David Rancourt River Preserve

This 14-acre preserve, owned by the Androscoggin Land Trust, contains two small and charming sandy beaches along the Androscoggin River, as well as an easy blazed trail system that weaves through the woods along the river. (I marked the beach I thought was especially nice.) If you do the outer loop, it’s about 0.8 miles.

The trail is close to a Marden’s super store! This can make for a nice après-walk shopping spree if you’re looking for some discounted thing or another.

The preserve is named after David Rancourt, a well-respected deputy sheriff from Leeds who died young in a diving accident. He offered diving and water safety lessons in the Androscoggin River, often at this spot. “If David had one fault it was his generous heart,” his obituary says.

Directions: From downtown Lewiston, follow Main Street (Route 202) north until you go past Mollison Way on the right and then under the railroad bridge. Take a left at Northwoods Road (just before Marden’s).  Follow Northwoods Road a short distance until the road changes to Tall Pines Drive at a 90 degree turn to the left. Follow Tall Pines Drive a short distance past two townhouses. Park along Tall Pines Drive along the wooded section immediately across from a private parking lot of the second townhouse at 20 Tall Pines Drive. Look for the kiosk and the trailhead.