A Very Late Update!

Well, school started and we still hadn’t reached our goal of walking all of the Portland Trails, so we forged ahead and decided that hiking in the fall is a great activity. On September 4th we zipped over to Westbrook after work and walked the Westbrook River Walk. Parking our car in a lot off of Bridge Street, we traveled the paved gentle trail from our car into Westbrook’s Riverbank Park. There were other walkers and bikers along the way. This trail was a great choice for an after work walk to clear our heads.

On September 25th we headed to Falmouth to locate the Falmouth Nature Preserve. The hardest part of our day was locating the entrance to the trail. There is a small white sign with FNP painted in black. Keep your eyes open. Once you park your car in the small lot, you will be extremely pleased that you have found this trail system. This system is well marked and provides an opportunity for a long hike if you complete all of the trails. We will return to this area later in the fall to view the foliage.

October began and we decided to head to South Portland to hike the South Portland Greenbelt Walkway. It begins at the Wainwright Recreation Center, which is located on outer Highland Avenue, on the right. Parking was a bit tricky, since there were many soccer games going on at the time. At the center we picked up the paved trail that meandered through a wooded area, across Broadway, through neighborhoods near the water, through the Mill Creek Shopping Center area, and finally along the water to the Bug Light Park. What a great trail this is!!! It is almost 6 miles long and the park at Bug Light provides hikers with fabulous views of Portland Harbor. Plus, it is a longer hike for those who want to burn a few extra calories.

Back Out There!

While our pace has slowed, we still have every intention of reaching our goal of walking all of the Portland Trails. And while we may run a couple of weeks beyond the end of summer (following the calendar), we are determined to complete our goal. Fall is such a nice time for hiking and this challenge it is a great excuse to get out there!

Over Labor Day weekend, we walked the Fore River Trail and the connecting Thompson’s Point section. The total mileage was 1.3 miles. We parked on Hobart Street to pick up the trail and were very pleased to see signage which explained about the Julie N oil spill and the damage it caused. The trail offers some beautiful views of the Fore River and was an easy jaunt.

The Thompson Point section was fun to walk. The view towards the water is great, but to one side of the trail there are warehouses, scrap metal, and assorted vehicles which appear to be neglected. It will be great if they can eventually connect this trail to the Fore River Parkway Trail.

This past Wednesday we headed over to Westbrook to complete the Westbrook River Walk. This area of the city has certainly enjoyed quite a revitalization over the last few years, and the trail adds a pleasant, easy walking path from which to enjoy the river view.

A Return to the Trails

View from the Spring Point Shore Trail

Trail Meets Willard Beach

After a long absence from the trails, due to family medical issues, we returned to our hiking this week and headed to South Portland to walk the Spring Point Shore Trail, a 1.6 mile trek along the shore. Parking was available at the Bug Light Park, so we started there and headed down the trail to Willard Beach. There are many reasons to walk this trail.  The view is amazing, and it was a good reminder that the islands (House and Peaks) are close to this point. The trail can include a hike along Willard Beach and a visit to a beach is always on our list of things to do. Finally, the trail can be combined with a visit to Scratch Bakery, one of the best bakeries in the area. We finished our hike with a stop there, and then hiked back through the neighborhood to our car, thus creating a walk that surpassed two miles. Put this trail on your list for sure!!!  

As the calendar flipped from July to August, Kathleen planned a weekend of hiking for us in North Deering.  We focused on the Presumpscot River area, one section of the Portland trails we both had never visited.  What an amazing surprise awaited us!  

Saturday, we drove to the trail head at the end of Overset Road and hiked into the Presumpscot River Preserve. The day was a perfect Maine Day-clear, crisp and about 75 degrees.  When you arrive at the river, you can choose to travel up river or down river, and either way you will enjoy this beautiful spot.  Is this really the Portland area?  We hiked downstream first, which is where you find the Presumpscot Falls.  This part of the trail ends at private property, although the day we hiked there was no sign indicating we had entered this property.  You should probably stop when you reach the falls.  The path headed upstream hugs the river’s edge, as well, although there are small “loop” paths off to the left.  The trail continues under the highway overpass. When we finished in the Presumpscot River Preserve, we tried to find the trail head for the Oat Nuts Park Trail because the write-up on our map intrigued us.  According to the Portland Trails, this land “was originally an old subdivision of very small lots, the deeds of which could be found in boxes of Oat Nuts cereal.”  A brief search of the web unearthed some additional information about these land plots.  At outdoor travels.com they shared that “the name of the trails came from a cereal company that ran a promotion in the 1930’s where they parceled out 10’ x 10’ plots of land ‘in the Maine woods’ for those who ate enough Oat Nuts cereal and sent in the box tops. Largely unused and unclaimed, the city eventually used imminent domain to claim the land and build a park.”  What a great piece of Portland history!

So on Sunday, we returned to North Deering to hike the Oat Nuts trail.  We parked at the trail head on Summit Street and walked into the woods.  Once again we found a well-maintained trail that was being used and enjoyed by local residents.  The length of the trail is about a half a mile, and when you walk it you can connect directly to the Presumpscot River Preserve, allowing you to put together a substantial hike for yourself.  These will be gorgeous trails in the fall, and we will definitely return.  

Trail head behind the Lyseth playground

The cathedral pines of Pine Grove Park. 

Next we headed to the back of Lyseth School to walk the Lyseth/Moore/Pine Grove Trail.  We started at the back of the playground behind Lyseth, and the trailhead is well-marked.  This is a short hike across Allen Avenue into the Pine Grove Park. 

The mowed path in the meadow behind PATHS High School. 

One thing we have learned this summer is that the Portland Trails “list” has been evolving.  We have been using our 2nd edition map of the Portland Trails, but it is now clear that this does not exactly match the list on the Portland Trails website.  Our assumption is that the website is the most accurate, and that is how we found ourselves walking the “PATHS” trail even though this trail is not currently featured on the web.  Of course, after hiking the trail we can see that it is not well-maintained, a sure signed that it had “disappeared” from the “official” list.  We picked up this trail at the end of Sky Lark Road, and it took us awhile to figure out the correct trail to PATHS.  When we finally made our way to the Portland School, we had many thoughts including: 

-Why aren’t the students of PATHS involved in maintaining this trail?  (Although someone is clearly mowing the section that goes through a large field.)  

-Who owns all of the land behind the school? 

-Why does it not appear that this is part of the Portland Trails anymore? 

This is a trail we would not revisit soon, but we hope that the students and teachers of PATHS notice the great treasure behind the school. 

Our final stop of last weekend was the Presumpscot River Trail and again we found a stunning local spot.  This trail takes you along the north shore of the river and is quite a steep and challenging hike, but well worth the effort.  

This busy weekend was filled with four trails on the list and one that appears to have been removed from the list.  The trails of the Portland waterfront and South Portland await!

A Weekend on the Trails

During weekend walks throughout the year, but particularly in the fall and spring, we regularly include the Capisic Pond Trail as part of our personal walking route, but we wanted to walk it again as part of our official "walk all of the Portland Trails" summer adventure. A recent Press Herald article featured a timely nature talk sponsored by Portland Trails, since the trail will soon disappear while work on the sewer line is completed. Participants on the walk echoed what we noticed-where is Capisic Pond? The cattails are definitely taking over as this picture shows, filling in the area on both sides of Capisic Street.

We will certainly miss this trail over the next few months but hope that this project succeeds in improving the water quality of the area.

Today we stopped at the trail at Martin’s Point. As teachers in the Portland Public Schools, we spent many hours at the old Marine Hospital, which served as the headquarters for the school district until recently. We were amazed at the building that is going on in this area, but confused about the trail. In most of the areas we have hiked, the trailhead is marked with a Portland Trails sign, but this was not the case at Martin’s Point. After walking the paved trail on the water side of the building and checking the Portland Trails map, we concluded that we had indeed walked the trail even though there was no official signage. The memorial to the USS Reuben James (the first Navy ship lost during WWII) and to all the Mainers lost in World War II in sea related duty was a surprise to us and would provide a “teachable moment” for youngsters walking the trail. The highlight of this trail is the gorgeous view.

Finally, we headed to Mackworth Island, where we had spent many hours when our children were young. It’s a great mile plus, gentle trail, hugging the perimeter of Mackworth Island. Parking is easy, although sometimes the lot is full. A new addition to the island is the request for the payment of an entrance fee, which is at the trailhead.

Our memories traveled back to the days of packing a light snack and heading to Mackworth with preschoolers in tow. I think the island provided us with a few moments of sanity and relaxation that we were so grateful for at the time. We know they would have loved the fairy house activity that is now a part of the trail.

Well, maybe we can bring our grandchildren to build a house someday!!!

Walking a New Trail

The work of Portland Trails continues daily.  As we are working our way through the list of 30 trails on the website, we have discovered that there are trails on the 2nd edition map that are not on the list of 30 trails AND that there are new trails being added, as well.  One example is the new Bayside Trail which was recently celebrated at the July Greendrinks.

So instead of heading to Fox Street and Greendrinks, we headed directly to the Bayside Trail after dinner yesterday.  What a great addition to this neighborhood! From reading the history of the trail it is clear that the neighborhood is supporting this joint effort between Portland Trails and the Trust for Public Land.  The trail follows the old Union Branch railroad easement and connects the Back Cove and Eastern Prom trails to Elm Street.  Signs marking the trail and the supporters of the decade long trail planning help walkers who are not familiar with this area locate the trail.  This was one trail we could walk without changing into our sneakers and it is generally flat and bricked.  Fundraising for this project continues as the vision for this area includes landscaping, public art and benches.  As trail advocates have boasted, when it is completed, this trail will have provided an “extreme makeover” for this area of Bayside.  Photos from the trail:
 

Gisland Farm, Maine Audubon

Gisland Farm is a great sanctuary in the Greater Portland area. It is 65 acres that include the headquarters for the Maine Audubon and a nice selection of hiking trails.  The parking lot is right next to the headquarter, with easy access from the parking lot to the three major trails: North Meadow, West Meadow and Pond Trail. At the trail head there is a helpful map of the trails at the farm. Behind one section of the parking lot is a gorgeous peony garden, so if you are there when the peonies are blooming make sure to bring your camera.

We made two visits to Gisland Farm. The first time we stopped we walked the North Meadow Trail. One things we noticed immediately were the sculptures of Wendy Klemperer. This artist uses industrial materials to construct species in steel including wolves, elk, and deer. Art curator June Lacombe brings the sculptures to this setting and other artists featured include LIse Becu and Ray Carbone. The sculptures and the beautiful vistas along this trail would make a great destination for children and adults alike.

On our return visit to Gisland Farm, we walked the Pond Trail and the West Meadow Trail. The water lilies in the pond were beautiful and it would be another nice spot for a picnic lunch.
All of the trails are gentle and peaceful. Cameras are recommended!! You never know when you might see a wild turkey.

According to the Maine Audubon website, snowshoes are available for rent in the winter, so we will put this activity on our “bucket list” for January and we look forward to returning any time of year.