Blandings Park Wildlife Sanctuary, Biddeford

This is a wonderful place to walk, and also has a unique story. Local land owners took steps to protect the more ecologically valuable part of their land while developing a subdivision along Route 9. They convinced nearby land owners to also donate parcels, leading to the protection of more than 200 acres. Their plan is to continue conserving even more acres in the large expanse of undeveloped land bordered by West Street, Pool Street, Granite Street and Guinea Road. The area is known to harbor endangered Blanding’s turtles.

Because these woods were once quarried for granite — an important historical industry for Biddeford — there is a system of old, rough tracks cutting through the land. Some of these have been turned into marked trails. Most are wide and easy to walk, like the green, orange, and red trails. Parts of these might be okay for some sturdy wheelchairs. The blue trail feels a bit more like a footpath. Take care to follow the blazes, as there are intersecting unmarked trails that lead onto private property.

On my map, I’ve marked the park’s official trails in blue and the unofficial (but well used) trails in green. There is a trail that crosses private property connecting Clifford Park with this trail system, but walkers might want to request permission to use it.

Directions: The trail head is at the end of Blandings Way, off to the left. Park along the side of the road. The park is open dawn to dusk.