QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 65 acres
- Trail Mileage: 2.5 miles in network
- Pets: no
- Difficulty: easy
- Sights: pond, meadow, orchard, Presumpscot River estuary
This is a wonderful walk on a 65-acre sanctuary beloved by local people. The birding is good, the views of the Presumpscot River estuary and the city are beautiful, the trails add up to about 2.5 miles. The Maine Audubon has its headquarters here.
The Audubon Center offers a trail guide on its website that provides details and distances. West Meadow Trail, 0.7 miles, follows the perimeter of a meadow, offering views from bluffs. Pond Meadow, 0.6 miles, includes old forests of red oak and hemlock and a pond with muskrat. North Meadow, 1.2 miles, lets you explore a mature grove before bringing you to a meadow that supports bobolink, sparrow, meadowlark, Canada Geese and birds of prey.
Directions: From Rt. 295 headed north out of Portland, take the first Falmouth exit onto Route 1. Go a couple of miles and take a left onto Gilsland Farm Rd., before the road splits (Route 1 goes left, Foreside Rd. right). Drive all the way to the parking lot and headquarter building.
