Greely Woods, Cumberland

Map above shows Greely Woods in blue and Rines Forest in green.

Many trail systems in this area link up. If you want to continue your walk beyond Greely woods, you can cross Blanchard Road to walk the Waterfall Trail into Rines Forest (and beyond that into Hadlock Forest, Blackstrap Hill Preserve, etc.) Here’s my map of the local interconnected trail system.

The lucky people who live adjacent to this 40-acre municipal forest and well-marked trail system have a wild and beautiful backyard. Several of the trail legs lead from one small housing development to the next. Because the land here seems to be more like a neighborhood park than a preserve, there aren’t many parking spots. I’ve marked the area off the Greely Road Extension where there is a small pull-over area for about three cars. It was plowed when we visited in January. The red trail off Lockwood Lane is the most convenient place for walkers to access the trail system from town, and there is also some space for parking along the lane.

The trails are well blazed, but there was no map at the trailhead or at any intersections when I visited. The trail that extends the length of the forest from Greely Road Extension to Blanchard Road is 1.1 miles. I recommend, if you want to do a loop, to start on the blue trail from Greely Road Ext., following a narrow curvy stream. At the first intersection, jump onto the green trail, which loops around a small pond. You can return via the blue trail. I’m estimating that this walk is a little under 1 mile.

Directions: From the intersection with Route 9, go 0.5 miles on Greely Road Extension toward Knight’s Pond Preserve. The town forest is marked with a sign, and there is a small area to pull over a car on the side of the road.