Cushman Preserve, Wiscasset

Possibly the nicest part of the 117-acre Cushman Preserve is the meadow portion, with views over the water. After walking by the ice pond, a well-worn track curves around the pond and heads out into the fields. The rest of the preserve feels messier, with little to no marked or maintained trails — or at least this was the situation in the winter of 2018, when I last visited. You can, however, follow an old woods road into the preserve, where you can cut a rough track along the high ridge, scrambling over fallen trees while catching views through the trees of Back River. The highest point in the preserve is about 210 feet.

Directions: Park at the northern trailhead, on the short road that connects Birch Point Road to the Point East Road to Mason Station. Pass through a gate. Follow the track around the Ice Pond (on your left) to the monument to Margaret Stetson, who gave this land to the Chewonki Foundation.