QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 12,268 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~6 miles in network
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: easy to moderate
- Sights: Oversett Pond, views, Sanborn River
This is a glorious hike that has it all: a well-marked trail system, a small mountain with views, a quiet pond, and a river punctuated with shallow pools.
At the parking area, you have to make a few decisions. First, which side of the river to hike along? Or skip the river, for now, and head to the mountain directly? If you decide on the river, you’ll start your hike in a clockwise direction, more of less, along the delightful Sanborn River.
If you follow the trail on the right side of the river (the north side), you’ll reach the 0.7-mile connecting path to Oversett Pond in approximately 1 mile. This is a wonderful little pond, enticingly swimmable. There is a 2.2-mile trail around the pond and up to the 1,365-foot summit (elevation gain, ~390 ft.). This path takes you up to stunning ledges — there are three overlooks along the way — each with a view over the pond, which was sparkling on the bright day we visited.
From the pond trail, you can walk back along a gravel jeep road, or return to the connecting trail and continue on the Sanborn River Trail (a 3-mile loop from the parking area), which I recommend.
This area is within the 12,268-acre Crooked River Headwaters conservation easement.
Check out Sam Shirley’s write-up of his hike here.
Directions: There is a parking area close to the trailhead, on the rough Oversett Road. Or you can park at the larger lot on nearby Willis Mills Road. Don’t park near the neighbors’ homes. If you’re coming from West Paris and Route 26, take Route 219 2.5 miles to Greenwood Road. Turn right, and shortly after, take a left onto Patch Mountain Road. When the road veers in about 0.6 miles, go right onto Willis Mills Road and the parking area is ahead, to the left.
