Little River Community Trail and Howard School Trails, Belfast

Little River Community Trail in blue, Howard School trails in orange, McLellan-Poor trails in green.

I hugely enjoyed hiking this 5.2-mile trail, which starts (or ends) at the Belfast Water District on Route 1 and ends at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center on Route 3. In between is a gentle, well-marked and well-maintained trail that edges Belfast’s two reservoirs and the Little River. So for much of it, you have water on your side. You have to cross two roads (and briefly walk along them): Perkins and Route 52. The final 1.3-mile section between the Walsh Recreation fields and the Hutchinson Center is the least fun and charming.

Directions: From the intersection of Routes 1 and 52 in Belfast, drive south on Route1 1 for 2.4 miles, and turn right into the Belfast Water District. Park at the back of the lot where the trail starts at a kiosk, the trail follows blue blazes one mile to the Perkins Road, crosses, and continues 3 miles to Rt. 52 at the Walsh Ball Fields, diagonally across the street from the YMCA. The Howard School is 100 yards or so up Route 52 from the YMCA.