Jamies Pond Wildlife Management Area

Maine’s 70 or so wildlife management areas (WMAs), as the name implies, aren’t really meant for human visitors, according to a ranger I spoke with from Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. That being said, a lot of them do have trails and dirt roads and it is tempting to check them out!

This one, Jamie’s Pond, appears to welcome humans, and is one of the nicest WMAs I’ve walked around, with about 886 acres to explore. The trail system is large and well-marked (with maps set up at many junctions and, for the most part, trails with consistent blazes). I made a big loop on the outermost trails, and hiked roughly four miles. The land includes a beautiful pond and a nice place to take it all in at a ledgy lookout that I’ve marked with a red icon on my map.

The best way to tackle this area if you’re new to it is to start right at the pond, accessible from the end of Jamie’s Pond Road. There’s a kiosk you can consult, and from this point the trails are especially well marked. There are two (small) trail signs at either end of this parking lot marking the trailheads. There is also a good place to park with a kiosk at the entrance off Collins Road. 

Directions: There are three parking areas: one on Jamies Pond Road by way of Outlet Road in Hallowell; one on Meadow Hill Road in Manchester; and via Collins Road in Manchester.