QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: +23 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~0.3 miles one way
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: easy
- Sights: freshwater wetlands, ocean views
Biddeford Pool Land Trust bought the former Marie Joseph Spiritual Center in 2023 to re-wild the 23-acre oceanside property (a wish requested by the sisters who lived there). As of 2025, you can walk along a roped-off path of wood chips and check out the progress of young native species that have been planted all around the impacted land. The land trust asks that you shut the deer fence, at both entrances, to protect the young plants from being nibbled!
The path across the former retreat connects to short, older paths that can be picked up from Gilbert Boucher Park. After rains, these paths can be muddy, even with all the charming boardwalk.
Also, the paths are built within a snug neighborhood. A sign asks you to please stick to the trail, both to protect the habitat and to be respectful of people’s private property. One of the two trails emerges onto someone’s driveway. You can turn around here or make a loop via the roads.
Note: A reader has written in to say that the new boardwalk is open, as of April, 2026, leading to and from Gilbert Boucher Park and the beach.
Directions: (From the very same helpful reader!) There is access to Fletchers Neck path off of Evans Road but you CANNOT park there. Free parking is available on one side of Lester B Orcutt Road or Stonecliff Road. Beach parking is available for a fee (credit card pay stations or Biddeford City parking sticker) from June 15–Labor Day, 8am-5pm. Beach parking is free after Labor Day and through the winter/spring. The best road for parking access for the beach is Gilbert Place (Elphis Rd has a gate blocking vehicle entrance during the summer season). Enjoy this gem!
The Land Trust with their own funding and funding from the city, have started the raised boardwalk on the property that goes to/from the Gilbert Boucher Park parking lot. It will be so great NOT to have to wear rain boots through there in coming Spring and mud seasons! Guessing it will be open by June 2026 or sooner!
The new boardwalk is OPEN as of April 2026, it’s the path that leads to and from Gilbert Boucher Park (the beach). There is access to Fletchers Neck path off of Evans Road but you CANNOT park there. Free parking is available on one side of Lester B Orcutt Rd or Stonecliff Rd. Beach parking is available for a fee (credit card pay stations or Biddeford City parking sticker) from June 15–Labor Day 8am-5pm and is free after Labor Day and through the winter/spring. The best road for parking access for the beach is Gilbert Place (Elphis Rd has a gate blocking vehicle entrance during the summer season). Enjoy this gem!
That is so exciting! And this is very good info. I’ll add it to the main post. Thank you for sharing!