QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 1,000 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~25 miles
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: easy to moderate
- Sights: Little Dyer Pond, yurts and cabins, bog boardwalk, sustainable forestry
A spectacular outdoor mecca — plus so much more — originally created by founders David “Tracy” Moskovitz and Bambi Jones. The Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center offers over 20 miles of trails on 1000 acres of forest and bog, with a short boardwalk, and it includes one mile of shoreline along a quiet pond. Plus, you can rent overnight cabins or pitch a tent at pond-side sites. You can also rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, and fat tire bikes. The best deal, if you come multiple times, is to become a member of the Midcoast Conservancy.
My map just shows some of the trails — there’s more to explore! The Center does a good job marking easy, moderate, and difficult trails, and there are some fun downhills and climbs on this rolling preserve.
The trails are groomed for skiing. The service road from the parking area to the barn is wheelchair accessible, although it might be difficult to get past the entry gate if it is closed.
About its mission, Hidden Valley says it best, so I’ll quote its website here: “The trail network connects the pond with one of the most ecologically diverse and undeveloped roadless tracts of forestland in the region — making it a gem of wilderness in the midst of the rapidly developing Mid-Coast region. Hidden Valley Nature Center’s mission has three parts: (1) To offer premier opportunities for outdoor, non-motorized recreation; (2) To offer educational opportunities related to the natural world, ecological literacy, and sustainable communities; and (3) To model innovative and sustainable forestry practices.”
Directions: The address for the center, which has several of plowed parking lots, is 131 Egypt Rd. in Jefferson. There is a daily fee.
