Edgar M. Tennis Preserve, Deer Isle

The quality of light here, when the sun is shining, is extraordinary, like so much of the forested Downeast coast (on the right days!). There is a good length of trail that passes along the water’s edge at this 145-acre preserve, so you get a good dose of this kind of diffuse light here. In addition, there are the remains of what appears to be, in the eyes of a walker in the year 2019, a once idyllic 19th-century homestead, with an apple orchard and grassy fields sloping down to a pier on a protected cove. It was farmed by Roswell Davis from 1873 to sometime in the mid-20th century.

While there aren’t too many ups and downs, there are a lot of exposed roots and uneven trails throughout the cove. The easiest path is to the homestead from the entrance road.

The highlight of the preserve, I believe, is its “pocket beach” in a little cove, with mauve sand and views of far-off islands that sometimes appear to be floating above the ocean horizon.

Directions: Driving south from Deer Isle on Route 15, turn left onto Sunshine Road, across from the gas station. Follow Sunshine Road 2.5 miles before turning right onto Tennis Road. There are several small parking areas along Tennis Road, which you can see on the land trust’s map.