Little River Commons, Belfast

On the 66-acres of the land protected by Little River Commons Land Trust, visitors are invited to walk a couple of loops to experience the extraordinary beauty of the Little River. (My photos don’t do it justice!) On my visit, I mapped just one of the loops, but will include notes (below) on another trail described by Shawn Gregory, who is helping to spearhead the Little River project.

The Little River Commons Land Trust, established in 2024, is focused on providing land access to BIPOC-led groups and communities, supporting Wabanaki lifeways, and creating community access to the Little River and adjacent outdoor event space. Dedicated to land justice and restoring the commons, the trust is seeking volunteer teams “to help with the establishment of mutual aid work groups, a craft space, trail creation, upkeep of the community house, and processes for supporting the housing-insecure.”

For now, its trails are open to the public at any time during daytime hours. As the project develops, public access times may shift, following the leadership of Wabanaki or other BIPOC groups who have taken responsibility for stewarding the land, according to the land trust.

Notes on the 0.8-mile loop shown on my map: From the Community House, you’ll see a trail sign pointing down a sloping lawn to a large serpentine bend in the river. You’ll catch the path on the right, heading west. It follows a short stretch of river lined with mossy banks, small deposits of round stones, and ledges. The shallower, narrow parts of the river might turn a milky blue in the winter. There is one steep hill where you descend to the river bank and one slightly tricky stream crossing. The path eventually connects to fields and the mown trail network of Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage.

For the other loop not shown on my map, from Shawn: “When you walk down from the Community House to Little River, you’ll see a tree fallen across the river (at the bottom of the bend). Just after the tree (walking left down the river) there are some large stones to help you cross the river — in season when the water is low. Eventually we will build a bridge. From there, a loop goes through the back of the land and eventually comes out an old logging road. Turn right onto the road, now a wide trail. It loops back up to the river to the stone crossing and emerges at The Possibility Alliance.”

Directions: Little River Commons is located at 3 Adney Place off of Edgecomb Road. The driveway curves up toward the community house, where limited parking is available.