Mousam Way (Center), Sanford

This is not the official name of this trail! I decided to call it Mousam Way (Center), because it lies between Mousam Way North and Mousam Way South. Together, these three wonderful riverside trail systems offer lots of opportunities to walk in the woods or along the Mousam. Maybe you can also swim in the summer?

Additionally, you can extend your walk all the way behind the high school. I’ve put all the trails I’ve walked along this stretch of Mousam River in one map.

The central Mousam Way system is the longest of the three, and has the most options for different kinds of walkers, including wheelchair/universally accessible paths that are either paved or smoothed gravel (I can’t verify how smooth they are, though, since I visited when the paths were buried in snow, unfortunately). All of the trails are well marked, with frequent signs along the way. The only spot where we got confused was in front of the middle school, but here you can just follow the stream to reconnect with the trail.

The woods in this trail network, despite being so close to the center of town, are quiet and peaceful. On a nice Saturday following a snowstorm, we saw only one other person out on the trails. There are a couple of easy road crossings since the trails are squeezed into a small area with a lot going on (schools, playing fields, skate parks, etc.). According to the town map, the Mousam Way trail also skirts alongside a couple of roads to make loops. I assume there are sidewalks, but I couldn’t tell the day I visited because it was so snowy.

Two highlights are the peninsula north of the YMCA and Photo Park, a tiny spit of land off Marginal Way.

Directions: You can park and pick up the trail at several places: Gowen Park, alongside the small dog park on William Oscar Emery Drive, the Sanford YMCA, or close to the middle school (there is a small area to pull over by the trailhead.)