QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 1,846 acres
- Trail Mileage: 1.6 mile round trip
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: easy
- Sights: river's edge
Sprague Pond Trail in red, Mica Mine in green, Denny Reed in blue and New Meadows in lilac.
This is part of the Basin Preserve, a vast, sprawling tract of conserved land. The Nature Conservancy maintains several trails here: Mica Mine trail, Denny Reed Trail and the Sprague Pond Trail. The New Meadows Trail isn’t so much a walking path as a collection of a few old roads popular with ATVs and horseback riders.
To reach the water, head straight on the main path/road from the parking area. Where the road seems to split in two (very soon after leaving), stay left. (The road to the right goes to a small clearing and then reconnects with the main road.) In .5 miles you’ll pass a road on your left. Don’t take it, you’ll end up in someone else’s back yard. In .8 miles from the parking area, you’ll reach the shore of the river. You can do a small loop here — it passes through pretty forest.
Directions: From Route 209 southbound in Phippsburg, turn right onto Basin Road. Proceed on Basin Road (it turns to gravel) about 1.6 miles, passing two gravel roads intersecting from the right. At the intersection at mile ~1.6, stay right to continue on Basin Road, shortly passing a boat launch and viewpoint on the right. Keep going for another ~0.7 miles. You’ll see a dirt road with a series of boulders lining the right side of the road. This is Hedgehog Road and the beginning of New Meadows Trail.
