QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 72 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~3 miles in network
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: easy*
- Sights: undeveloped islands, beach
Cobbosseecontee Lake has a cluster of appealing islands in its center, with a combined 72 acres of protected land. The islands are easily accessed by motor boat, but offer more of an adventure for paddlers or cross-country skiers. If you survive the roughly 2.5-mile journey across ice or water from the closest public boat launch, you are rewarded with islands covered in mature forests (white pine, hemlock, cedar, and oak), and a few spots that seem popular with swimmers. (I could not confirm this because I visited in winter, but I did see evidence of swimming props: rope swings at a lakeside ledge and a dock, both on Horseshoe Island).
Kennebec Land Trust has developed four easy, blazed loops on Hodgdon, Horseshoe, and Sheep (Perry) Islands that can be combined for a morning or afternoon outing.
The biggest island, Hodgdon, has a 17-acre preserve and a roughly 1.25 mile loop. The boat landing is at Sunset Beach, on the west side of the island, where the land trust says “a granite ledge and sandy lake bottom provide an ideal spot for picnics and swimming.” A sign at the site makes it easy for visitors to spot from afar.
The land trust protects 49 acres on Horseshoe Island and maintains two blazed loops there: the 0.8-mile north loop (North Hemlock Loop) and the 0.6-mile south Tupelo Loop. (They’re separated by a private parcel.) The six-acre Sheep Island has a 0.3-mile loop (which I haven’t done yet — I hope to return this summer!).
*Though the island trails are mostly flat and easy, if you’re combining them with a long ski or paddle, the outing might be quite arduous.
Directions: The land trust recommends visitors use one of two public boat launches on the lake: one on the northern end of the lake on Turtle Run Road off Route 202 in East Winthrop, and a more southern one off Route 135, in Monmouth, on the southwest shore of the lake. Additionally, the land trust says there is an “informal access point in Manchester at the intersection of the Pond Road and Collins Road at the Cobbossee Stream outlet,” which is closest to the islands and looks as if you could park there and launch a canoe or kayak. I’ll check that out in the future.
