Ingersoll Point Preserve

The forests in this 145-acre preserve are enchanting, blanketed with moss, lichen, and sedges in different shades of green. I walked a preserve once that was described as a “moss garden.” While that one didn’t live up to this promise, this one does!

I recommend walking along the rocky beach as much as you can. The total trail network is about 3.5 miles, with over 1 mile along the shoreline.

From local hiker Travis Chandler: This delightful preserve has so much — from towering spruce forests, to a point of land that juts into the sea, to a rise of rock that is as mysterious as it is beautiful. Along the way several streams pierce the preserve, which has moss as thick as a mattress below a mix of softwood and hardwood trees. For those that prefer to hike barefoot, shoes can be kept in the car at this preserve. Barefoot hikers can enjoy a trail along the bay or any of the forest trails laden with soft spruce needles and moss. To truncate their hike, hikers can take one of the cross-trails that enable them to reach specific destinations. One of these is a point with a picnic table overlooking Jonesport and, farther out, Beals and Great Wass Islands. You can eat your lunch here while watching the tide roll in.

Directions: (From the land trust:) Trailhead and parking is in the back of the Union Church parking lot. From Route 1, turn onto Route 187/Indian River Road. In two miles, turn right on Wescogus Road. Continue about 1.5 miles and turn left on East Side Road. Go about 6 miles and turn right onto Mooseneck Road. Continue to the Union Church, on your left in about 1 mile. Look for the Ingersoll Point Preserve sign.

Photos contributed by Travis Chandler.