Fuller Forest and Lafcadio’s Woods Preserves, York

(Fuller Forest in blue; Lafacdio Woods in red; Norton Preserve in orange)

You can go for a satisfyingly long walk through the woods on these three connected preserves—two in York, the third in Kittery. They include marshes, vernal pools, and small ponds. In total, the York Land Trust says 1,300 acres have been protected in this area—a block of unfragmented habitat that is critical to the survival of many species.

Fuller Forest is the newer of the two preserve. You’ll start your walk from a really big parking lot on Bartlett Road and make your way through harvested woodlots. (The York Land Trust says the 220 acres here are sustainably-managed working forest with public access trails.) The path is surprisingly flat and smooth for a woodland path, and because the area is harvested, it allows you to see a fair ways through the forest. If you head over to Norton Preserve, you’ll pass the Dolly Gordon Basin, and then walk into an older forest.

Note: The path connecting Norton Preserve and Fuller Forest Preserve can be a bit wet and overgrown. But the day I visited it was loud with birdsong and so kind of delightful.

To access York Land Trust’s 35-acre Lafcadio Preserve, cross the street from the large parking area at Fuller and roam the bright forest and rocky outcroppings here for a ~1.5-mile loop. The preserve is named for environmentalist Alexander Lafcadio Cortesi.

Directions: The preserve is on the left side of Bartlett Road if you’re headed north toward Southside Road. It’s just about 0.76 miles from the intersection with Payne Road, and 0.3 miles from the intersection with Southside Road.