Machias River Preserve, Whitneyville and Machias

From the parking lot off 1A, you can hike a quiet and lovely 3-mile section of trail (the Heritage Trail) along the wide, languid Machias River (once the site of massive log drives).

All together there is about 5.5 miles of trails at this 917-acre preserve, not counting the Downeast Sunrise Trail. After you walk the long stretch along the river, you can either turn in on the 1.8-mile Munson Pitch Trail, which cuts through the woods on slightly higher, dry ground, or you can walk back along the Sunrise Trail, which is really more enjoyable for four-wheelers and bicyclists than walkers! When I visited the preserve in August, 2023, the second 0.7-mile section along the river, the Hemlock Trail, had been closed.

The Homestead Trail on the other side of the Sunrise Trail (which cuts through the middle of this preserve) is wooded and on high ground, and if you do the Homestead Trail Loop, you’ll see old foundations sunken into the ground.

Note: The Downeast Coastal Conservancy warns that the Heritage Trail can get flooded when the river is high.

Directions: There are two parking lots. One is on Route 1A in Machias, about 0.5 mile south of the Down East Community Hospital, on the left, and the second is on Route 1A in Whitneyville, about 0.3 mile north of the bridge over the Machias River, also on the left.