta

The Pine Tree State Arboretum is arguably the most interesting natural area in Augusta, offering ponds, wetlands, tree plantings, fields and dense woods. A wilder cousin of the genteel, groomed arboretums of bigger cities, the PTSA offers visitors a more adventuresome experience in trying to distinguish between the over 300 species and varieties of trees in the collections and the native growth.

Originally part of the vast State Hospital Farm that fed and employed the patients of the Augusta Mental Health Institute (AMHI) from 1840 until 1972, this 240-acre natural gem is owned by the state, but operated by a nonprofit organization under a 99-year lease. plagued by perennial funding and staffing shortages and maintained largely through volunteers, the Arboretum’s trails and tree and plant collections are somewhat worse for the wear, however the beauty and serenity of its quiet trails and wild landscape are well worth the minor inconveniences of broken boardwalks and neglected gardens. For those of us who enjoy these trails on a regular basis, becoming a member and/or volunteering our time gives us an opportunity to give back and help maintain the trails and facilities.

Nature lovers will appreciate the wide array of wildlife to be experienced at the Arboretum. Birds abound among the treetops—over 150 species have been sighted; I saw my first scarlet tanager, American redstart and American bittern here, to name a few—turtles sun themselves on half-sunken logs in Viles Pond, frogs sing from the wetlands, deer travel the woods and numerous species of dragonflies and butterflies color the fields throughout the summer.

Hikers may choose to hike one of the three main loop trails, or connect them in endless combinations using link trails, for a total of nearly five miles of hiking options. Be sure to pick up a map at the kiosk just north of the Viles Visitors Center—trails crisscross frequently with link trails and can be confusing, especially at junctures where there are no signs, although recently-painted tree blazes help to alleviate this problem. Maps are also posted at several points throughout the trails. Dogs are permitted on a leash. The Arboretum is open every day from dawn to dusk, year-round.

Groomed cross-country ski trails and marked snow-shoe routes extend the pleasures of the Arboretum year-round.


Getting There
The Pine Tree State Arboretum is located on the east side of Augusta, approximately 1 mile south of the Cony Circle rotary on left side of Hospital St. (Rt. 9). You can park either at the DEP visitor parking lot (turn left at the light on the Piggery Rd.) or at the Viles Visitor Center (turn left at the Arboretum sign). The official starting point for the trails is located near the old sugar maple just north of the Visitor Center. Pick up a map and membership brochure at this kiosk.


The Trails
Total trail distance: 5 miles

Viles Pond Loop
Difficulty: moderate
Hiking time: ½ hour
Blazes: red

The Viles Pond Loop trail offers a pleasant ramble through the woods and passes by many of the Arboretum’s more interesting natural and historical features. The trail starts near the Visitors Center, at the ancient sugar maple and can be enjoyed in its entirety, or used as an access point for the Woodland Loop. Some of the collections that can be viewed along the Viles Pond Loop include the black ash planting, heirloom apple collections, the Rhododendron Grove (come here in June to see these beauties in full bloom) and the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Gardens. One of the loveliest spots along this trail and in the Arboretum is the Hosta Garden. Over 290 specimens from 190 varieties of hosta grace the wide, sloping gravel pathway, along with a variety of wildflowers, in the cool shade of graceful white birches. The first 100 hostas in the garden were moved here from the Arnold Arboretum’s collection at Case Estate in Weston, MA in 1994 and are tended by volunteers from the Maine Hosta Society.

The Viles Pond Loop also treats visitors to views of a brick well that houses the valves and pumps that ran the hospital’s vast waterworks and the enormous cistern that held the water for the hospital and now houses the Johnson Education Center, a covered outdoor classroom. Despite its name, the loop merely skirts the west bank of Viles Pond, a small, shallow, manmade body of water that nevertheless teems with wildlife. To get a better view of the pond, rather than turning right at the sign, go straight, past the Piggery, the concrete and metal remains of the building that once housed the pigs raised to feed the State Hospital’s patients until 1944 when it was destroyed by fire, and the farm discontinued raising pigs. Beyond the Piggery, this link trail passes Viles Pond along its north shore, offering visitors a resting spot on a large granite bench. Retrace your steps back to the sign to continue the Viles Pond Loop. The Viles Pond Loop meets the Woodland Loop in a clearing on its southeast corner, but link trails provide access to both of the other trails at several points along the trail.


The Woodland Loop
Hiking time: ½ hour (plus time on connecting trails getting there)
Difficulty: moderate
Blazes: green

The Woodland Loop takes you on a gentle upland hike through the Arboretum’s fragrant pine woods and demonstration tree farms. One of the highlights the Woodland Loop offers is the Space Shuttle Pines, whose seeds traveled aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in 1991, orbiting the earth 93 times and traveling 24 million miles. Upon their return to Earth, the seeds were grown into seedlings and planted here during Arbor Week 1994 by Kennebec County 4-H members and International Paper. Unfortunately, the pines have been vandalized in recent years, as evidenced by the broken and missing tops of several trees.

The Woodland Loop trail takes you past a tree harvest demonstration project and clear-cut demonstration. Both of these projects fulfill part of the Arboretum’s mission as a Demonstration Tree Farm. Near the bottom of a gentle hill, the Woodland Loop passes the Constitution Pine, the Arboretum’s oldest and tallest tree, which dates back to 1787.

The Outer Loop
Hiking Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult
Blazes: Blue

The Outer Loop passes through the most remote and wilderness-like sections of the Arboretum. Unfortunately, this longest of the Arboretum’s trails is closed due to lack of staff time for mowing and maintenance and a broken boardwalk at the “Wetlands Enhancement Project,” on the northern branch of the loop. Segments of the trail are still in good condition and are accessible from the other loops and link trails. One especially lovely section begins at the Governor’s Grove and enters the deep woods. Walk quietly through this dark, mossy forest and you may hear the haunting song of the veery in a high treetop. The trail passes a small open area with a vernal pool and a nearby picnic table before entering another thickly wooded area. A short way beyond this area, the official Outer Loop route, passes a sign that warns “unmaintained trail beyond this point.” Beyond the sign, the trail becomes thickly overgrown with tall grasses for a fair distance, and crosses a couple of wet areas via wobbly but serviceable bog bridges. To avoid the unmaintained section, take a right at the fork in the trail just prior to the sign, and continue on to the Woodland Loop. The southernmost branch of the Outer Loop passes between the Larch Plantation and Green Ash Plantation and joins up with the Woodland Loop before heading off into unmaintained territory.

Kid-Friendly Factor
I have traveled much of the Arboretum with a jogging stroller (both single and double), but it is a workout and some areas are simply impassable. A more practical way to travel with small children is to carry them in a backpack, sling or front carrier. Toddlers will enjoy running around in the grass and trekking short distances along the trails. For preschoolers and older children, the Arboretum offers a wealth of opportunities for exploration and adventure. The frog and turtle-filled ponds will be especially attractive, but the trails, fields, trees and historic remains will all provide endless fascination. At the Sugar Maple kiosk, you can pick up a Quest brochure which takes you on a 10-question scavenger hunt throughout the Arboretum’s trails. This is a great way to engage school-age children in the history and nature of the Arboretum and to become better acquainted with some of the lesser-known trails.

Getting Involved
To become a member or volunteer visit http://www.pinetreestatearboretum.org/ or call 207-621-0031.