QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 550 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~3.8-mile loop
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: easy
- Sights: wetlands, young forest
(Sanford Community Forest in red on map.)
I believe more trails will be developed here but in the meantime, you can do a wonderful ~3.8-mile loop on old woods road that local land trusts have marked out. Though it can be wet in places, and eroded and rocky in others, the loop is mostly easy to walk and brings you by a significant wetland and forests recovering from harvesting.
The loop connects to the Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail, which you walk along briefly before turning back into the preserve.
We saw lots of warblers on the early May day we walked here (as well as picked up a few inevitable ticks). And in 2024, a garden of native flowers, shrubs, and trees was created by the entrance on Oak Street.
Directions: The parking area is on the left off Oak Street (Route 11A), about 1.2 miles after you turn off Lebanon Street (Route 11). If you’re coming from downtown Sanford, it’ll be on the right side of Oak Street, about 0.4 miles after the intersection with Harry Howes Road.
